The program presupposes the completion of the general education requirement in the Humanities (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 major in English requires students to extend their work in Humanities beyond the level required of all College students in the important areas of language and the arts.

Language Requirement

English majors must take two additional quarters of work in the language used to meet the College language competency requirement, or they must receive equivalent credit by examination.

Arts Requirement

Beyond their general education requirement, English majors must take one course in art history or in the dramatic, musical, and visual arts. This course may be in the same discipline as the one in which the student is meeting the general education requirement in the dramatic, musical, and visual arts; and it may be an advanced course.

Course Distribution Requirements

The major in English requires at least ten departmental courses, distributed among the following:

Critical Perspectives

All English majors must take Critical Perspectives (ENGL 11100) or, if this is not offered, a course in literary theory.

Period Requirement

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. To meet the period requirement in English, students should take at least one course in literature written before 1650, one course in literature written between 1650 and 1830, and one course in literature written between 1830 and 1940.

Genre Requirement

Because an understanding of literature demands sensitivity to various conventions and genres, students are required to take at least one course in each of the genres of fiction, poetry, and drama/film.

British and American Literature Requirement

Students must also study both British and American literature. The program requires at least one course in each.

Summary of Requirements

The Department of English requires a total of thirteen courses: ten courses in the Department of English; two language courses; and one course in the dramatic, musical, or visual arts. By Spring Quarter of their third year, all students are required to file a worksheet. The English Requirments Worksheet is available at Undergraduate Forms.

• 2 *   quarters of study at the second-year level in a language other than English
• 1      any course at any level in the dramatic, musical, or visual arts beyond the College General Education requirement
• 1      ENGL 11100 (Critical Perspectives) or, if this is not offered, a course in literary theory
• 3      English courses to fulfill period requirements
• 1      English course in fiction
• 1      English course in poetry
• 1      English course in drama or film
• 1      course in British literature
• 1      course in American literature
• 0- 7  English electives (for a total of ten courses in the department; may include ENGL 29900)
•         BA project (optional)
• 13** total courses

* Credit may be granted by examination.

** The total of thirteen required courses must include ten courses in the Department of English; two language courses; and one course in the dramatic, musical, or visual arts.

NOTE: Some courses satisfy several genre and period requirements. For example, a course in metaphysical poetry would satisfy the genre requirement for poetry, the British literature requirement, and the pre-1650 requirement. For details about the requirements met by specific courses, students should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please note that no matter how individual programs are configured, the total number of courses required by the program remains the same.

Courses Outside the Department Taken for Program Credit

With the prior approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, a maximum of two courses outside the Department of English (excluding the required language courses; the required course in the dramatic, musical, or visual arts; and courses in creative writing that originate in Creative Writing or the Theater and Performance Studies Option [TAPS] of the Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities [ISHU]) may count toward the total number of courses required by the major, 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 taking them. Such courses may be selected from related areas in the University (e.g., history, philosophy, religious studies, social sciences), or they may be taken in a study abroad program for which the student has received permission in advance from the Office of the Dean of Students in the College and an appropriate administrator in the Department of English.

Transfer credits for courses taken at another institution are subject to approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and are limited to a maximum of five credits. Transferred courses do not contribute to the student's University of Chicago grade point average for the purpose of computing an overall GPA, Dean's List, departmental honors, or general honors. NOTE: The Office of the Dean of Students in the College must approve the transfer of all courses taken at institutions other than those in which students are enrolled as part of study abroad programs sponsored by the University of Chicago. For details, see Transfer Credit.

Upon prior approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, undergraduate reading courses (ENGL 29700) may be used to fulfill requirements for the major if they are taken for a letter grade and include a final paper assignment. No student may use more than two ENGL 29700 courses in the major. Students who wish to register for the BA project preparation course (ENGL 29900) must arrange for appropriate faculty supervision and obtain the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. ENGL 29900 counts as an English elective but not as one of the courses fulfilling distribution requirements for the major. If a student registers for both ENGL 29700 and ENGL 29900, and if ENGL 29700 is devoted to work that develops into the BA project, only one of these two courses may be counted toward the departmental requirement of ten courses in English. 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 BA project, see the section on Honors work.

