Literature, Journalism, and Modern Languages

Purposes

• To equip students with the skills to develop expository and creative writing;
• To develop interpretive, analytical, and critical skills through the close study and analysis of literary works;
• To develop competency in a foreign language as well as insight into other peoples and cultures;
• To educate students in the history and structure of the English language;
• To broaden students’ awareness and appreciation of our cultural heritage by examining masterpieces of western and world civilizations.

Tradition of Excellence

The Department of Literature, Journalism, and Modern Languages invites students to enter into the "republic of letters," to become students of the basic component of human interaction: language. The department is committed to helping students learn how to communicate themselves and their ideas effectively through the analysis and study of the written word as used in a breadth of literature—classical and modern, English and French, British and American Ethnic, etc. The faculty offer different approaches to the subject matter due to their different educational backgrounds. Professors of the department have distinguished themselves by having work published in Great Lives, Great Events -- The Seventeenth Century, Great Lives -- The Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism, Brontë Studies, The Ben Jonson Journal, The Literary Encyclopedia, English Today: The International Review of the English Language, Religion and Literature, Literature and Belief, Christianity and Literature, Profession, Journal on African Literature: Tydskrif vir leterkunde, Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, Nineteenth Century French Studies, La Corónica, The Princeton University Library Chronicle, The New York Times, Christianity Today, Relevant Magazine, Sojourners, The Journal of Mass Media Ethics,and the Encyclopedia of Christian Literature. Faculty membes have also published books and poetry collections. They have given lectures and submitted papers at such places as the University of London, the University of Hull, UCLA, Princeton University, and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese in Madrid, Spain. Department faculty have also received major national grants including several from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fulbright Fellowship Grant, and the Del Amo Foundation.

Career Opportunities

Students who have graduated from the Department of Literature, Journalism, and Modern Languages have been accepted into some of the finest graduate schools in the country. In addition to careers in law, education, journalism and public relations, graduates from our department are now active in a variety of business fields, ranging from investment banking to clothing retail management, tour agency management, and personnel management. Internship programs with local newspapers and magazines are also established to create contacts and experience for our students to gain employment in technical writing, business writing, and newspaper reporting.
 

Majors

Broadcast Journalism Journalism Literature         Concentrations          Literature          English Education  Romance Languages Spanish Writing

Minors

American Literature British Literature French Public Relations Spanish World Literatures Writing

Courses

Journalism and Writing Courses Linguistics Courses Literature Courses Modern Languages Courses

Faculty

Sue Crider Atkins, Ph.D. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Keith R. Bell, Ph.D. University of Oklahoma Scott M. Bennett, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara Carol A. Blessing, Ph.D., Chair University of California, Riverside Philip D. Bowles, Ph.D. Claremont Graduate School and San Diego State University Kara S. deFreitas, M.A., Visiting California State University, Chico  Richard A. Hill, Ph.D. University of Southwestern Louisiana Alain M. Lescart, Ph.D. University of Connecticut Karl E. Martin, Ph.D. University of Minnesota Kathryn G. McConnell, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles David Michael McKinney, Ph.D. University of Southern California Jacqueline Mitchell, M.A. University of California, Los Angeles Dean E. Nelson, Ph.D. Ohio University Charlene K. Pate, M.A. San Diego State University and California State University, San Marcos Bettina Tate Pedersen, Ph.D. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign James A. Wicks, M.A. Oregon State University Carl A. Winderl, Ph.D. New York University Hadley Wood, Ph.D. Harvard University Galen B. Yorba-Gray, Ph.D. Texas Tech University