English

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The English Department serves all UH Hilo students through its introductory and specialized courses in composition, its literature survey courses, and its linguistics courses. These are designed to strengthen students’ awareness of the complexity and power of the written language and to increase students’ ability to think critically and to express themselves logically and persuasively.

UH Hilo requires all students to complete English 100, English 100T, ESL 100 or ESL 100T. To enroll in these courses, students must perform at an appropriate level on the UH Hilo Writing Placement Exam. In addition, all non-native speakers must take the English Proficiency Test.

On the basis of their performance in the writing placement test, students might be required to complete certain courses successfully before they can proceed to English 100/100T or ESL 100/100T. Credits earned in ESL courses other than ESL 100/100T do not count towards graduation, but they do count for visa and financial aid purposes. Credits earned in Pre-100 English courses do not count towards graduation, but they do count for financial aid purposes.

Note: ENG 100/100T or ESL 100/100T is required for ALL other English courses. Any additional prerequisites for courses are indicated as needed.

Degree Requirements

See degree requirements for a detailed listing of the English B.A. requirements.

English Web Site

Visit the English web site at http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/depts/english/.

Goals for Student Learning

Students with a degree in English will develop:

  1. Familiarity with the literary tradition of England, the United States, and other English-speaking cultures of the world;
  2. Understanding of the socio-cultural and biological nature and structure of human language, in particular the English language;
  3. Understanding of the social, political, and cultural founda tions of literature in English;
  4. Understanding of the principles and practice of literary criti cism and literary theory;
  5. The ability to assess diverse viewpoints, to identify the as sumptions that underlie discourse, to assess the reliability of sources, and to analyze and synthesize information from a variety of sources;
  6. The ability to write clearly, effectively, and concisely in for mats appropriate for the presentation of work to a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes, including audiences and purposes common to academic and career settings;
  7. The skills to pursue and appropriately present the results of library research;
  8. Familiarity with the diversity of literary art and literary standards of excellence.

Requirements of the Major

  • Students must earn a grade of “C” or higher in all courses required for the major.
  • To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, students must fulfill the requirements both of the major and of the University's General Education program. (Please see the chapter entitled Baccalaureate Degree Requirements in this Catalog.)

Please Note:

  • Students wishing to make timely progress toward graduation are urged to pay careful attention to all degree requirements.
  • In addition, when planning a schedule of courses, it is imperative to be aware of course prerequisites and the frequency with which courses are offered. This information is available in the course listing at the back of this Catalog.
  • To ensure progress toward degree completion, students are urged to meet with an advisor each semester before registering.

English Faculty and Staff