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Go to: Program Requirements
The study of English may be pursued as preparation for graduate work in
literature or other disciplines or as a complement to general education.
English concentrators learn how to ask probing questions of a large body of
material, how to formulate, analyze, and judge questions and their answers, and
how to present both questions and answers in clear, cogent prose--skills
central to virtually any career. To the end of cultivating and testing these
skills, each course in English stresses writing.
While aimed at developing reading, writing, and research skills, the
undergraduate program in English recognizes the value of bringing a range of
disciplinary perspectives to bear on the works studied. Besides offering a wide
variety of courses in English, the department encourages students to integrate
the intellectual concerns of other fields into their study of literature and
film by permitting up to two courses outside the English department to be
counted as part of a concentration, if a student can demonstrate the relevance
of these courses to his or her program of study.
Go to top of document All English concentrators must take an introductory course, English 101. This
course prepares students to enter into the discussions that occur in more
advanced undergraduate courses by providing some grounding in critical
methodology and controversies across a range of genres. Because English 101
serves as an introduction to the concentration, and because this course is a
prerequisite for some English courses, newly declared English concentrators and
potential concentrators are urged to take it as early as possible in their
undergraduate careers. English 101 is offered every year.
Students are expected to study British and American literature and film from a
variety of periods and genres. Reading and understanding works written in
different historical periods require skills, information, and historical
imagination that contemporary works do not require. Students are accordingly
asked to study a variety of historical periods in order to develop their
abilities as readers, to discover areas of literature that they might not
otherwise explore, and to develop a self-conscious grasp of literary history.
In addition to the normal range of courses studying authors and genres from
many different eras, the program in English includes courses focused directly
on periods of literary history. These courses explore the ways terms such as
"Renaissance" or "Romantic" have been defined and debated, and raise questions
about literary change (influence, tradition, originality, segmentation,
repetition, etc.) that go along with periodizing. The program requires two
courses in literature written before 1700 and two courses in literature written
between 1700 and 1900, with at least one of these four a designated "period"
course; or, alternatively, three "period" courses, with at least one focused on
a period or periods before 1700 and at least one focused on a period or periods
after 1700. The program also asks that students study both British and American
literature, requiring at least one course in each. Furthermore, because an
understanding of literature demands sensitivity to various conventions and
different genres, concentrators are required to take at least one course in
each of the genres of fiction, poetry, and drama/film.
The concentration in English requires at least ten departmental courses. In the
fourth year of College study, most concentrators carry out a senior project for
which they receive course credit. In lieu of a senior project, some students
may choose to take a departmental course. In special cases, the senior project
may take the form of a piece of creative writing or involvement in a dramatic
production; normally, however, the senior project consists of a critical essay.
Such an essay is to be a fully finished product, the best written work of which
the student is capable. This B.A. paper may develop from a paper written in an
earlier course or from independent research. Whatever the approach, the student
is uniformly required to work on an approved topic and to submit a final
version that has been written, critiqued by both a faculty advisor and a B.A.
project supervisor, rethought, and rewritten. Seniors devote time in at least
two quarters to their senior essays, and they consult at scheduled intervals
with their individual faculty advisor (the field specialist) and with the
supervisor assigned to monitor senior projects. To be eligible for departmental
honors, a student must complete a senior project.
Summary of Requirements
NOTE: Some courses satisfy more than one requirement. For example, a course in
metaphysical poetry would count both as a course satisfying the genre
requirement for poetry and as a course satisfying the British literature
requirement.
Courses outside the Department Taken for Concentration Credit. With the
prior approval of the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, a maximum of
two courses outside the English department (excluding the required language and
music or visual art courses) may count toward the concentration if the student
is able to demonstrate their relevance to his or her program. The student
must propose, justify, and obtain approval for these courses before registering
for them. Such courses may be selected from related areas in the
University--history, philosophy, social sciences, divinity, and so on--or they
may be taken in a study abroad program for which the student has received the
permission from the Office of the Dean of Students in the College and an
appropriate administrator in the English department.
Reading Courses (English 298 and 299). Upon prior approval by the Associate
Chair for Undergraduate Studies, the undergraduate reading course (English 298)
may be used to fulfill concentration requirements. No student may use more than
two English 298 courses toward concentration requirements. Seniors who wish to
register for the B.A. paper preparation course (English 299) must indicate that
they have arranged for appropriate faculty supervision and obtain the
permission of the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies. English 299 does,
however, count as an English elective and not as one of the courses
fulfilling distribution requirements for the concentration. NOTE: Reading
courses are special research opportunities that must be justified by the
quality of the proposed plan of study; they also depend upon available faculty
supervision. No student can automatically expect to arrange a reading course.
For alternative approaches to preparing a B.A. paper, see the next
section.
Go to top of document The Senior Project. NOTE: This requirement is currently under review.
