Literature in English Major

  • Satisfactorily completing the first year of foreign language study at the college level (or passing a first-year equivalency test)*
  • Two different ENG-299T courses. Students should complete the second ENG-299T no later than the junior year and, preferably, no later than the sophomore year.
  • Eighteen credits in literature seminar courses at the 300-level with at least one from each of the following areas:
    • American literature
    • English literature before 1789
    • English literature after 1789
    • World literature
  • ENG-280 Theory & Methods of the Study of Literature
  • ENG-498 Senior Thesis Seminar in Literature (3 cr)

*If available, students may study Latin or Greek. Equivalency tests must be agreed upon by both the Modern Foreign Language and English departments.

English Teaching Certification

Students pursuing Literature in English as either a first or second teaching field develop a program of study in consultation with both the faculty member in charge of secondary education and an advisor from the English Department. Such students must successfully complete ENG/MFL/EDU-446 and two of the following courses(only one of which may be Journalism): ENG-498, ENG-220.1, JOURN-200, or JOURN-300. Such students are also encouraged to take additional courses in English beyond those credits required for the major or minor in Literature in English. A carefully planned and executed program will give the prospective secondary teacher a rich variety of theoretical and applied knowledge and skills helpful in securing a teaching position.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Analytical Reading
  • Analytical Reasoning
  • Communicate clearly, persuasively and confidently in writing
  • Critically interpret literature
  • Understand and interpret literature as a form of human imagination and expression
  • Understand how the literary tradition has helped shape the world
  • Critical Thinking