English, B.A.

Requirements for the Class of 2025 and beyond

Note: Majors take one course 100-189 and one “Confronting the Canon” course (EGL 190-199) as their two 100- level courses; all students take a course focused on literature by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) as one of their 200-level electives. 

Requirements for the Major (for Class of ‘24)

Twelve courses, including two introductory-level courses (100s); seven intermediate courses (200-level) including one course on Shakespeare (200 or 201), one pre-1700 course (202-215) and one pre-1900 course (216-236, 264, 272, 282); and three seminars in total: one or two junior seminars (300-level) and one or two senior seminars (400-level).

Students seeking Honors in the Department of English have a 14-course requirement, the additional two beyond the requirements for the English major being the two-term Honors thesis seminar, EGL 402-3, a two-term thesis writing workshop available by application and invitation, to be written during Fall-Winter of one’s senior year.

No English major is required to write a thesis but all are still eligible for college honors based on GPA. 

All English majors, including students who write a thesis, must take one senior seminar (WS Common Curriculum requirement).

Requirements for English Honors: Thesis (402-3):

Fourteen courses are required for honors, which includes the usual twelve plus a two-term honors thesis seminar, EGL 402 and EGL 403.* The two-term thesis is in addition to and does not replace does not replace the required senior seminar. Other qualifications to be eligible to apply to write an honors thesis include a 3.3 GPA both cumulatively and in the English major; the Literary Theory seminar; an accepted proposal (submitted during fourth week of Spring Term, students’ junior year). See the English Department website for a more complete description. 

In this seminar, students are expected to learn research methods, discuss their subjects and approaches to them, and share ideas and writing, as they work toward completing their individual theses under the direction of the seminar instructor. Prospective Honors thesis writers are required to take EGL 302 Literary Theory in Winter of their Junior year, prior to applying to write a thesis, whether proposing a creative or an analytical thesis. Students proposing creative theses are strongly encouraged to have already participated in a creative writing workshop in the proposed genre. Interested students should discuss possible thesis subjects with their advisor and other departmental members in order to develop an appropriate thesis topic. Prospective Honors students submit a two-to three-page thesis proposal and writing sample for review by the department’s Honors selection committee.

*Note: Double major honors thesis students whose thesis combines both fields of study register for IDM 487-488 (with signatures from a director in each department) yet attend EGL 402-403. DO NOT REGISTER FOR BOTH IDM and EGL