Grading

Students majoring in English must receive quality grades in all thirteen courses taken to meet the requirements of the program. Non-majors may take English courses on a pass/fail basis with the consent of the instructor.

Students who wish to use the BA project in English to meet the same requirement in another major should discuss their proposals with both program directors no later than the end of third year. Certain requirements must be met. A consent form, to be signed by the directors, is available from the College advisor. It must be completed and returned to the College advisor by the end of Autumn Quarter of the student's year of graduation.

Honors

Special Honors in English are reserved for graduating students who have excellent course grades and who complete BA projects judged to be of the highest quality. For Honors candidacy, a student must have at least a 3.0 grade point average overall and a 3.5 grade point average in departmental courses (grades received for transfer credit courses are not included into this calculation).

Students who wish to be considered for Departmental Honors must submit a BA project. This may take the form of a critical essay, a piece of creative writing, a director's notebook or actor's journal in connection with a dramatic production, or a mixed media work in which writing is the central element. Such a project must be a fully finished product. To be eligible for Honors, a student's BA project must be judged to be of the highest quality by the graduate student preceptor, faculty adviser, and Director of Undergraduate Studies.

The critical BA project may develop from a paper written in an earlier course or from independent research. Whatever the approach, the student is required to work on an approved topic and to submit a final version that has been written, critiqued by both a faculty adviser and a preceptor, rethought, and rewritten. Students typically work on their BA project over three quarters. In Spring Quarter of their third year, all students should seek a faculty field specialist. In Autumn Quarter of their fourth year they will also be assigned a graduate student preceptor. In Autumn Quarter of their fourth year, students will attend a series of colloquia convened by the preceptors to prepare them for the advanced research and writing demands of thesis work. In Winter and Spring Quarters, students will continue to meet with their preceptors and will also consult with their individual faculty advisers (the field specialist). Students may elect to register for the BA project preparation course (ENGL 29900) for a one-quarter credit.

Students wishing to produce a creative BA project must receive permission from the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Prior to the Winter Quarter of their fourth year, students will be required to take at least one creative writing course at an intermediate or advanced level in the genre of their creative project. In Winter Quarter of their fourth year, these students will normally enroll in a prose or a poetry senior seminar. These seminars are advanced courses limited to twelve students and will include students majoring in English as well as ISHU and Master of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH) students who are producing creative projects. Students will work closely with the seminar instructor, with a graduate preceptor, and with their peers in the writing workshops and will receive course credit as well as a final grade. Eligible students who wish to be considered for Departmental Honors will, in consultation with the seminar instructor and preceptor, revise and resubmit a near final draft of their creative project by Monday of the third week in Spring Quarter. They will submit the final version by the Friday of the fifth week in Spring Quarter. The project will then be evaluated by the seminar instructor, preceptor, and Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Completion of a BA project is no guarantee of a recommendation for Departmental Honors. Honors recommendations are made to the Master of the Humanities Collegiate Division by the Department through the Director of Undergraduate Studies. 

Advising

All newly declared English majors must meet with the Undergraduate Program Assistant or, if there are particular questions, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and they have to fill out the Requirements Worksheet. Students are expected to review their plans to meet departmental requirements at least once a year with the Undergraduate Program Assistant or Director of Undergraduate Studies. Worksheets may be obtained at Undergraduate Forms. The Director of 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 major. Students are also encouraged to consult the faculty directory distributed by the Department of English. This directory lists faculty interests and current projects, providing leads for students seeking specific guidance in particular areas. Faculty members are available to students during regular office hours posted every quarter.

Faculty

L. Berlant, D. Bevington (Emeritus), A. Brown, B. Brown, T. Campbell, J. Chandler, H. Chute, B. Cormack, R. Coronado, M. Ellmann, L. Gandhi, E. Hadley, M. Hansen, E. Helsinger, P. Jagoda, H. Keenleyside, J. Knight, L. Kruger, J. Lastra, M. Miller, W. J. T. Mitchell, B. Morgan, M. Murrin, J. Muse, D. Nelson, S. Reddy, L. Rothfield, L. Ruddick, J. Scappettone, J. Schleusener, J. Scodel, E. Slauter, R. So, R. Strier, W. Veeder (Emeritus), M. C. von Nolcken, K. Warren, J. Wilkinson