Students who concentrate in literature take a minimum of 10 courses in the English department, including writing, literature from a range of historical periods and genres, culminating in an in-depth capstone seminar. If you wish to minor in English you need 6 courses (18 credits) and at least 3 courses must be in literature and a more advanced writing course.
All literature and writing classes concentrate on helping students read critically and empathetically, write and speak clearly and effectively, ask ethical questions about literature and its implications for their values and ways of being in the world, gain a more informed and global understanding of cultural and historical differences, and become lifelong active and engaged learners. Students in Literature are urged to do an internship during their junior or senior years.
Required Courses (not counted toward degree requirements):
Required courses for Literature concentration
Choose either Option A or B.
Option A:
Survey of British Literature: Beginnings to the 18th Century
Survey of British Literature: 19th Century to the Present
Survey of American Literature: Beginnings to the Present
Option B (one elective from each of the following areas):
Area 1: English Literature before 1500, the History of the English Language, or English Drama 900-1642
Area 2: English Literature from 1500-1800: Renaissance Literature, Shakespeare, 17th-Century Prose and Poetry, Milton, and 18th-Century Literature
Area 3: 19th-Century and 20th-Century English Literature
Area 4: American Literature; American Studies
Additional requirements for Literature and Writing
Electives for Literature and Writing (choose 1)
Writing Workshop: Argument and Persuasion
Introduction to Journalism
Creative Writing
Magazine Writing
Business and Technical Writing
Writing Workshop: Poetry
Creative Nonfiction
Writing and Editing
Electives for Literature and Writing (choose 3 or 4):
You can choose from Literature, writing and film, but these courses must be at the advanced level. A course in Greek or Latin, a literature course in a foreign language, or a comparative literature course can be counted toward the major.
Required courses for English minor