English

English | Courses | Faculty

170 Bartlett Hall

Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Contact: Randall Knoper

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Office: 252 Bartlett

Phone: 545-0388

Chair of Department: Professor Anne Herrington. Associate Chair: Professor Joseph Bartolomeo; Director of Undergraduate Studies: Associate Professor Randall Knoper. Professors Bromell, Burt, Cheney, Clingman, Culley, Davidov, Diamond, DiMarco, Donohue, Edwards, Egan, Espada, Farrell, Freeman, Gallo, Keefe, Kerrigan, Kinney, Leheny, Lowance, Moran, Nelson, Noland, Quick, Radhakrishnan, Shadoian, Skerrett, Smith, Spivack, Tate, Wideman, Wier, Young; Associate Professors Bartolomeo, Carlin, Doyle, O'Brien, Spencer, Welburn; Assistant Professors Cooper, Gizzi, Harris, Holland, Maira; Lecturer Bradley.

The Field

Perhaps the greatest value in the study of English language literature and its cultures is that it provides powerful visions of what it is like to live in the world, visions which foster an individual's personal growth. Literary study teaches empathy with others and a critical judgment that recognizes ideology and rejects slogans. Reading and writing, both at increasingly sophisticated levels of complexity, are the two different but intricately intertwined approaches by which students of literature and culture pursue their work.

As a department of writing and literature, English offers an excellent humanistic education, a solid foundation both for students who intend to go directly into a career upon graduation and for those who will go on to graduate or professional schools.

The Major

Admission to the English major is restricted. Students who intend to major in English will be designated as Pre-English. Admission to the major is guaranteed by the completion of the pre-major requirement, ENGL 200 Seminar in Literary Studies, with a grade of BC or better.

The English major requires ten courses in addition to the pre-major requirement.

British Literature prior to 1900 (3 courses)

221 or 222 Shakespeare

201 Major British Writers I

One course in literature 1700-1900: 202, 348, 349, 358 or 359, or other appropriate survey course subject to prior departmental approval.

American Literature (2 courses)

270 American Identities

One additional course (200-level or above)

Writing and Criticism (1 course)

330 Practical Criticism or 419 Games Thinkers Play or a 400-level course designated as meeting the same objectives. (The list of these courses changes from semester to semester; students should contact the department.) A 400-level course may also be used to meet one of the requirements in British, American or 20th-century literature, below.

Twentieth-Century Literature (1 course)

One course (200-level or above) in 20th-century literature written in English (British, American, post-colonial, etc.)

Departmental Electives (3 or 4 courses)

Additional courses to bring the total number of courses to ten (not including the pre-major). These may be chosen from 203, 279, other 200-level courses with prior departmental approval, and courses numbered 300 or higher.

Restrictions on acceptance of transfer credit:

The department normally accepts a maximum of three courses from other institutions, including other members of the Five College system, for the fulfillment of major requirements. For transfer students, a maximum of three upper-level courses (nine credits) designed for juniors and seniors can be transferred from other institutions.

Options within the English Major

There is no requirement that students choose a particular focus for their upper-level courses, but they may choose to concentrate on one area of literature. In American literature, for example, specialized courses and work on individual authors (Melville, Dickinson, etc.) are offered, as is a concentration in American Studies which cuts across a number of disciplines. In British literature, a solid curriculum of courses is offered in the literary periods (e.g., the Romantic period, the Middle Ages, the time of Shakespeare), individual authors (e.g., Chaucer, Dickens, Joyce, Lawrence), and genres (e.g., lyric poetry, the epic, the novel, satire, comedy).

Majors interested in enhancing their major curriculum with work in technical and professional writing should contact Prof. John Nelson, 210A Bartlett, tel. 545-3560.

English majors are urged to consider the possibility of study abroad by taking advantage of the department's summer program in Oxford or one of the academic year programs at the Universities of East Anglia, Kent, York, Manchester, Sheffield, Sussex, and others.

Honors in English

The departmental honors track addresses the interests of students with the most intense passion for writing and criticism, providing both enriched courses and independent studies. To join the program, students must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.2, and should arrange to meet with the English department honors coordinator as soon as possible after enrolling, ideally at the end of the sophomore year or early in the junior year, to discuss course scheduling and thesis plans. An appointment may be made in the Undergraduate Office, 252 Bartlett, and subsequent meetings need to be arranged as the thesis year approaches. Enrolled students must complete ten honors courses with a grade of B or better, four of which must be English department courses, including research and thesis. All honors students are also required to complete a research-based, critical thesis or a creative writing project, or a combination of these.

The Minor

Students wishing to minor in English must complete six courses, including ENGL 200, Seminar in Literary Studies; and one course each in two of the areas of British literature, American literature, and 20th-century literature, as described under the requirements for the major. Students must also take three departmental electives, as described under major requirements.

Of these six courses for the minor, no more than two may be writing courses. Courses with a grade below C will not be accepted towards the minor.

English | Courses | Faculty