Students who wish to undertake a senior project must register with the
undergraduate secretary by the end of the fifth week of the first quarter of
their graduating year. To help ensure the careful, finished work that must
characterize the senior project, a B.A. project supervisor is appointed to
monitor seniors' work on their projects. Seniors meet with their supervisor
during the first quarter and at regular intervals thereafter. The supervisor
informs, helps, counsels, and participates in critiquing the versions of the
project. In meeting initially, the student and the supervisor seek to define a
workable topic, to determine a plan for developing the topic, and to identify
an appropriate faculty advisor for the position of field specialist, who
works more closely with the individual student and directs the actual
researching and writing of the B.A. paper. During the winter quarter, the
supervisor convenes groups of students to discuss their work in progress.
Schedules of the quarterly deadlines for registering and for submitting drafts
and final essays can be obtained in the undergraduate secretary's office (G-B
309).
There are three options for the senior project:
l. The Standard Option. Ordinarily, the project is a critical or
historical essay, of no more than twenty-five pages, on some topic in British
or American literature. A B.A. paper should demonstrate the student's ability
to identify a question or problem and to pursue it further than is usual in a
course paper. The B.A. paper is judged by how well a student has thought and
rethought a problem, and written and rewritten a response. A senior is to
devote time in at least two academic quarters to writing the senior essay.
2. The Writing Option. Those students who exhibit interest in and
ability for extended work in writing poetry, fiction, drama, or expository
prose may petition the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, requesting
permission to prepare a piece of such writing for a senior project. The
petition must include both a proposal as to what work will be done and a piece
of writing that will be evaluated by two faculty members before permission to
proceed is granted. Any such student must have taken two one-quarter courses in
writing.
3. The Drama Option. Students with particularly strong interests and
background in the dramatic arts may be permitted to carry out the senior
project by producing and/or directing and/or acting in a dramatic or cinematic
production for which a director's (actor's) notebook or an explanatory essay is
prepared. However, it must be stressed that opportunities to produce or direct
a play or film are very limited, and to act, only somewhat less so.
Applications to use the Reynolds Club theaters must be submitted at least six
months in advance of the desired scheduling. Winter quarter time is usually
less in demand than spring quarter. In this option, as in the others, the
senior project requires supervision. Those students who wish to try to work in
and write about a dramatic production for a senior project must have taken two
one-quarter courses in drama. They must obtain prior approval from the
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies (with whom a field specialist is
arranged) as well as approval from the appropriate theater personnel (with whom
scheduling is arranged).
The senior project may be carried out either in noncurricular arrangements with
the supervisor and field specialist, or through formal course registration
(English 299). The student may prepare the B.A. paper by starting afresh on a
topic of his or her choosing or by working from a paper previously submitted in
a regular course. Because revising and rethinking are vital parts of the
process of preparing a B.A. paper, students cannot wait to begin their
preparations until the quarter in which they wish to graduate.
NOTE: As stated above, English 299 may not be counted among the courses
fulfilling distribution requirements for the concentration. Any student may, of
course, take English 299 as an English or free elective. No one can register
for English 299 without previously obtaining permission from a faculty member
willing to serve as field specialist for the project.
Go to top of document Advising in the Concentration. Concentrators in English are expected to
review their programs at least once a year with the Associate Chair for
Undergraduate Studies. In the last quarter of junior standing, students should
also complete and submit a departmental worksheet that indicates their own
plans for meeting all concentration requirements. These worksheets can be
obtained in the undergraduate secretary's office (G-B 309). The Associate Chair
for Undergraduate Studies has regularly scheduled office hours during which she
is available for consultation and guidance on a student's selection of courses,
future career plans, and questions or problems relating to the concentration.
Formal registration, changes of courses, and the like are processed through the
student's assigned adviser in the Office of the Dean of Students in the
College.
Students are encouraged to consult the faculty directory distributed by the
English department. This directory lists faculty interests and current
projects, providing leads for students seeking general counsel on their
intellectual direction or specific guidance in reading courses. Faculty are
available to students in regular office hours posted every quarter.
Grading. Students concentrating in English must receive letter grades in
all thirteen courses aimed at meeting the requirements of the degree program.
Exceptions are allowed only in creative writing courses where the instructor
regards P/N grades as an appropriate form of accreditation. Students not
concentrating in English may take English courses on a P/N basis if they
receive the prior consent of the faculty member for a given course.
Honors. Special honors in English are reserved for those graduating seniors
who achieve overall excellence in grades for courses within the concentration
and who also complete a senior project of the highest quality. For honors
candidacy, a student must have at least a 3.0 overall grade point average for
College work. Honors recommendations are made by the faculty of the department
through the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies to the master of the
Humanities Collegiate Division.
Joint B.A./M.A. Qualified students may be granted admission to the M.A.
program and pursue it and their B.A. in English at the same time. However, both
sets of degree requirements must be separately satisfied; there is no provision
for double-counting of credit for courses or for the senior project and the
M.A. essay. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Chair for Undergraduate
Studies or the department's administrative assistant, Barbara Crawford (G-
B
310A, 702-8537).
