In the 2021-2022 academic year, the English Department entered a transition period as we move to phase in a new set of requirements for the English major and the modified English major for students who want to pursue a teaching license. The “new” requirements for the standard English major and the modified English major for students who want to pursue a teaching license apply to all students who enter the college in Fall 2021 and after.
This page outlines the “old” requirements for the modified version of the English major for students who wish to receive a teaching license: the English major with Communication Arts/Literature (CAL) Teaching Licensure. A worksheet that outlines the old requirements for this major is posted below. Students who began their studies at St. Olaf prior to the fall of 2021 are likely to have the option of continuing with the old requirements for the English major with CAL Licensure. Changing to the new set of requirements for the English major with CAL Licensure may also require changing to the new OLE Core curriculum for your general education requirements. Please contact the Registrar’s Office for further information.
Students who are interested in pursuing a teaching license are urged to consult with Education Department faculty for further information and clarification of the requirements. It is important to do this as early as possible in your St. Olaf career, as there are a number of specific courses that you need to take. You can find more information about the Education Department and teaching licensure here.
English Major and Communication Arts Literature Licensure Worksheet (Updated 2020): COMMUNICATION-ARTS-LIT-8_26_2020
Requirements for the Graduation Major Plus Communication Arts/Literature (CAL) Teaching Licensure
For this version of the English major, students must complete nine courses in the English Department (rather than ten courses for the standard major), a number of courses and other requirements in education, and four courses in other departments or programs (as described below).
ENglIsh Department courses
ENGL 150 – The Craft of Creative Writing
ENGL 185 – Literary Studies
ENGL 205 – American Racial and Multicultural Literatures
ENGL 242 – Children’s and Young Adult Literature
ENGL 256 – Shakespeare and His Contemporaries OR another Shakespeare course
One literary history course
One cross-disciplinary OR genre course
Two level III electives (two English courses at the 300-level)
Note: A list of courses by category (literary history, cross-disciplinary, and genre) can be found here.
Education Dept courses – Professional Education requirements
EDUC 231: Understanding Substance Abuse (0.0 credit)
EDUC 272: Counseling and Communication in the Schools (.5 credit)
EDUC 290: Educational Psychology (HBS) (1.0 credit)
EDUC 291: Educational Technology (0.0 credit)
EDUC 330: Principles of Education (ORC) (1.0 credit)
EDUC 375: Differentiated Instruction for Exceptional Learners (0.5 credit)
EDUC 381: Senior Seminar (0.5 credit)
EDUC 382: Human Relations Component (0.0 credit)
EDUC 385: Human Issues in Education (0.5 credit)
EDUC 389: Student Teaching (3.0 credits)
One Interim: EDUC 378 (Multicultural Education in Hawaii; MCD; 1.0 credit)) OR EDUC 379: Urban Education Practicum and Seminar (MCD; 1.0 credit)
Education Dept courses – content area licensure requirements
EDUC 245: Teaching and Learning of English Grammar (0.5 credit)
EDUC 321: Teaching of Reading (.5 credit)
EDUC 345: Teaching of Communication Arts/Literature (1.0 credit)
Other courses – Content area licensure requirements
First-Year Writing (FYW)
LNGST 250: English Language and Linguistics
THEAT 120: Public Speaking OR Carleton English 220: Arts of Oral Persuasion
MEDIA 160: The Media Landscape