Posted by: Mila Kuiper
On Friday, March 15, in the Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) Department of Literature, Journalism, Writing, and Linguistics (LJWL) Advisors Chapel, a room full of writing and literature majors joined their programs. I learned that some significant changes are coming.
While some students initially reacted with fear and others with languor, many were very excited about the benefits the new program boasted.
The three programs will begin in the fall of 2024, with three concentrations representing three groups, and a single It is planned to be integrated into the English major. Professor of Literature at PLNU.
For both literature students and literary education students, fewer credits will be required for graduation than the current program.
Although this change primarily affects freshmen and does not require current students to change their proud majors, current students will have the opportunity to switch to a new program and LJWL faculty will Highly recommended. To make the switch.
“I think it will be [switch]” said Kayden Chadwick, a sophomore literary education major. “They told me, 'Reduce your credit,' and I was very depressed.”
The main reason for all the changes is a law change in California that created an easier path for English majors to become teachers.
“If you're a freshman or sophomore, I think it makes a lot of sense to transfer,” Pedersen said. “All three of these concentrations are paths to teaching certification. Now that we have that option, it really opens up a lot of opportunities that didn't exist before.”
Pedersen also said he believes the change will lead to an increase in enrollment. It is hoped that having an English major on the school's website will make it more appealing to parents and prospective students than just studying literature or writing.
While some current writing students were specifically looking for a school that offered a degree in writing rather than English, first-year writing major Kate Williams said Pedersen wanted to reach her. It's perfect for the demographic.
“that [English] Actually that's what I was originally looking for [in a college]” said Williams, who plans to make the switch.
Aria Fabros, a third-year writing major, is one student who specifically wanted to study writing.
“I just wanted to go to a school where I majored in writing, I didn't want to major in English,” Fabros said. “So I’m glad it changed after that, because I wouldn’t have applied.”
However, when Fabros began her academic career, PLNU did not have a writing master's program like it does today.
“I think I might have gone if I had learned English here, but I knew there was a strong writing master’s program that undergraduates had access to,” Fabros said.
Fabros, who will graduate at the end of the fall 2024 semester, said she has no intention of changing her major even if she had time to do so.
“If I were a freshman and had the opportunity to transfer, I personally would continue writing.”
Fabros said this is because she has interests outside of education, such as publishing, PR, and creative marketing, but she also feels a little sad about saying goodbye to the label of “writing major.”
Fabros said her first writing class at PLNU was a “very formative experience for her and her friend Jordan Stokes to understand our writing style, our voices, and our place at PLNU.”
The course content will not change, but the name will change from “Writing 2020” to “English 2020.”
“I think it's just for us that when the name of a class changes, the lore of that class just changes. It feels like the end of an era,” Fabros said. “But it almost feels fitting since it coincides with the end of the PLNU era.”
Pedersen echoed this sentiment, saying: However, I don't think it will result in a loss. ”
Another reason is that there are more opportunities for community between locations. “Probably one of the most interesting changes for students is that there will be a small number of core classes that everyone takes together,” Pedersen said.
One disadvantage of being a writing major is that if you choose to transfer, you will need to complete more credits than you currently need.
This influenced the decision of Sophia Lo Piano, a third-year writing major, who transferred to PLNU in the fall of 2023.
Although interested in this opportunity, she likely won't choose to change her major.
“As a transfer student, I’ve already come this far,” Lo Piano said. “We're not trying to make it any more complicated than it already is. We're already trying to play catch-up.”