LAUREN BERLANT, Professor, Department of English Language & Literature and
the College
DAVID M. BEVINGTON, Phyllis Fay Horton Professor in the Humanities; Professor,
Departments of English Language & Literature and Comparative Literature,
and the College
HOMI K. BHABHA, Professor, Department of English Language & Literature and
the College
WILLIAM L. BROWN, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
DOUGLAS S. BRUSTER, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
JAMES K. CHANDLER, Professor, Department of English Language & Literature,
Committee on General Studies in the Humanities, and the College
GERALD GRAFF, George M. Pullman Professor, Departments of Education and English
Language & Literature, and the College
ELAINE HADLEY, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
MIRIAM HANSEN, Mellon Professor in the Humanities; Professor, Department of
English Language & Literature and the College, and the Committee on Art
& Design
ELIZABETH HELSINGER, Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature, Committee on General Studies in the Humanities, and the College
J. PAUL HUNTER, Chester D. Tripp Professor in the Humanities; Professor,
Department of English Language & Literature and the College
JANICE L. KNIGHT, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
LOREN KRUGER, Associate Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
JAMES F. LASTRA, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
Go to top of document CHRISTOPHER LOOBY, Associate Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
SAREE MAKDISI, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
CURTIS MAREZ, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
W. J. T. MITCHELL, Gaylord Donnelley Distinguished Service Professor,
Departments of English Language & Literature and Art, Committees on Art
& Design and General Studies in the Humanities, and the College
JANEL MUELLER, William Rainey Harper Professor in the Humanities; Professor,
Department of English Language & Literature and the College
MICHAEL J. MURRIN, Professor, Departments of English Language & Literature
and Comparative Literature, the Divinity School, and the College; Chairman,
Department of Comparative Literature
BRUCE B. REDFORD, Professor, Department of English Language & Literature
and the College
LAURA RIGAL, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
LAWRENCE ROTHFIELD, Associate Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
LISA RUDDICK, Associate Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature, Committee on General Studies in the Humanities, and the College
JAY SCHLEUSENER, Associate Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
JOSHUA SCODEL, Associate Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
STUART SHERMAN, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
RICHARD G. STERN, Helen A. Regenstein Professor, Department of English Language
& Literature, Committee on General Studies in the Humanities, and the
College
RICHARD A. STRIER, Professor, Department of English Language & Literature,
Committee on General Studies in the Humanities, and the College
Go to top of document WILLIAM VEEDER, Professor, Department of English Language & Literature,
Committee on General Studies in the Humanities, and the College
ROBERT VON HALLBERG, Professor, Departments of English Language &
Literature and Germanic Studies, Committee on General Studies in the
Humanities, and the College; Chairman, Department of Germanic Studies
CHRISTINA VON NOLCKEN, Associate Professor, Department of English Language
& Literature and the College
KENNETH W. WARREN, Associate Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
EDWARD WASIOLEK, Avalon Foundation Distinguished Service Professor, Departments
of English Language & Literature, Comparative Literature, and Slavic
Languages & Literatures, and the College
JOSEPH M. WILLIAMS, Professor, Departments of English Language & Literature
and Linguistics and the College
ALOK YADAV, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
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Go to: Summary of Requirements
Go to: Faculty
English Language
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies: Lisa Ruddick, G-B 308,
702-8024
and Literature
Secretary for Undergraduate English: JoAnn Baum, G-B 309, 702-7092
Program of Study
Our undergraduate program introduces students to English-language literature,
drama, and film. Courses address fundamental questions about topics such as the
status of literature within culture, the literary history of a period, the
achievements of a major author, the defining characteristics of a genre, the
politics of interpretation, the formal beauties of individual works, and the
methods of literary scholarship and research.
Program Requirements
The program presupposes the completion of one of the Common Core Humanities
sequences (or its equivalent), in which basic training is provided in the
methods, problems, and disciplines of humanistic study. Because literary study
itself attends to language and is enriched by some knowledge of other cultural
expressions, the concentration in English requires students to extend their
work in humanities beyond the level required of all College students in the
important areas of foreign language and the nonverbal arts. English
concentrators must take two quarters of work in a foreign language
beyond the Common Core requirement (which is four quarters in French,
German, Latin, and Spanish; three in all other languages), unless they have
already demonstrated an equivalent proficiency in a foreign language. English
concentrators must also take one quarter each of work in music and in visual
art.
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Go to bottom of document 2 courses or placement in a foreign language, beyond the
language courses taken to meet the Common Core
requirement, and in the same language as those courses
1 course in music or visual art (offered in the Art and Design,
Art History, or Music Department, or elsewhere),
whichever is not used to satisfy the Common Core requirement
1 Eng 101
3-4 courses to fulfill "period" requirement--either 2 courses
pre-1700 and 2 1700-1900 (including 1 designated"period" course)
or 3 designated "period" courses (1 pre-1700 and
1 post-1700): Eng 156,169, and 187
1 course in fiction
1 course in poetry
1 course in drama or film
1 course in British literature
1 course in American literature
0-6 concentration electives (for a total of 10 courses in the department;
may include Eng 299)
- senior project (optional)
13 (total) includes 10 in the department, plus language and music or visual art courses
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Faculty
ELIZABETH ALEXANDER, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language &
Literature and the College
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