The English minor can give you a sampling of course offerings in English studies. You may tailor the minor to your own preferences. For example, you could concentrate in literature, focusing perhaps on British or American literature, contemporary literature and culture, or women's literature. You could concentrate in rhetorical studies, focusing on academic writing, oral communication, or technical communication. You could concentrate in linguistics, with courses ranging from syntax to Old English. You could concentrate on creative writing, taking workshops in various genres. Or you could sample courses across the broad range of English studies, from film to writing for the World Wide Web. While a minor does not entail the in-depth study and training of the English major, it offers the opportunity to pursue your interests and to develop your reading and writing skills.

You can earn a minor by completing at least 18 credits in English courses beyond the 100-level (does not include English 150 & English 250).

. Nine of the credits must be at the 300-level or above, with a minimum grade of C (not C-) in each course taken in the minor.

Minoring in Technical Communication

The technical communciation minor can help you develop basic skills in rhetorical analysis and computer use that will help you to work as a technical communicator. Students, especially those from related technical and scientific fields and cognate disciplines, may earn a minor in technical communication by enrolling in 18 credits distributed as follows:

Theory and History
6 credits chosen from these 3-credit courses:

• ENGL 310 Rhetorical Analysis
• ENGL 350 Rhetoric and the History of Ideas
• ENGL 411 Technology, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication
• ENGL 412 Rhetoric in Organizational Culture

Principles, Practices, and Technologies
12 credits chosen from these 3-credit courses:

• ENGL 213 Computers in the Study of English
• ENGL 309 Report and Proposal Writing
• ENGL 313 Writing for the World Wide Web
• ENGL 314 Technical Communication
• ENGL 413 Composing Documentation and Instructional Materials
• ENGL 415 Business and Technical Editing
• ENGL 416 Visual Aspects of Business and Technical Communication
• ENGL 418 Argumentative Writing
• ENGL 429x Multimedia Content Management Systems
• ENGL 442 Production Processes for Technical Documents
• ENGL 449 Multimedia Design in Professional Communication

Students should check the ISU catalog to be sure that they meet prerequisites if they intend to register for 400-level courses. Up to 9 of the 18 credits taken for the minor may be used elsewhere on the audit. Coursework must be completed with a grade of C (not C-) in each course taken in the minor.

If you are interested in a minor in English or technical communication, it's best to fill out the Request for Minor form when you have earned all or nearly all of the 18 credits. The form is available in hardcopy from your adviser or as a PDF file by clicking the link above.