Literature BA

The Literature major consists of 10 courses given by, or approved by, the department.

All Literature majors will complete ENGL 199 and either ENGL 200 or ENGL 221.  Majors will take ENGL 221 instead of ENGL 200 if they minor in Cinema and Media Studies.

 

Two of the following core courses are required for the Literature major:

  • ENGL 200 Intro to Theory (or ENGL 221 The Critical Lens for Cinema and Media Studies minors)

 

Four Context courses that cross borders of time or space are required for the Literature major:

     • Two courses that emphasize Geographical and Cultural Contexts

     • Two courses that emphasize Historical Contexts

 

Of the ten courses required for the Literature major, two must be upper-level courses:

  • One course designated by the department as a 200-level Research Methods course.
  • One course taken at the 300 level.

 

The remaining two courses are taken as electives.

 

ENGL 199 is an introduction to the Literature and Writing majors and is open to all students thinking about majoring in Literature or Writing. All potential majors are urged to take it no later than the beginning of their sophomore year. While ENGL 199 and ENGL 200 constitute a sequence in the Literature major and must be taken in that order, this sequence is not necessarily consecutive: ENGL 199 is a class appropriate for incoming first-year students, while ENGL 200 is an advanced course in critical theory, open only to students with sophomore standing and above who have taken 199.  Students will thus typically take 199 at the beginning of their first year, and they will take 200 no earlier than the beginning of their second year.

 

ENGL 199 is the prerequisite for all 300-level classes offered by the department. Some 300-level classes may have additional prerequisites.

Context courses designated as fulfilling either the Historical Contexts (HC) requirement or the Geographical and Cultural Contexts (GCC) requirement in one semester may not fulfill the same requirement in another semester.  Students should note the designation of their courses (GCC or HC) before registering.