B.A. in English

The English major offers two concentrations: Literature and Creative Writing.

Both concentrations require a minimum of 36 credit hours, and the major core is required of both concentrations. These courses are offered at least once a year.

Creative Writing Concentration Course List
English Major Core
Introduction to critical practice. Select one:3
Introduction to Poetry and Poetics
American Literary Traditions
British Literary Traditions
Foundations Of Literary Study
Principles Of Literary Criticism
Literature excluded from the traditional canon. Select one:3
Latinx Literature in the U.S.
Literature of Diverse and Nonwhite Communities
World Literature And Cultures
Literature of the British Empire 1850 to the Present
Nineteenth-Century Latinx Literature
African American Writers Before The 20th Century
African American Literature In The 20th and 21st Century
Asian American Literature
Native American Literature And Culture
Two courses in literature after 1800:6
American Fiction: 20th and 21st Century
British Literature: The Romantic Period
British Literature: The Victorian Period
British Literature: The 20th and 21st Centuries
Literature of the British Empire 1850 to the Present
Early 20th Century American Poetry
American Romanticism
American Literary Realism
Early 20th Century American Poetry
African American Writers Before The 20th Century
African American Literature In The 20th and 21st Century
American Literature Since World War II
One course in a single author:3
Shakespeare I
Chaucer
Shakespeare II
Milton
Studies In The Work Of A British Author
Studies In The Work Of An American Author
Creative Writing Concentration
ENGL 3010Creative Writing3
One course in literature before 1800:3
Shakespeare I
Old English
Middle English
British Fiction: 18th Century
Medieval and Early Tudor Drama
British Drama To 1642
British Literature: The Medieval Period
British Literature: Renaissance
Early 17th Century English Literature
British Literature: Restoration And 18th Century
Literature of the British Empire, Beginnings to 1850
Early American Literature
Chaucer
Shakespeare II
Milton
Two creative writing workshops (which may be repeated)6
Writing Workshop In Poetry
Writing Workshop In Fiction
Writing Workshop In Nonfictional Prose
Additional creative writing workshop or creative writing elective3
Creative writing elective3
Readings for Writers
Special Topics For Writers
The Art And Process Of The Book
English elective (any ENGL class at the 3-4000 level, can be creative writing, literature, or in other subjects)3
Related Fields
The major requires 18 total credit hours in related fields outside of English, half of which must be on the 3000- or 4000-level 118
Total Hours54
Literature Concentration Course List
English Major Core
Introduction to critical practice. Select one:3
Introduction to Poetry and Poetics
American Literary Traditions
British Literary Traditions
Foundations Of Literary Study
Principles Of Literary Criticism
Literature excluded from the traditional canon. Select one:3
Literature of Diverse and Nonwhite Communities
World Literature And Cultures
Literature of the British Empire 1850 to the Present
African American Writers Before The 20th Century
African American Literature In The 20th and 21st Century
Two courses in literature after 1800:6
American Fiction: 20th and 21st Century
British Literature: The Romantic Period
British Literature: The Victorian Period
British Literature: The 20th and 21st Centuries
Literature of the British Empire 1850 to the Present
Early 20th Century American Poetry
American Romanticism
American Literary Realism
Early 20th Century American Poetry
African American Writers Before The 20th Century
African American Literature In The 20th and 21st Century
American Literature Since World War II
One course in a single author:3
Shakespeare I
Chaucer
Shakespeare II
Milton
Studies In The Work Of A British Author
Studies In The Work Of An American Author
Concentration21
Literature Concentration
One additional course from either of the first two categories
Two courses in literature before 1800:
Shakespeare I
Old English
Middle English
British Fiction: 18th Century
Medieval and Early Tudor Drama
British Drama To 1642
British Literature: The Medieval Period
British Literature: Renaissance
Early 17th Century English Literature
British Literature: Restoration And 18th Century
Early American Literature
Chaucer
Shakespeare II
Milton
Four ENGL electives
Related Fields
The major requires 18 total credit hours in related fields outside of English, half of which must be on the 3000- or 4000-level 118
Total Hours54
1

These are usually chosen from the other humanities, the social sciences, and interdisciplinary programs. The related fields requirement may also be satisfied by taking a minor.

Below is a sample plan of study. Consult your degree audit for your program requirements.

