Neither English literature or language AP nor IB work is equivalent to ENG 120 or 121. Students interested in majoring in English must take one of these intro courses in order to take advanced coursework in this department.
English 120 (Literary Analysis) and English 121 (Introduction to Shakespeare) are appropriate first courses for students interested in majoring in English. Each serves as a prerequisite for some advanced courses in English (including Creative Writing), Classics, or Theatre. Each introduces students to literary history, methods and modes of literary analyses, and theoretical approaches to the study of literature. The department offers many sections of English 120 and usually two sections of English 121 every year. Each section has its own reading list and critical approaches based on the instructor's interests and expertise. All sections serve the same purpose: introducing students to the basic principles and materials of literary studies in English.
To help students develop a stronger background in the humanities, the English department requires majors to take a Humanities or GLS course or a four-credit literature course taught in another language department at the 200-level or above. Humanities 101 and 102 are courses students might consider if they are interested in reading other literatures, but any beginning course in the Humanities or GLS, or any intermediate or advanced course in literature taught in another language department, will help prepare a student for a course of study focused on English literature. Students and advisors should note that although English majors are required to take one course from one of the options listed above, credits earned in this course are not counted in the 36 credits required for the major.
The following is a possible four-year plan to complete a major in English:
|FIRST YEAR FALL||FIRST YEAR SPRING|
|ENG 120 or ENG 121||HUM 101 or GLS or other language course|
|SECOND YEAR FALL||SECOND YEAR SPRING|
|ENG 223||ENG 228|
|ENG 225||ENG 205, ENG 206, or ENG 290 or ENG 273|
In the third and fourth years students should complete at least three 300-level seminars. This can easily be combined with a semester of off-campus study.