This minor may only be completed by students admitted to the Elementary Education or the Elementary Education and Special Education programs. A minor is not required to complete either program.
Minors provide a depth of study in a particular area of interest and also inform classroom instruction. The completion of a minor is required to teach middle school in some states and may benefit students particularly interested in teaching at this level.
Students may wish to consult with an advisor in the School of Education Student Services office, 139 Education Building, to discuss course selection and other issues related to this field of study. Current students can schedule a Student Services appointment online through the Starfish app in MyUW. Appointments can also be made through email at studentservices@education.wisc.edu, by calling 608-262-1651, or in person.
Upon completion, the subject area of the minor will be posted on the UW–Madison transcript. Students will not receive an additional certification or license in the subject area. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction does not offer content licenses in association with the Elementary Education or Special Education teaching licenses.
How to Get In
This minor may only be declared by students completing the Elementary Education or the Elementary Education and Special Education programs. To declare the minor, contact your academic advisor in Education Student Services any time after program admission.
Requirements
The English Language Arts minor requires the completion of 24 credits to include the requirements of each group of courses. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 is required, based on all UW–Madison coursework included in the minor.
The courses listed here will meet the requirements in each category, but additional courses can be considered.
Introductory Literature
Complete two introductory literature courses. Courses with a Literature breadth designation from many departments—e.g., Comparative Literature, Classics, African Languages and Literature, English, or Theatre—may be selected to meet this requirement.
International Literature
Select one course from the following:
International Literature Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| African Cultural Studies | ||
| AFRICAN/FOLKLORE 210 | The African Storyteller | 3 |
| AFRICAN 300 | African Literature in Translation | 3 |
| AFRICAN 405 | Topics in African Cultural Studies | 3 |
| AFRICAN 412 | Contemporary African Fiction | 3-4 |
| AFRICAN/AFROAMER 413 | Contemporary African and Caribbean Drama | 3-4 |
| Folklore | ||
| FOLKLORE 100 | Introduction to Folklore | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/AFRICAN 210 | The African Storyteller | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 220 | The Folk Tale | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 317 | The Irish Tradition (was 517 prior to fall, 2023) | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/MEDIEVAL/RELIG ST/SCAND ST 342 | Nordic Mythology | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL/SCAND ST 345 | The Nordic Storyteller | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/LITTRANS/MEDIEVAL 346 | In Translation: The Icelandic Sagas | 3-4 |
| FOLKLORE/LITTRANS 347 | In Translation: Kalevala and Finnish Folk-Lore | 3-4 |
| FOLKLORE/GEN&WS 428 | Gender and Expressive Culture | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/SLAVIC 444 | Slavic and East European Folklore | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 460 | Folk Epics | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 510 | Folklore Theory | 3 |
| FOLKLORE 518 | The Scottish Tradition | 3 |
| Any Literature in Translation course with the "L" breadth code | ||
American Social Literature
This requirement addresses cultural diversity from the perspective of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, or ability.
Select one course from the following:
American Social Literature Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | ||
| AFROAMER 155 | They: Race in American Literature | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 222 | Introduction to Black Women Writers | 3 |
| AFROAMER 225 | Introduction to African American Dramatic Literature | 3 |
| AFROAMER 227 | Masterpieces of African American Literature | 3 |
| AFROAMER 265 | African-American Autobiography | 3 |
| AFROAMER/GEN&WS 267 | Artistic/Cultural Images of Black Women | 3 |
| AFROAMER 501 | 19th Century Afro-American Literature | 3 |
| AFROAMER 525 | Major Authors | 3 |
| American Indian Studies | ||
| AMER IND/ENGL 172 | Literatures of Native America | 3 |
| English | ||
| ENGL 171 | Literature, Gender, and Sexuality | 3 |
| ENGL 173 | Ethnic and Multicultural Literature | 3 |
| ENGL/GEN&WS 248 | Women in Ethnic American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL/GEN&WS 250 | Women in Literature | 3 |
| ENGL/ASIAN AM 270 | A Survey of Asian American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 461 | Topics in Ethnic and Multicultural Literature | 3 |
| ENGL/ASIAN AM/GEN&WS 464 | Asian American Women Writers | 3 |
| ENGL/JEWISH 593 | Literature of Jewish Identity in America | 3 |
| ENGL/AFROAMER 672 | Selected Topics in Afro-American Literature | 3 |
Mass Communication
Select one course from the following:
Mass Communication Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | ||
| AFROAMER 303 | Blacks, Film, and Society | 3 |
| American Indian Studies | ||
| AMER IND 325 | American Indians in Film | 3 |
| Asian American Studies | ||
| ASIAN AM/JOURN 662 | Mass Media and Minorities | 4 |
| Chican@ and Latin@ Studies | ||
| CHICLA/COM ARTS 419 | Latino/as and Media | 3 |
| Communication Arts | ||
| COM ARTS 250 | Survey of Contemporary Media | 3 |
| COM ARTS 350 | Introduction to Film | 3 |
| COM ARTS 351 | Television Industries | 3 |
| COM ARTS 355 | Introduction to Media Production | 4 |
| History | ||
| HISTORY/JOURN 560 | History of U.S. Media | 4 |
| Journalism | ||
| JOURN 201 | Introduction to Mass Communication | 4 |
| JOURN 561 | Mass Communication and Society | 4 |
| JOURN 565 | Effects of Mass Communication | 4 |
| JOURN/COM ARTS/HDFS 616 | Mass Media and Youth | 3 |
| Life Sciences Communication | ||
| LSC 440 | Digital Media and Science Communication | 3 |
Speech Communication
Select one course from the following:
Speech Communication Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Arts | ||
| COM ARTS 260 | Communication and Human Behavior | 3 |
| COM ARTS 262 | Theory and Practice of Argumentation and Debate | 3 |
| COM ARTS 266 | Theory and Practice of Group Discussion | 3 |
| COM ARTS 272 | Introduction to Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COM ARTS 360 | Introduction to Rhetoric in Politics and Culture | 3 |
| COM ARTS 368 | Persuasion and Social Influence | 3 |
| COM ARTS 371 | Communication and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| Theatre | ||
| THEATRE 150 | Acting I: Introduction to Acting | 3 |
| THEATRE 250 | Fundamentals of Acting | 3 |
English Composition
Select one course from the following:
English Composition Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 201 | Intermediate Composition | 3 |
| ENGL 207 | Introduction to Creative Writing: Fiction and Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 307 | Creative Writing: Fiction and Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 400 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
| ENGL 407 | Creative Writing: Nonfiction Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 408 | Creative Writing: Fiction Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 409 | Creative Writing: Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 410 | Creative Writing: Playwriting Workshop | 3 |
| ENGL 508 | Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction Workshop | 3 |
Electives
Select any course from the areas above (excluding introductory literature) or from the following options to reach the minimum of 24 credits:
Elective Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 314 | Structure of English | 3 |
| ENGL 316 | English Language Variation in the U.S. | 3 |
| ENGL 416 | English in Society | 3 |
| ENGL 417 | History of the English Language | 3 |
| FOLKLORE/ANTHRO/INTL ST/LINGUIS 211 | Global Language Issues | 3 |
| LINGUIS 101 | Human Language | 3 |
| LINGUIS/ANTHRO 301 | Introduction to Linguistics: Descriptive and Theoretical | 3 |
| LINGUIS 303 | Historical Linguistics | 3 |
| LINGUIS/ANTHRO 430 | Language and Culture | 3-4 |