The English Department Writing Program is dedicated to the teaching of writing, particularly at the 100- and 200-level. Our courses aim to prepare all students to write effective analytic arguments that matter to them and to their audience in whatever academic and professional fields they choose to pursue; to read and analyze complex texts critically; and to develop flexible and appropriate strategies for revising academic writing to strengthen the development of ideas and hone the appropriateness of expression. In our creative writing courses, students also have the opportunity to explore the creation of fiction and poetry. Over the course of the academic year, we teach approximately 6700 students from across the university. The English Department Writing Program administers ENGLISH 124, 125, 223, 225, 229, 325, and 425 and in many cases students fulfill their Upper-Level and First-Year Writing Requirements in our courses.
Courses in Expository Writing. Courses in writing develop a student’s sense of the various possible forms of expression. Writing practice, lectures, and class discussion are supplemented in these courses by regular meetings with the instructor. Sections of ENGLISH 225 include a great variety of writing projects, while sections of ENGLISH 325, 345, and 425 tend to be somewhat more specialized.
The Creative Writing Program. Students interested in the department’s offerings in creative writing should begin with ENGLISH 223, an introduction to the reading and writing of modern poetry and prose fiction and to the workshop method of critiquing student writing. ENGLISH 223 is an enforced prerequisite to ENGLISH 323 (Creative Writing - Fiction) and 324 (Creative Writing - Poetry). There is a “permission of instructor” restriction on these courses. At the advanced level, students may elect the advanced fiction workshop (ENGLISH 423) or the advanced poetry workshop (ENGLISH 424) upon completion of English 323, 324, or 325.
Repeating Courses for Credit. Some of the courses listed below are general titles under which varied topics may be offered. Such courses may be repeated for credit with departmental permission. Most of the courses available for re-election are signaled below. Students must obtain the proper approval form from the English Office, 3187 Angell Hall and return it for approval within the first two weeks of class.
Major in English: course categories
Courses meeting requirements for the major: The requirements for the major referred to in this section are for undergraduate English majors.
- Foundations and Methods
- 200-level course
- 300/400-level course
- Regions
- Americas, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand
- Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands
- Time
- Medieval / Early Modern
- 18th / 19th Centuries
- Contemporary / Modern
To view courses that will satisfy English requirements, please visit our English Department Course Listing. For more information about the English major, minor, or creative writing minor, please schedule an advising appointment with an English advisor.
English Undergraduate Waitlist Policy for literature courses (not writing)
If you want to get into a closed course, join the waitlist to see if you can get into the course. Our students are generally taken off the waitlist in chronological order, unless the faculty teaching the course decides that they will take senior-level students ahead of the chronologically listed students. Permissions will be given electronically within 24 hours of approval — please remember to register for the course.
NOTE: It is department policy that students must attend both the first and the second class meetings. Failure to do so may result in the student being dropped from the course.