English

Through sustained practice in reading, writing, and discussion, our students develop critical literacy for a digital age. Our programs foster enduring habits of mind such as intellectual curiosity, thoughtful analysis, a playful imagination, an openness to change and uncertainty, and a passion for literature in its myriad forms. 

Our courses and programs advance the Department’s mission by fostering a number of distinct but related student learning outcomes.

The English major requires 36 credits: 12-15 at the lower division and 21-24 at the upper division. The English major allows for three electives, two of which must be 100-level courses. Students may complete a major and a minor within the English Department. For example, English majors can also be Writing minors. Writing majors can also be English minors.

English majors will be required to take four lower-division courses: a “Common Core.” These courses focus on historical and topical areas deemed essential to the responsible study of English and are meant to foster a shared sense of disciplinary identity and to encourage department-wide dialogue, discussion, and debate about issues of significance to students and scholars of English. 

At the upper-level, available to students starting second semester sophomore year, students select courses from the following categories: Single Author or Genre; Theory, Criticism, and Language; Historical (Pre-20^th Century); 20^th Century to Present; Rhetoric and Media Studies. Genre courses examine the history, criticism, theory and status of a single genre, such as detective fictiom, epic, romance, short story, sitcom, and so on. Single author courses focus on the body of work of a single important author, such as Emily Dickinson, Charles, Dickens, or Walter Mosley, among others, and also include study of works about that author. Theory, Criticism, and Language courses focus on of theories of criticism, interpretation, linguistics, and representation. Students will engage in a variety of interpretive and critical methodologies; and will investigate ways in which foundational concepts of criticism are constructed and used. Historical (pre 20-th century) courses. 20^th-century to present courses focus on intensive study of more recent texts (20^th and 21^st century) situated in their historical contexts, and/or texts in relation to the traditions or genres of which they are part. Rhetoric courses focus  the nature of representations and communicative/knowledge practices and how they mediate our lives and experience, with particular attention to the contested and changing character of identity, community, public life, ethics, and morality. Media studies courses will investigate texts that include strong visual elements; texts which require readers to interface in non-traditional or experimental ways; interactive texts; and hybrid texts.

Several English courses are cross-listed with Honors and/or fulfill requirements in other programs, including the Artificial Intelligence major, the Women’s and Gender Studies concentration, and the Black Diaspora Studies minor, lending an interdisciplinary aspect to much of the major. Students often double major in areas as diverse as Environmental Sustainability; Law, Politics, and Society; or Marketing.