Majoring & Minoring

The Major Program

We encourage our students to declare the major in their sophomore year.

The department requires that students interested in an English major take the two semester sequence Major Periods and Issues (English 205, 206) in the sophomore year, if possible -- and no later than the junior year.

During this course and in close consultation with an advisor, the students should chart a program of courses that will satisfy major requirements.

During fall semester of the senior year, majors take a senior seminar. Each seminar gives students the experience of engaging in advanced research, developing independent critical perspectives, and sharing ideas with a small number of students in a seminar setting.

Concentrations

A concentration in writing and literature incorporates both creative writing courses and literature courses appropriate to a particular student's interest.

A concentration in British and American literature combines courses calculated to strengthen the student's understanding of literary history and the major writers in British and American literature.

These concentrations simply indicate two of the emphases possible within the English curriculum. They are not intended as binding tracks. On the contrary -- students are urged to work out a major concentration that best suits their individual interests.

Major Requirements

A minimum of 40 semester credits (10 courses), including the following:

1. English 205 and 206.

2. At least four courses at the 300 level or higher, including two courses in British literature before 1800 (310, 311, 313, 330, and 331 or 332) and one course in American literature (320, 321, 322, 323, 324, and 326). Major figures (333) and special topics (398) courses may be applied to either requirement when the subject matter is appropriate. Either 331 or 332 may be taken to fulfill half of the two-course, pre–1800 requirement, but students cannot fulfill the entire requirement by taking both courses.

3. English 450, to be taken in the senior year.

4. Three elective courses from any English department offering (excluding 244, 444 and 299, 499).

Minor Requirements

A minimum of 24 semester credits (six courses), including the following:

1. English 205 or 206.

2. One 300-level course in English or American literature.

3. Four elective courses at the 200 level or higher, including creative writing courses.