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Major in English Literature (B.A.)

Students completing a major in literature take 15 courses (45 credits).

Foundation courses:

  • Myth and Symbol
  • Intro to Literary Theory and Criticism
  • Studies in Shakespeare
  • Critical Writing and Research
  • Senior Thesis

Two courses in American literature, chosen from:

  • The American Literary Renaissance
  • Realism and Naturalism in 19th-Century American Literature
  • Elements of Modernism in 20th-Century American Literature

Three courses in British literature, chosen from:

  • Restoration and 18th Century British Literature
  • British Literature from Beowulf to Everyman
  • Literature of the English Renaissance from Wyatt to Marvel
  • The Romantic Revolution
  • Victorian Literature
  • British Modernism and the End of Empire

One course in world literature:

  • Studies in World Literature

Four additional courses in literature or writing, chosen from:

  • Contemporary Global Literature
  • Creative Writing: Poetry
  • Creative Writing: Fiction
  • Advanced Composition (required for secondary education majors)
  • History of the English Language
  • Film and Literature
  • World Cinema
  • Young Adult Literature (secondary education majors only)
  • Special Topics in Literature
  • British and American Novels after 9/11
  • Advanced Studies in Shakespeare
  • Independent Study

Minor in English Literature

Students completing a minor in English literature take six courses (18 credits).

Required courses:

  • Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism
  • Studies in Shakespeare

Students choose four additional courses in literature.