English

Chair: Associate Professor J. Lewin
Faculty: Professors H. Jenkins, J. Murphy (on leave Spring 2021), J. Smith; Associate Professors C. Bracken, A. Burkett, K. Doyle, B. Kuhn, K. Lynes, J. Troxell, B. Tuon, P. Wareh (on leave Winter 2021); Assistant Professors S. McAuliffe, J. Mitchell; Affiliated Faculty D. Venning (also in Theater & Dance) (on leave Winter-Spring 2021); Senior Lecturer A. Pease (also in Modern Languages-Russian.)
Staff: Debora Catharine (Administrative Assistant)

Course Selection Guidelines

Placement: Incoming students should enroll in EGL 100 , EGL 101 , or EGL 102 unless they scored a 5 on the AP English Literature or AP English Language test (see below); alternatively, students may choose a non-writing-intensive EGL course numbered 0-99 (see below, “Courses Suitable for Non-Majors”).

Scores of “5” on AP English Exams: The English Department recognizes an AP score of 5 as sufficient preparation for intermediate (200-) level coursework; students with these scores may enroll in 200-level English courses without the 100-level prerequisite with a waiver from the registrar. AP5 credit does not reduce the number of courses taken to complete a major or minor: English majors with an AP 5 still need 12 courses (7 for minors/ 8 for IDs). With AP credit offsetting one 100-level prerequisite, the number of required 100-levels is reduced to one for majors, and zero for minors and IDs; therefore, de facto, majors, minors and IDs with an AP 5 get to take an extra elective.

Currently at Union College, a grade of 4 or 5 on an AP English Literature or AP English Language test earns an unspecified course credit toward graduation. However, all students still must fulfill the requirements of the Common Curriculum. AP credit does not fulfill or substitute for HUL or WAC requirements; students with AP 5s may choose to fulfill these requirements in English with an intermediate (200-) level EGL course instead of a 100-level course.

Courses Suitable for Non-Majors: The English department occasionally offers Common Curriculum courses intended for non-majors. These courses have numbers between 0 and 99, and are lecture-exam rather than writing-intensive (WAC) courses, yet they carry HUL credit. Students are welcome to enroll in a 100-level course after taking a course numbered 0-99, or vice-versa. Note: Common Curriculum courses (0-99) do not count toward the English major, ID major or minor.

Non-majors and majors alike are welcome to enroll in EGL 100 , EGL 101 , or EGL 102 . Only majors should take more than one intro-level course. EGL 100 and 102 have fewer sections and are by petition courses due to high demand.

Having completed EGL 100 , EGL 101 , or EGL 102 , any student has the prerequisite to enroll in any 200-level EGL course (see also AP 5 information above). All 200-level courses are equal in difficulty.

All 200-level courses are equal in difficulty.

Junior and senior (300 and 400-level) EGL seminars are by petition; they are intended mainly for majors, IDs and minors, who have priority. Some seats may be available for non-majors at the discretion of the instructor.

Prerequisites:

EGL 100 , EGL 101 , or EGL 102 is a prerequisite for any 200-level course. (See AP5 information above)
To enroll in a 300-level EGL course, a student must have taken either EGL 100 , EGL 101 , or EGL 102 and two 200-level EGL courses for a total of at least three English courses.
To enroll in a 400-level EGL course, a student must have taken two introductory courses (selecting from EGL 100 , EGL 101 , and EGL 102 ) and four 200-level EGL courses for a total of at least six English courses. IDs or minors may be admitted at the instructor’s discretion.

Enrollment Limits: Enrollment limits for the categories of courses are as follows:

30 for Common Curriculum Courses (0-99)
20 for Introductory Courses (100 level)
25 for Intermediate Courses (200 level)
15 for Intermediate writing workshops
15 for Advanced Junior and Senior Seminars (300 and 400-level)

For detailed information about English department courses and activities, consult paper bulletins available in the English department office, or see the English Department’s website, Facebook page. (Union College English Department), Twitter account (@UnionCollegeEGL), or Instagram account (@unionegl).

Programs

Major

English, B.A.

Interdepartmental Major

English (ID), B.A.

Minor

English Minor