English Major, English Concentration

Core Courses (9 credit hours)

English majors in all three concentrations must take three courses focusing on the fundamental skills of reading, writing, and debate.

ENGL 200: Introduction to the Study of Literature and Culture
ENGL 301: Introduction to Critical Theory
ENGL 350: Writing about Literature, Text, and Culture

Historical Surveys (6 credit hours)

English students must take two of the following three surveys covering the study of literary form and history across time and space—the sooner after taking ENGL 200, the better.

ENGL 209: Early British Literature and Culture
ENGL 255: Early American Literature and Culture
ENGL 259: Early African American Literature and Culture

Period Courses (15 credit hours)

In addition to the broad sweep of the historical surveys, English students are required to take five courses providing in-depth encounters with the texts of a given era. These five courses must be spread across British, American, and Anglophone literary history:

Pre-1800 Literature & Culture (2 courses from 2 different periods)

Courses marked with a * may or may not count for Pre-1800 Literature & Culture depending on their topics for a given semester.

Medieval (to 1550)

ENGL 199: Undergraduate Open Seminar*
ENGL 202: Medieval Literature and Culture
ENGL 216: Legends of King Arthur
ENGL 261: Topics in Literature and Culture*
ENGL 350: Writing About Literature, Text, and Culture (can only count for Medieval if the course topic is appropriate and the course is not also being used to satisfy the Core Courses requirement)
ENGL 396: English Honors Seminar*
ENGL 407: Introduction to Old English*
ENGL 411: Chaucer
ENGL 412: Topics in Medieval British and Irish Literature
ENGL 455: Major Authors*
ENGL 461: Advanced Topics in Literature and Culture*

Early Modern (1550-1660 excluding Shakespeare)

ENGL 199: Undergraduate Open Seminar*
ENGL 204: Renaissance Literature and Culture
ENGL 261: Topics in Literature and Culture*
ENGL 350: Writing About Literature, Text, and Culture (can only count for Early Modern if the course topic is appropriate and the course is not also being used to satisfy the Core Courses requirement)
ENGL 396: English Honors Seminar*
ENGL 416: Topics in British Drama to 1660
ENGL 421: Renaissance Poetry & Prose
ENGL 423: Milton
ENGL 455: Major Authors*
ENGL 461: Advanced Topics in Literature and Culture*

Shakespeare

ENGL 117: Shakespeare on Film
ENGL 218: Intro to Shakespeare
ENGL 261: Topics in Literature and Culture*
ENGL 350: Writing About Literature, Text, and Culture (can only count for Shakespeare if the course topic is appropriate and the course is not also being used to satisfy the Core Courses requirement)
ENGL 396: English Honors Seminar*
ENGL 418: Shakespeare
ENGL 461: Advanced Topics in Literature and Culture*

Eighteenth Century (1660-1800)

ENGL 199: Undergraduate Open Seminar*
ENGL 206: Enlightenment Literature and Culture
ENGL 261: Topics in Literature and Culture*
ENGL 350: Writing About Literature, Text, and Culture (can only count for Eighteenth Century if the course topic is appropriate and the course is not also being used to satisfy the Core Courses requirement)
ENGL 396: English Honors Seminar*
ENGL 427: Eighteenth-Century Literature
ENGL 428: British Drama, 1660-1800
ENGL 429: Eighteenth-Century Fiction
ENGL 455: Major Authors*
ENGL 461: Advanced Topics in Lit and Culture*

Nineteenth-Century Literature & Culture (1 course)

Twentieth-Century Literature & Culture (1 course)

Contemporary Literature & Culture (1 course)

Electives (9 credit hours)

English students are free to explore whatever aspect of English studies interests them as part of their elective coursework. The three courses satisfying this requirement must be either controlled by the English Department or cross-listed with BTW, CW, or ENGL.

Difference & Diaspora

To deepen their understanding of the historical and contemporary disparities in society and culture, all English majors must make sure that one of the classes they take to fulfill their requirements is a Difference & Diaspora course—a course focusing on race, ethnicity, indigeneity, postcoloniality, or sexuality.

Difference & Diaspora Course List