Literary Studies
The Literary Studies major immerses you in great reads, compelling questions, and transformative writing experiences. Through it, you come to know iconic writers, groundbreaking texts, and the intellectual buzz of interpretive thinking.
As a Literary Studies major, you will explore the dynamic interplay between literature and culture, identity, psychology, history, politics, and other forces. Investigate how texts make meaning, create worlds, and generate characters. Develop your own writerly voice and style. Pursue your own passions. And produce a self-designed senior project. Holistically, the Literary Studies major will enable you to:
- Read closely, critically, and innovatively
- Write clearly, eloquently, and insightfully
- Know a rich range of literary terms, forms, genres, periods, histories, theories, and writers
- Study literature in different historical, cultural, biographical, formal, and theoretical contexts
- See writing and literature as something that can enrich, complicate, and transform the human experience
- Produce orginal reading and writing projects
Major Requirements ~ 44 semester hours ~ 11 courses
Discovery Course ~ 4 hrs
- Engl 1155 Writing & the Literary Imagination
Studies in National & Transnational Historical Literatures ~ 8 hrs
Choose two from:
- Engl 2210 Studies in British Literatures Before 1700
- Engl 2215 Studies in British Literatures 1700-1900
- Engl 2220 Studies in British Literatures After 1900
- Engl 2250 Studies in American Literatures Before 1900
- Engl 2255 Studies in American Literatures After 1900
Studies in Cultural & World Literatures ~ 4 hrs
Choose one from:
- Engl 2230 Studies in African American Literatures
- Engl 2231 Studies in Women's Literatures
- Engl 2232 Studies in Diverse Literary Cultures
- Engl 2233 Studies in World Literatures
- Engl 2234 Studies in Glbtq Literatures
Studies in Interest Areas ~ Author, Theory, Textuality, & Culture ~ 16 hrs
- Author: Engl 3340 Studies in Individual Authors or Engl 3350 Shakespeare
- Theory: Engl 3355 Studies in Literary & Critical Theory
- Textuality or Culture : Engl 3325 Studies in Literature, History, & Culture or Engl 3381 Studies in Textuality & Genre
- One additional 3000-level seminar: Engl 3340, 3350, 3355, 3380, or 3381.
Note: The same course may be taken twice when it’s offered on a different topic (e.g. Engl 3340 “Virginia Woolf” and Engl 3340 “Toni Morrison”).
Studies in Language, Writing, Film, and Visual Formats ~ 8 hrs
Studies in Language, Writing, Film, and Visual Formats ~ 8 hrs
- ENGL 1160 - Poetry Writing Across the Genres
- ENGL 1161 - Fiction Writing Across the Genres
- ENGL 1162 - Essay Writing Across the Genres
- ENGL 1163 - Playwriting Across the Genres
- ENGL 1164 - Screenwriting Across the Genres
- ENGL 1175 - Studies in Film
- ENGL 1176 - Studies in Graphic Narrative
- ENGL 1177 - Studies in Digital Media
- ENGL 1188 - Studies in Environmental Literatures
- ENGL 1192 - Special Topics in Expository Writing
- ENGL 1193 - Special Topics in Professional Writing
- ENGL 2295 - Linguistics
Senior Capstone ~ 4hrs
Double major or minor substitution: Students with double majors or minors may count one 2000-3000 level course from another program towards the major with permission of the chair
Historical & cultural distribution requirements: Students must ensure their course of study includes classes with the the following designations. Individual courses may fulfill more than one requirement. For instance, Engl 3381 “The Victorian Novel” could fulfill both a British (B) and a 1700-1900 (2) requirement.
- 1 pre-1700 (1)
- 1 1700-1900 (2)
- 1 post-1900 (3)
- 1 American (A)
- 1 British (B)
- 1 World (W)
Literary Studies Minor ~ 5 courses ~ 20 hrs
- Engl 1155 Writing & the Literary Imagination
- choose one historical literature seminar: Engl 2210, 2215, 2220, 2250, 2255
- choose one cultural literature seminar: Engl 2230, 2231, 2232, 2233
- choose one advanced topical seminar: Engl 3325, 3340, 3355, 3356, 3380, 3381
- choose one additional course from the following: Engl 2210, 2215, 2220, 2250, 2255, 2230, 2231, 2232, 2233, 2234, 2275, 2276, 2277, 2292, 2293, 3325, 3340, 3355, 3380, 3381