Requirements for the Major in English

The major in English leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses offered for A. Study within the Area of the Major must be passed with a C or higher. Completion of the major requires 54 credits.

Study within the Area of the Major

• EGL 204 Literary Analysis and Argumentation
• EGL 380 The English Language
• Three survey courses from among the following:
  • EGL 205 Survey of British Literature I
  • EGL 206 Survey of British Literature II
  • EGL 217 American Literature I
  • EGL 218 American Literature II
  • EGL 224 20th-Century Literature in English
  • EGL 226 Contemporary American Literature, 1945 to the Present
  • EGL 243 Shakespeare: The Major Works
  • EGL 274 Black American Literature
• Six 300-level courses from among courses numbered EGL 300-399
• One elective course from among courses numbered EGL 200-399;  EGL 490 and 496 may also be used.

No English course below the 200 level may be used to fulfill English major requirements. In addition, the following courses may not be used for the English major: EGL 440, 441, 449, 450, 451, 452, 454, 488, or any JRN course.


Students must complete 9 credits in one of the following four concentrations:

1. British Literature (EGL 205, 206, 243, 300-314, 340-349, 352, 361-364 and 390-393 when topic is appropriate).
2. American Literature (EGL 217, 218, 226, 249, 274, 316-318,  350-352, 361-364, 367. 378-379, 399 and 390-393 when topic is appropriate)
3. Modern and Contemporary Literature (EGL 224, 226, 249, 274 318-320, 350-352, 361-364, 378-379 and 390-393 when topic is appropriate)
4. Issues and Topics in the Study of Literature (EGL 224, 226, 249, 274, 276, 365-369, 371-376 and 390-399)

Study in Related Areas

• Six credits (or the equivalent of one year) of college study of a foreign language at the intermediate level or beyond. All coursework taken to satisfy this requirement must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a grade of C- or higher.
• Six credits of history at the 200 level or above.
• Six credits of study in the humanities and fine arts (excluding English courses) and in addition to the foreign language requirement above.

Six of the twelve credits used to satisfy requirements 2 and 3 may be taken under the P/NC option unless they also are being used to satisfy general education requirements.

Only six of the twelve credits used to satisfy requirements 2 and 3 may be passed with grades below C-.

Upper-Division Writing Requirement
The student shall submit to the director of undergraduate studies two 5-7 page papers, each graded a B+ or better by a different instructor in an upper-division English course, together with the instructor's written confirmation that the paper demonstrates suitably advanced writing proficiency. The student must notify the instructor before the paper is turned in to him or her that it is intended to satisfy this requirement in addition to the course requirements. A student anticipating or experiencing difficulty in satisfying this requirement should seek the advice of the director of undergraduate studies no later than the beginning of the semester before the one in which the student expects to graduate.