English

English Courses & Requirements

Degrees Offered:

  • B.A.: English with a Concentration in Literature
  • B.A.: English with a Concentration in Writing
  • B.A.: English leading to Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) Integrated Language Arts Licensure (grades 7-12)
  • Minors: English, Creative Writing, Journalism

Course Listings

Degree Overview:

(Minor requirements checklist includes requirements for all English Department minors: ENGL/CRWT/JRIM)

Requirements for Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with a Concentration in Literature – 37 credits

  • Choose either:
    • ENGL 180 Themes and Traditions in Literature – 4 credits
    • ENGL 190 Topics in World Anglophone Literature – 4 credits
  • ENGL 280 British Literary Traditions– 4 credits
  • ENGL 290 American Literary Traditions– 4 credits
  • Three 300-level literature seminar courses – 12 credits
  • Eight additional credits from any of the following categories of courses (see Academic Catalog Page 95 for course lists):
    • Literature Seminars
    • Words at Work
    • Topics in Literary Immersion
  • ENGL 404 Directed Senior Thesis Workshop (or ENGL 499 Honors Thesis/Project) – 4 credits
  • ENGL 405 Senior Exercises – 1 credit

Literature Concentration majors must complete at least twenty credits at the 300-level or above. Of those twenty credits, 4 credits must be in pre-1900 literature. All twenty credits cannot be in the literature of one cultural tradition (i.e., American, British, and/or World Anglophone) and only one 200 level Words at Work course can count toward the literature track in the major.

Literature Concentration with Honors

A student who has completed six English courses (including ENGL 180 or 190, ENGL 280, ENGL 290, and at least one literature seminar) and who maintains a GPA of at least 3.500 may submit an honors thesis proposal to the department for approval. If the project is approved, the student may enroll in ENGL 499 senior year and complete supervised individual research. The completed thesis must meet departmental standards for honors. Work may be distributed over two semesters.

Requirements for Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with a Concentration in Writing– 37 credits

  • Choose either:
    • ENGL 180 Themes and Traditions in Literature – 4 credits
    • ENGL 190 Topics in World Anglophone Literature – 4 credits
  • ENGL 280 British Literary Traditions– 4 credits
  • ENGL 290 American Literary Traditions– 4 credits
  • Three 300- or 400-level Words at Work courses– 12 credits
  • Eight additional credits from any of the following categories of courses (see Academic Catalog Page 95 for course lists):
    • 300 or 400 level Words at Work courses
    • 300 level Literature Seminars
    • Topics in Literary Immersion
  • ENGL 405 Senior Exercises – 1 credit
  • ENGL 407 Writer’s Studio – 4 credits

Writing Concentration majors must complete at least twenty credits at the 300-level or above. Of those twenty credits, four credits must be a literature seminar or literary immersion course. All Words at Work courses cannot be in the same genre (i.e., fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, etc.)

Students must complete at least one 300-level Advanced Topics creative writing course prior to enrolling in ENGL 407 Writers’ Studio. ENGL 407 is repeatable if the student project varies. ENGL 240 is a prerequisite to any 300-level Advanced Topics creative writing course and English 241 is a pre-requisite to any 300-level Advanced Journalism course.

Writing Concentration with Honors

A student who has completed six English courses (including ENGL 180, ENGL 240, ENGL 280,ENGL 290, and at least one 300 level Words at Work course) and who maintains a GPA of at least 3.500 may submit an honors thesis proposal to the department for approval; if the project is approved, the student may enroll in ENGL 499 senior year and complete supervised individual research. The completed thesis must meet departmental standards for honors. Work may be distributed over two semesters.

GRADUATING SENIORS MUST ATTEND AT LEAST 2 COLLOQUIUM EVENTS:

 

Certification for Teaching in English: Students interested in pursuing a course of study leading to a license to teach English should contact their advisor or the Education Department for specific requirements.

English Major Senior Honors Thesis: ENGL 499

Qualifications for acceptance into ENGL 499 (writing an English department honors thesis):

  • An overall GPA of at least 3.50
  • A scholarly research project or creative writing project that merits extended study/preparation and lends itself to a longer paper or collection of work (minimum page lengths will vary according to the type of project)

Note: You do NOT have to be a member of the University Honors Program to write a departmental honors thesis.

The Scholarly Research Honors Thesis:

This deeply researched thesis will be at least 50 pages in length. Honors students doing a literary project typically read and consult 20-30 published sources and actively engage and cite at least ten of these sources in the final project. These sources must be scholarly, rigorous, and up-to-date. The scholarly project must represent new and original work. However, as long as the project significantly reframes and further develops past work, it may grow out of previous research completed in an advanced literature course.

The Creative Honors Thesis:

The creative thesis is composed of three parts:

  1. The proposal. A project description that explains the scope, focus, and intent of the project; situates the project, providing an analysis of how it engages with other contemporary works in the same genre and/or its historical precedents.
  2. The creative project. The length of the creative project will vary according to genre: for screenplays, 90-120 pages; for prose, 20,000 words; for poetry, 25-30 pages.
  3. A 10-page critical introduction. Honors students doing a creative writing project typically compile a reading list of at least ten sources to consult in the preparation of the critical introduction and reference a significant portion of these sources in the introduction.
    • NOTE: The critical introduction will be presented at the senior symposium. All students completing the creative honors thesis are invited to read a selection of their creative work at the Creative Writing Capstone event at the end of April.

FOR INFORMATION INCLUDING THE TIMELINE AND PROCESS OF THE SENIOR HONORS THESIS Link Button

Format for Honors Thesis Cover Page (.docx): Link Button

Honors Thesis Defense Signature Page (.docx): Link Button
Honors Thesis Defense Digital Signature Page (fillable .pdf): Link Button

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Requirements for Minor in English – 20 credits

  • Choose either:
    • ENGL 180 Themes and Traditions in Literature – 4 credits
    • ENGL 190 Topics in World Anglophone Literature – 4 credits
  • ENGL 280 British Literary Traditions– 4 credits
  • ENGL 290 American Literary Genealogies Traditions– 4 credits.
  • Eight ENGL credits at the 300-level, four of which must be a literature seminar course

Declaration must be made by the end of spring semester of the junior year.

Journalism & Integrated Media Minor - 20 Credits

Creative Writing Minor - 20 Credits

NOTE: The creative writing and JRIM minors can both be taken in combination with an English major with two courses overlapping.

Certification for Teaching in English: Students interested in pursuing a course of study leading to a license to teach English should contact their advisor or the Education Department for specific requirements. Link Button for the Integrated Language Arts Teacher Licensure Requirements.