English

May be elected as a departmental concentration program

Prerequisites to Concentration. Students who wish to concentrate in English must take as prerequisite to work in the major two courses, English 239 (What is Literature?) and English 240 (Introduction to Poetry).

The General Program. Students in the General Program must successfully complete 27 credits in English courses numbered 300 or above. These courses must include at a minimum: three courses on literature written primarily before 1830, at least one of which must be on literature written primarily before 1600; one course in American literature; and one course designated "New Traditions," focusing on the cultural traditions of women, minority ethnic groups, and people of color. The Department will offer in any one term a considerable range of courses designed to meet these requirements. A list of which courses meet a given requirement will be available each year in the English Undergraduate Office or from an English concentration advisor.

Concentrators should note that no more than one course in expository or creative writing may be counted toward the minimum 27 credits at the upper level required for the concentration, although students may elect any number of such courses, subject to availability of spaces and to College limits on total elections of courses in any one department. Also, no more than six upper-level credits of Independent Study may count towards the concentration. With written prior approval by the undergraduate administrator, courses elected in other departments or programs may on occasion be used as part of a concentration plan. Independent study projects cannot be used to meet departmental program requirements.

Students considering the concentration in English should elect English 239 and English 240 during the sophomore year. Then, while fulfilling the concentration requirements, they may elect such a pattern of courses as will provide the course of study they find most helpful and satisfying. Some organize their study in terms of the "periods" of literary/cultural history, others by reference to major thematic concerns; still others explore repeatedly certain literary forms - the novel, drama, or lyric poetry, for example; others make a special study of film. Some concentrate on their own imaginative writing, whether drama, prose fiction, or verse. Please refer to the Handbook for English Concentrators for more information on how to design specific paths of study.

The Honors Program. Students interested in the Honors Program should have a GPA of 3.5 and consult with the Honors program director. Prospective Honors students in English are encouraged to take in their first two years, English 240 (Introduction to Poetry) and English 239 (What is Literature?). The Honors Program itself will consist of a set of two special seminars for Honors students, to be taken over the course of the junior and senior years, plus a seminar in critical theory, and a thesis. All students must fulfill the regular English concentration requirements and take the theory course, but may choose Honors seminars from a menu of different courses offered by the department each term. The department offers Honors sections of 370-371. This year-long sequence will provide Honors students with a survey of English Literature from Medieval to the Romantic Period (roughly the 14th to the 19th centuries). Students should, however, strive for historical and methodological range in the seminars they elect. Students will also write a thesis on a literary subject of their own choice, with the help of a faculty advisor. Students who plan to study abroad may offer substitutions for various courses with the approval of the director of the program. The size of classes range from 20 to 35. Students admitted to the Department's subconcentration in Creative Writing are also eligible to apply for Honors on the basis of the manuscript they produce during their final term. They apply to the subconcentration in the second term of their junior year.

Students in both programs will normally be admitted at the end of March (in time for preregistration for the fall term), but some admission will take place in September, November, and even January of the junior year.

The Creative Writing Subconcentration. 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. Successful completion of the introductory course entitles students to enroll in the intermediate course, English 323, in the genre of their choice (poetry, fiction, or a combination of artistic media). At the advanced level students may elect (with the instructor's permission) the advanced fiction workshop (English 423) or the advanced poetry workshop (English 429).

English concentrators who wish to specialize in the writing of poetry or prose fiction may, in the winter term of their junior year, apply to the Creative Writing Subconcentration, which is an optional path to a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Students in the program take the creative writing workshops described above in sequence, and, in their last term, compile a major manuscript of poetry or prose fiction while working closely with the creative-writing faculty in a tutorial reserved for subconcentrators (English 428).

The program is small and highly selective; however, students not enrolled in the subconcentration may still pursue their interest in creative writing by applying to the appropriate upper-level workshops. Those students who have earned at least a 3.5 GPA may apply for Creative Writing Honors after they have been accepted to the subconcentration. Honors will be awarded, as warranted, on the basis of the thesis.

Teaching Certificate. English concentrators in any of the programs above may also apply to be granted a teaching certificate. Students in the General Program must elect, in addition to the pattern of courses there prescribed, a course in composition (normally English 325) and a course in English language (normally English 305). Honors candidates must elect English 305 in addition to the courses required for their program.

The general requirements for a teaching certificate are described elsewhere in this Bulletin, and are available from the School of Education Office of Student Services. A brochure summarizing these requirements is available in the English Office. Application to the certificate program itself must be made through the School of Education.

Junior/Senior Writing Requirement. Concentrators in English may meet this requirement by appropriate modification of any course in the College approved for this purpose every term. A published list of English ECB-approved courses can be found in 3187 Angell Hall. It is the responsibility of each student to modify the election appropriately at the time of registration. For those in the Honors and Creative Writing Programs, the writing requirement is met within their curriculum, which culminates in the supervised composition of the senior thesis.

Courses in English Language and Literature
Courses in the English Composition Board

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