English B.A.

Mission Statement

The English program helps develop academic skills for critical thinking, as well as oral and written expression. English majors learn how to analyze and respond to a variety of texts. They also learn how to write in and about various academic disciplines. These skills allow students to broaden their critical and social perspectives as well as their imagination, thereby helping them to succeed in their collegiate and post-collegiate careers.

Learning Outcomes

  • Critically engage with scholarly research and write in multiple formats, including convincing literary analyses, with exceptional clarity and insight
  • Interpret traditional texts, such as printed prose and poetry, and nontraditional forms of literature, such as graphic novels, film, and digital media, using academic voice
  • Demonstrate a broad understanding of various literary periods as well as both canonical and emerging areas of literary theory
  • Identify an assignment’s rhetorical context and use that knowledge to shape their own argumentative, creative, and interpretive choices
  • Articulate the importance of culturally diverse contributions to the literary canon and an intersectional approach to the interpretation of literature

    Curriculum

    Recommended Schedule

    A recommended course sequence for English B.A. is provided for students as guidance to complete their major in four years.

    College Core Curriculum (31-45)

    English (3-8 credits)

    Choose one of the following:

    ENG 100Composition I Enhanced

    5.00

    ENG 101Composition I

    3.00

    ENG 116Composition for Multilingual Students

    5.00

    Select the following:
    ENG 102Composition II

    3.00

    Study and Technology Skills (0-3 credits)

    Choose one of the following:

    CEP 123College and Career Success

    2.00

    ALS 101NCollege Success

    3.00

    Mathematics (3-5 credits)

    Refer to the Mathematics section of the Core Curriculum

    Natural Sciences (7-8 credits)

    Refer to the Natural Sciences section of the Core Curriculum

    Social Sciences (3 credits)

    Refer to the Social Sciences section of the Core Curriculum

    Fine Arts (3 credits)

    Refer to the Fine Arts section of the Core Curriculum

    Humanities (6 credits)

    Refer to the Humanities section of the Core Curriculum

    Constitution (3-6 credits)

    Refer to the Constitution section of the Core Curriculum

    Cultural Diversity (3 credits)

    Refer to the Cultural Diversity section of the Core Curriculum

    Major Requirements (39)

    Fundamentals (12 credits)

    ENG 212Introduction to Writing Studies

    3.00

    ENG 298Writing About Literature

    3.00

    ENG 303Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism

    3.00

    ENG 326Junior Seminar

    3.00

    Literary History (9 credits)

    Choose 3 ENG courses at the 200, 300, or 400 level: one course (3 credits) must cover Ancient - Renaissance; one course (3 credits) must cover 17th - 19th Century; and one course (3 credits) must cover 20th - 21st Century (pre-req ENG 102).
    A. Ancient - Renaissance Literature (3 credits)
    Select one course from the following:
    ENG 231World Literature I

    3.00

    ENG 235Survey of English Literature

    3.00

    ENG 360Literature of the Ancient World

    3.00

    ENG 432AChaucer

    3.00

    ENG 434AShakespeare: Tragedies

    3.00

    ENG 434BShakespeare: Comedies and Histories

    3.00

    ENG 441Medieval Literature (Non-British)

    3.00

    ENG 449ABritish Literature I

    3.00

    ENG 460AHeroic Epic

    3.00

    ENG 484AThe Bible as Literature

    3.00

    B. 17th - 19th Century Literature (3 credits)
    ENG 232World Literature II

    3.00

    ENG 236Survey of English Literature II

    3.00

    ENG 241Survey of American Literature I

    3.00

    ENG 442AThe Seventeenth Century

    3.00

    ENG 449BBritish Literature II

    3.00

    ENG 451AAmerican Literature I

    3.00

    C. 20th and 21st Century Literature
    Select one course from the following:
    ENG 242Survey of American Literature II

    3.00

    ENG 450AStudies in 20th Century Literature

    3.00

    ENG 451BAmerican Literature II

    3.00

    ENG 462CModern American Poetry

    3.00

    ENG 467BModern American Drama

    3.00

    Topics (24 credits)

    Choose 8 courses with an ENG prefix: At least 4 courses (12 credits) must be upper division.

    General Electives (31-44 credits)

    Upper Division Electives (15 credits)

    General Electives credits (to bring overall total to 120)

    General elective course credits taken to complete the 120 credits needed for graduation.

    Summary of credit requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in English

     College Core Curriculum
     31-44
     Major Core Requirements
    45
     Electives (at least 15 credits must be Upper Division)
     31-44
     Total Credits
     120