The Department of Languages and Literature will have three areas of concentration and several new electives starting in the spring semester.Ellen Barker, acting head of the Department of Languages and Literature, said that the new areas of concentration will include rhetoric and writing, literary studies and creative writing.
“This is something that we’ve had in the works for a while,” Barker said.
She said that the department is also creating some new courses and will discontinue some that haven’t worked for a while or indicate the traditional type of program.
“For example, we’ll have a course in screen writing and creative writing since we’ve got Hollywood South 60 miles from us,” Barker said, referring to New Orleans.
Students will have the option to minor in cultural studies, film and typical English in addition to Spanish and French. These minors will require a completion of 18 hours of classes.
“I would also like to see us move towards having one of the first Hispanic studies programs in the state,” Barker said.
She said the department hired a few exciting, young and energetic instructors to help build the program.
“And right now we’re actively recruiting for English majors in our courses,” Barker said. “We’re talking about what the English major can do, and I’ve prepared a pamphlet for people who are interested.”
Barker said the students and teachers have been responding well.
“Right now, we have a total of 144 students in the major,” Barker said. “My goal is to get over 200.”
Barker said the students have been very involved, and they often volunteer to help the department.
J. Patrick Perkins, associate professor of Languages and Literature, said the department decided to create other areas of concentration so the students can have options other than literary studies.
“We’re streamlining the English degree so that there are fewer required courses and more English electives,” Perkins said.
He said the department is trying to make the degree more appealing to students.
“For example, instead of requiring Shakespeare, there will be a choice between Shakespeare, Milton, renaissance drama and so on,” Perkins said.
Todd Kennedy, professor in the Department of Languages and Literature, said that although these changes are something the department has hoped to do for a while, they will definitely benefit the department and the college in response to the budget cuts.
“We wanted to find ways to have a sexier major,” Kennedy said. “If other departments would happen to get shut down, we hope that these changes would help us cover more bases.”
Kennedy said that the course set up will depend on the teacher, but he is excited the department is getting a film minor.
Jena McCoy, senior English major from Houma, said that although she is upset she will miss out, she is glad that students will have the opportunity to enjoy film courses at Nicholls.
“School will be producing a skill that will be marketable and will help the economy locally,” McCoy said.
“Besides being marketable for getting jobs and marketable for the department, it will be just a fun and different set of classes,” Kennedy said.
Some of the new and interesting courses the department will offer in the spring, in addition to the film courses, are The Literature of Madness, Literature of the Undead, Courtesans, Madams, and Loose Women, Literature in the Bible, Sci-Fi/Fantasy and the Real World and Harlem Renaissance to World War II.
Perkins said many courses will also be revamped.
“The degree is going to be streamlined, more attractive, more exciting, and give the students more options and more choices,” Perkins said.
