The Department of English offers the Bachelor of Arts in English, which provides a broad liberal arts base for advanced study and for careers in academic and professional areas.

The department also offers required and elective courses in English composition, language and literature for English majors and for students in other programs.

Degree requirements – Bachelor of Arts in English

The Bachelor of Arts in English requires a minimum of 120 credits, with at least 33 upper-level (numbered 300 to 599) credits in the major. Three credits in 200-level literature (ENGL 201-299 or the equivalent), which fulfill the general education literature requirement, are prerequisites for all upper-level English courses. ENGL 200 is an additional prerequisite for all upper-level writing courses (302, 303, 304, 305, 307, 327). Six of the 33 credits may be taken in upper-level foreign literature in the original language or foreign literature in English translation (FLET). UNIV 111 and 112 (or equivalent) and the 200-level literature course (or equivalent) do not count toward the major.

ENGL 301 and ENGL 490 are writing-intensive courses designed respectively as entry and capstone courses for the major. English majors should distribute their 33 credits of English course work as follows:

ENGL 301 English Studies: Reading Literature (three credits)
This course will introduce students to at least two different literary genres (drama, poetry, prose). It should be taken at the beginning of the student’s major, preferably before completing more than six hours of other upper-level English courses. Students must achieve a grade of C in order to complete this requirement.
Linguistics, writing and criticism (six credits)
Courses in this category will help students develop their skills in linguistic analysis, written expression, and literary and cultural analysis. Students must select courses from two of these three areas.

Linguistics
ENGL/LING/ANTH 449 Introduction to Linguistics
ENGL/LING 450 Modern Grammar
ENGL/LING 451 History of the English Language
ENGL/LING/WMNS 452 Language and Gender
ENGL/LING 453 Introduction to Modern Rhetoric
ENGL 454/INTL 454/ANTH 450 Cross-cultural Communication

Writing
ENGL/CRJS 302 Legal Writing
ENGL 303 Writing in the Workplace
ENGL 304 Advanced Writing
ENGL 305 Creative Writing: Genres
ENGL/TEDU 307 Teaching Writing Skills
ENGL/MGMT 327 Business and Technical Report Writing
ENGL/THEA 426 Advanced Playwriting
ENGL 435 Advanced Poetry Writing
ENGL 437 Advanced Fiction Writing
ENGL 439 Literary Nonfiction Writing
ENGL 491 Topics in Writing (by specific topic)

Criticism
ENGL 350 Approaches to Literature
ENGL/WMNS 352 Feminist Literary Theory
ENGL 391 Topics in Literature (by specific topic)
ENGL 429 Form and Theory of Poetry
ENGL 430 Form and Theory of Fiction
Literature (15 credits)
Courses in this category will enable students to study literature within its historical and cultural contexts. To ensure that students select a range of courses, they must include six credits in literature prior to 1700, six credits in literature between 1700-1900, and three credits in the literature of diversity. No single course may be used to satisfy two of these requirements.

Literature prior to 1700
ENGL 335 Literature of the English Renaissance
ENGL/RELS 361 The Bible as Literature
ENGL 391 Topics in Literature (by specific topic)
ENGL 400 Shakespeare: The Early Works
ENGL 401 Shakespeare: The Later Works
ENGL 402 Chaucer
ENGL 403 Milton
ENGL 407 Medieval Epic and Romance
ENGL 409 Medieval Studies*
ENGL 410 Renaissance Studies*
ENGL 423 English Drama, 900-1642

Literature between 1700-1900
ENGL 320 18th-century British Literature
ENGL 321 British Literature of the Romantic Era
ENGL 322 Victorian Poetry
ENGL 371 American Literature: Colonial and Federal
ENGL 372 American Literature: American Romanticism
ENGL 373 American Literature: Realism and Naturalism
ENGL 391 Topics in Literature (by specific topic)
ENGL 411 18th-century British Studies*
ENGL 413 American Novels and Narratives: 19th Century and Earlier
ENGL 415 British Novel: 18th Century
ENGL 416 British Novel: 19th Century
ENGL 424 Restoration and 18th-century Drama
AMST 391 Topics in American Studies (by specific topic)
AMST 394 Perspectives in American Studies (by specific topic)

Literature of diversity
ENGL/AFAM 314 African-American Literature
ENGL 363/AFAM 363/INTL 366 African Literature
ENGL 365/AFAM 365/INTL 367 Caribbean Literature
ENGL/WMNS 384 Women Writers
ENGL/ANTH 386 Introduction to Folklore
ENGL/WMNS 387 Lesbian Text/Queer Theories
ENGL 391 Topics in Literature (by specific topic)
ENGL 440 Writing and Social Change: ____

* At the discretion of the instructor and the Women’s Studies program, ENGL 409, 410 and 411 are sometimes cross-listed with Women’s Studies. In such cases, they may be used to fulfill either the diversity or the historical requirements in the major, but not both.
Required electives/optional focus (six to nine credits)
As part of the English major, electives allow students to take courses of particular interest to them. Electives may not be used to satisfy any other requirements for the major, except ENGL 490. In consultation with an adviser, students are encouraged to cluster their elective courses in one of the following focus areas.

Literary studies (including courses grouped by historical period, genre, region, national and minority traditions, thematics, literary movement, literary influence, etc.)
Writing (including both expository and creative writing)
Criticism and theory (including approaches to literature, form and theory courses, etc.)
Cultural studies (including courses that focus on race, class, gender, ethnicity, film, popular culture, etc.)
Linguistics (including courses that focus on history of the language, cross-cultural communications, etc.)

Students are advised to consult the full listing and description of English courses before planning their elective courses.

ENGL 490 Senior Seminar in English
This course will ensure that majors will have undertaken at least one piece of sustained, researched writing. Senior seminars are intended for students nearing the completion of their studies and should be regarded as the capstone course of the major. Because of the nature of this course, senior seminars usually will not be offered during the summer. Students should plan their program with this factor in mind. When appropriate, this seminar may be used to fulfill another requirement of the major. For specific topics, see the Schedule of Classes.

Collateral requirements

In addition to the ENGL courses required for the Bachelor of Arts degree, students must complete the study of a foreign language through the intermediate level (202 or 205) by course or placement.