Major Requirements for English

The requirements for a major in English are 34 hours. These hours must include one semester of History of English Literature (211 or 212); one semester of American Literature (221 or 222); one course in the "literature of difference" (English 224, 226, 228, 230, or 340); one semester of Shakespeare or Chaucer or Milton at the 300 level (330, 334, or 335); a period course (English 300, 301, 302, 303, or 304); any two upper-level elective literature courses, including author, genre, or special topics courses at the 300 level; Literary Theory and Criticism (English 380); and two elective courses (one in literature before 1900; one elective may be in creative writing). It is strongly recommended that students take Literary Theory and Criticism in the junior year. In the second semester of the junior year or the first semester of the senior year, each major must enroll in English 480, the Capstone Seminar, and take as a corequisite English 481, the Research Methods Seminar. Prospective majors are strongly encouraged to take a literature course numbered at the 100 level in their freshman or sophomore year. English courses taken at other institutions and presented for major credit must be approved in writing by the Department of English; for current students this approval must be secured in advance, and for transfer and former students it must be secured at entrance.

The requirements for a minor in Creative Writing are 15 hours, including a minimum of four creative-writing courses from among English 250, 252, 350, and 352; and Rhetoric 301. Two of the courses must include both the beginning and advanced levels of either poetry or fiction (250 and 350, or 252 and 352). In addition, each student must take a literature course that focuses on the genre in which the student chooses to specialize. English majors who elect to complete this minor are allowed to count one course towards both the English major and the Creative Writing minor. Students completing the Creative Writing minor who elect also to complete the Rhetoric minor (see under Rhetoric) are allowed a one course overlap.

 

 

Note: The English Department offers several sections of the following 100-level courses each year. Please consult TigerWeb for the precise courses offered each semester. These courses are especially suitable for first- and second-year students beginning the English major or satisfying the College's general literature requirement. Students may take as many different 100-level literature courses as they like for credit, and all will satisfy the general literature requirement, but only one such course will fulfill a requirement for the English major.

All 300- and 400-level courses have the following prerequisite: any 100-level or 200-level literature course in the Department of English, or consent of the instructor.

updated 7-13-2012