Creative Writing Concentration

Plan of Study Grid
First TermHours
AR 1000 First Year Orientation 1
ENGL 1110 College Composition I 3
Natural Sciences Core 3
Arts/Humanities Core (Fine Arts) 3
Elementary Foreign Language I 4
Social Sciences Core 3
 Hours17
Second Term
ENGL 1130 College Composition II: Academic Disciplines And Discourse 3
MATH 1180 Reasoning With Mathematics 3
HIST 1010-1220 Arts/Humanities Core (History) 3
Social Sciences Core 3
Elementary Foreign Language II 4
 Hours16
Third Term
ENGL 3010 Creative Writing 3
Natural Sciences Core 3
Social Sciences Core 3
Diversity of US 3
Intermediate Foreign Language I or approved culture course 3
 Hours15
Fourth Term
One course from introduction to critical practice category 3
One course from literature excluded from the traditional canon category 3
Natural Sciences Core 3
Natural Sciences Core (Lab) 1
Related or Minor course 3
Intermediate Foreign Language II or approved culture course 3
 Hours16
Fifth Term
One course from literature before 1800 category 1 3
One single-author course 1 3
Select one of the following: 3
Writing Workshop In Nonfictional Prose
Writing Workshop In Poetry
Writing Workshop In Fiction
Related or Minor course 3000-4000 level 3
Related or Minor course 3
 Hours15
Sixth Term
Select one of the following: 3
Writing Workshop In Nonfictional Prose
Writing Workshop In Poetry
Writing Workshop In Fiction
One course from literature after 1800 category 3
Related or Minor course 3
Non-US Diversity 3
Elective 3
 Hours15
Seventh Term
3
Creative Writing elective 3
English elective
Related or Minor course 3000-4000 level 3
Elective 1
Elective 3
 Hours13
Eighth Term
One course from literature after 1800 category 3
ENGL Creative Writing workshop or elective 3
Related or Minor course 3000-4000 3
Elective 1
Elective 3
 Hours13
 Total Hours120
1

ENGL 3810 is recommended for either of these two requirements, but may not count for both requirements.

Literature Concentration

Plan of Study Grid
First TermHours
AR 1000 First Year Orientation 1
ENGL 1110 College Composition I 3
Natural Sciences Core 3
Arts/Humanities Core (Fine Arts) 3
Elementary Foreign Language I 4
Social Sciences Core 3
 Hours17
Second Term
ENGL 1130 College Composition II: Academic Disciplines And Discourse 3
MATH 1180 Reasoning With Mathematics 3
HIST 1010-HIST 1220 Arts/Humanities Core (History) 3
Social Sciences Core 3
Elementary Foreign Language II 4
 Hours16
Third Term
ENGL elective (3000-4000 level) 3
Natural Sciences Core 3
Social Sciences Core 3
Diversity of US 3
Intermediate Foreign Language I or approved culture course 3
 Hours15
Fourth Term
One course from introduction to critical practice category 3
One course from literature excluded from the traditional canon category 3
Natural Sciences Core 3
Natural Sciences Core (Lab) 1
Related or Minor course 3
Intermediate Foreign Language II or approved culture course 3
 Hours16
Fifth Term
One course from literature before 1800 category 1 3
One single-author course 1 3
Related or Minor course 3
Related or Minor course 3
Elective 3
 Hours15
Sixth Term
One course from literature before 1800 category 3
One course from either the critical practice or literature excluded from the traditional canon category 3
Related or Minor course 3000-4000 level 3
Non-US Diversity 3
Elective 3
 Hours15
Seventh Term
One course from literature before 1800 category 3
One course from literature after 1800 category 3
ENGL elective (3000-4000 level) 3
Related or Minor course 3000/4000 level 3
Elective 1
 Hours13
Eighth Term
ENGL elective (3000-4000 level) 3
ENGL elective (3000-4000 level 3
Elective 3
Elective 1
Related or Minor course 3000/4000 level 3
 Hours13
 Total Hours120
1

ENGL 3810 is recommended for either of these two requirements, but may not count for both requirements.

  • PLO 1. Recognize literary form, genre, and structure and to recognize historical literary periods and their characteristics
  • PLO 2. Discuss literary texts from various theoretical and critical perspectives, formulate ideas and connections between literary concepts and themes
  • PLO 3. Recognize canonical authors and text; recognize race, gender, and class issues with respect to canon; and recognize differences between aesthetic and cultural concerns; for Creative Writing: recognize competent creative work in the genres of poetry, essay and fiction
  • PLO 4. Demonstrate command of literary terminology and methodology, construct complex arguments, formulate hypotheses and thesis sentences to validate arguments; for Creative Writing: write persuasively about creative work, and offer constructive critiques
  • PLO 5. Employ interpretive strategies –e.g. to perform exegesis, to show relations between form and content, to parse connections among individual words with respect to emotional connotations and denotative significance, and to construct arguments about the aesthetic, emotional, and intellectual relations among literary components of individual texts; for Creative Writing: apply critique to one's own creative work
  • PLO 6. Write short essays, impromptu essays, and long research papers, showing knowledge of conventional rhetorical strategies; for creative writing, write competent creative work in one or more genres