Department of Literature, Writing, and Film
262-472-1036
The Department of Literature, Writing, and Film offers majors, minors, and certificates in Literature, English Education, Creative Writing, Professional Writing and Publishing, and Film Studies.
The study of Literature teaches students to engage, evaluate, and respond to a range of literary works across a wide span of cultural and historical contexts, equipping them with the skills to analyze these works in formal, rhetorical, and cultural terms. Offering surveys of major historical periods and trends, as well as courses that focus on specific writers and themes, Literature provides students with a training in literary study that is both broad and deep. Through this work, students not only develop a deep understanding of and appreciation for the range and variety of literary texts, they also develop the critical thinking, reading and writing skills essential to becoming thoughtful and intentional actors in the wider world.
The English Literature & Language Arts (BSE) program prepares students to teach English language arts in middle and high schools. To prepare students to teach across a range of classes, the English education major trains students in literary analysis, creative and professional writing instruction, film study, communication, and journalism. In addition to taking content courses in literature, writing, film, and communication, English Education majors complete courses in education methods and have several opportunities to observe and participate in area schools, including student teaching. The major fulfills the requirements for a teaching license in the state of Wisconsin.
The Creative Writing major provides students with a foundation in various creative writing genres, including, fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Other course offerings include screenwriting, prose stylistics, and special topics. Creative Writing majors have the opportunity to contribute to and produce The Muse, UW-Whitewater’s student literary and arts magazine.
Professional Writing and Publishing combines a focus on audience awareness with a strong editorial core to develop students’ talents in written and visual rhetoric, multimedia and multimodal communication, research, analysis, and presentation. PWP emphasizes transferable skills and project-based applications, so students prepare to enter fields such as technical and scientific communication; editing and publishing; document and content design; grant, marketing, and social media writing; web content strategy and usability design; corporate training and instructional design; and project management.
Film Studies prepares students for a variety of careers in media and further educational opportunities by providing instruction in the analysis and practice of filmmaking and visual storytelling. Students in Film Studies assess the medium of film in an interdisciplinary setting, learn methods of film analysis that take into account the techniques and conventions of filmmaking, and emerge with the ability to critically view, interpret, create, and write about films.