Course Sequence

Total courses: Ten courses, two of which must be designated early period (pre-1800), taken at the 200 or 300 level (EN 225, 228E, 229E, 230, 231, 315, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 350, 362).

Total credit hours: 32–34 (one 200-level Forms course at 3 or 4 hours; one additional course at 3 or 4 hours).

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100 Level (1 course offered in multiple versions)

110: Introduction to Literary Studies
Students are introduced to the practices of literary study, with a particular emphasis on close reading. This course is writing intensive and will include some attention to critical perspective and basic research skills appropriate for literary analysis. (4 credits. Capped at 17.) This course satisfies the college Writing Requirement. Prospective English majors are strongly encouraged to take EN 110 prior to enrolling in 200-level courses.

EN 110 is strongly recommended as preparation for 200-level courses.

200 Level (one course from each category; total of two courses)

Forms of Language and Literature
Students study the formal properties of genre and language, either through critical analysis or practice. Courses included in this category build on students' exposure to fiction, poetry, and drama in EN 110 (as in 211, 213, 215), allow students to explore additional forms and genres (e.g., film [217], the essay, autobiography, the illustrated book), focus on a particular author's treatment of genre (e.g., 225), introduce students to the structure, social uses, and complexity of language (207 and 208), or offer concentrated practice in various forms and styles of writing (280, 281, 282).

(Writing seminars capped at 15 [4 credits], all others at 26 [3 credits].)

Courses:
210: Literary and Cultural Theory
211: Fiction
213: Poetry
215: Drama
217: Film
219: Nonfiction
222: The Victorian Illustrated Book
228: Special Studies: Form
245: Science Fiction
251: Special Studies in Creative Writing
280: Introduction to Nonfiction Writing
281: Introduction to Fiction Writing
282: Introduction to Poetry Writing

Language and Literature in Context
Students study the relation between text and context. These courses might be organized around a period or a historical event, or they might focus on the various biographical, sociological, cultural, or aesthetic pressures that inform a set of texts: for example, the interdisciplinary context of an environmental literature class, a course related to women's studies (223), the history of African-American literature (227), the Bible as literature (230), or non-Western literature (231, 232, 243). (3 credits. Capped at 26.)

Courses:
221: Intro to Asian American Literature
223: Women and Literature
224: Literature and the Environment
225: Introduction to Shakespeare
226: Introduction to American Literature
227: Introduction to African-American Literature
229: Special Studies: Texts in Context
230: The Bible as Literature
235: Writing Black/Writing Back
238: World Literature
239: Children's Literature: A History
242: Disability in Contemporary America
244: Imagining the Future
246: Asian American Women in Literature & Media

EN 110 is strongly recommended as preparation for 200-level courses.

300 Level (five courses from Advanced Courses in Language and Literature)

Students deepen and extend their skills as readers and writers through repeated but varied practice in a variety of courses. These courses might be organized in relation to the 200 level (for example, an advanced course in Literary Theory, Poetry, or a specific period or moment), or they might grow out of faculty interest and research.

The relation between the 200 and 300 levels is defined by student practice and faculty expectation. 300-level courses expect greater nimbleness and sophistication of students as readers and writers; students are asked to work more independently, to incorporate secondary material more comfortably, to arrive at original and inventive readings more swiftly, to write with greater elegance and clarity. These courses may foreground historical period, or theme, or genre, according to faculty interest. Collectively, they are understood not to deliver "coverage" (though individually they might indeed offer a "survey" of major authors or texts), but rather to conduct students toward the goal of greater facility with literary language, as readers and as writers. (3 credits. Capped at 18.)

Prerequisites: EN 110, EN 2XX Forms of Language and Literature, EN 2XX Language and Literature in Context

Capstone Experience (one course from this category or Senior Thesis/Project)

In senior seminars, students produce a capstone project in a workshop format. In addition to seminars devoted to poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and literary study, seminars organized on such topics as language, film, pedagogy, and service learning are also possible. (4 credits. Capped at 15.) The Capstone Experience is satisfied in most cases by a Senior Seminar. Students with appropriate preparation and faculty permission may instead choose the senior thesis or project options. Capstone options are restricted to senior English majors.

One additional course (excluding the capstone)