English

Chair: Associate Professor J. Lewin
Faculty: William D. Williams Endowed Professor J. Murphy, Edward Everett Hale Jr. Endowed Professor J. Smith; Professor C. Bracken (on leave Fall 2023), A. Burkett, K. Doyle (on leave from English as Interim Dean of Academic Departments and Programs), H. Jenkins (on leave Spring 2024); Associate Professors B. Kuhn, K. Lynes (on leave Fall 2023), J. Mitchell, J. Troxell, B. Tuon, P. Wareh; Assistant Professors S. McAuliffe; Visiting Assistant Professors E. Mena, K Staudt; Affiliated Faculty Associate Professor D. Venning (also in Theater & Dance, on leave AY 202-24); Senior Lecturer A. Pease (also in Modern Languages-Russian.)
Staff: Debora Catharine (Administrative Assistant)

Course Selection Guidelines

Placement in Union’s English Curriculum:

Students should enroll in any English 100-level course (usually 100-189) unless they scored a 5 on either the AP English Literature or AP English Language test (see AP credit explanation below).

Non-Majors:

All students are welcome to enroll in English 100-level courses. All 100- level courses are equal in difficulty. Courses between 190-199, categorized under our new “Confronting the Canon” curricular initiative (described below), are specifically designed for and required of English majors, minors and ID majors, who have priority.
Having completed one 100-level English course, any student may enroll in any 200-level EGL course (see also AP 5 information).
All 200-level courses are equal in difficulty and appropriate for both majors and and all other interested students who have taken either one 100-level prerequisite or who have an AP 5 credit (see below)
Students should NOT enroll in multiple introductory (100-189) English courses without permission.

Students with AP English credit:

At Union College, a grade of 4 or 5 on an AP English Literature or an AP English Language test earns one unspecified course credit toward the 36 required for graduation. Nonetheless, all students must still fulfill the requirements of their class year’s Common Curriculum or Complex Questions: Global Challenges & Social Justice general education system.

AP credit does not substitute for requirements in either system.

Students scoring a “5” on AP English Exams:

The English Department recognizes an AP English Literature or Language score of 5 as sufficient preparation for 200-level coursework; students with these scores may enroll in 200-level English courses without the prerequisite by securing a waiver from the the registrar. AP 5 credit does not reduce the number of courses to be taken to complete an English major or minor, which remains 12 courses (7 for minors/ 8 for IDs). With AP credit offsetting one course between 100-189, de facto, majors, minors and IDs with an AP 5 get an extra elective. (More information for prospective majors or minors below).

Prerequisites in Union’s English curriculum:

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

Junior and Senior EGL seminars are designed mainly for majors, IDs and minors, who have priority. Some seats may be available to interested non-majors at the discretion of the instructor.

“Confronting the Canon” curriculum initiative:

Union’s English department affirmed the following pledge in June 2020 and revised its curriculum accordingly:

“We will restructure our curriculum, so as to include and make visible the experiences of underrepresented students. We pledge to do more to center the lives and experiences of those who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in our scholarship, teaching, and service both within and beyond the Union College community.” In order to put this pledge into practice, we will embed the lives and experiences that are explored in texts by BIPOC authors into the undergraduate study of literature.

We developed a new, two-course sequence which requires a course in our , “Confronting the Canon,” series (EGL 190-199) and a course focusing on literature written by BIPOC authors. These courses, taken in any order, ensure that students engage with critical race theory and BIPOC-authored literary texts at multiple points during their training as English majors or minors.

“Confronting the Canon” courses are designed to introduce English majors and minors to foundational questions raised when interrogating and reconfiguring what has long been considered the traditional, Western literary canon. The courses emphasize the fact that English literary study, has an established history of focusing on texts by white, male authors, often at the expense of works written by, among others, women, writers of color, and queer writers. By confronting curricular choices and their implications, “Confronting the Canon” courses explore reimagining the canon intentionally. The courses ask questions such as: Who determined the canon? What does the canon perpetuate? Who is included and who excluded? What is at stake in upholding or dismantling it? What do we value as English students and faculty? What do we envision as our role in the field of English literary and cultural studies?

The following summarizes the English requirements still in place for the graduating class of 2024 and the requirements for the Class of 2025 and beyond. More details and course lists are available at the links below “Programs”.

Class of 2024

Requirements for the English Major

Twelve courses, including: two introductory-level courses (100-199)(unless one has an AP5, in which case see above); seven intermediate courses (200-level), among which are required: one course on Shakespeare (200 or 201), one pre-1700 course (202-215), and one 1700-1900 course (216-236, 264, 272, 282), and four electives (any course 200 - 299); and three seminars in total, among which are required one junior seminar (300-level), one senior seminar (400-level) and a third seminar at either level.

Thesis is not required of English majors, who are still eligible for college distinctions based on GPA (summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude).
All English majors, including those who write a thesis, must take one senior seminar (WS requirement).
Students seeking English Honors have a 14-course requirement: the additional two courses being the two-term Honors thesis seminar, EGL 402-3 which is a workshop taken during Fall-Winter of students’ senior year, and is by application.

Requirements for Interdepartmental Majors

I.D. Majors have an 8-course English requirement: one 100-level course and seven others, including one Shakespeare course (200 or 201), one pre-1700 course (202-215), four 200-level courses of choice, and one seminar of choice. Interdepartmental majors must pay particular attention to the requirements of both departments and complete a senior seminar/project (WS)

Students seeking an Honors I.D. degree with English have a 10-course requirement, the additional two courses being the two-term Honors thesis seminar. ID Honors students should be sure to take EGL 302 Literary Theory in Winter of their Junior year.

Requirements for the Minor

English Minors have a 7-course requirement, one 100-level course and six others, including one Shakespeare course (200 or 201), one pre-1700 course (202-215), three 200-level electives, and one 300-level course of choice.

Classes of 2025 and following:

Requirements for the Major:

Majors take one 100-level (100-189) and one “Confronting the Canon” (190-199) course, and take a 200-level, BIPOC- literature course among their 200-level electives.

ID Majors take one 100-level (100-189) and one “Confronting the Canon” (190-199) course, then choose either a pre-1700 (202-215), or a Shakespeare course (200-201). Like full majors, ID majors must take a 200-level, BIPOC literature course as one of their 200-level electives.

Minors take one 100-level course (100-189) and then choose two of the following three coverage requirements: a “Confronting the Canon” course (190-199), a pre-1700 course (202-215), or a Shakespeare course (200-201). Minors may satisfy the BIPOC literature course requirement at the 200, 300, or 400-level.

* An AP English score of 5 may substitute for the 100-level course (100-189) but not the “Confronting the Canon” or the BIPOC lit requirement.

For detailed information about English department courses, activities, posters and bulletins, see the English Department’s website, Facebook page (“Union College English Department”), Twitter account (@UnionCollegeEGL), or Instagram account (@unionegl).

Programs

Bachelor of Arts

Minor

English Minor

Courses

Page: 1 | 2