ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½

The Department of Literatures in English offers a wide range of courses in literatures of the Anglophone world, from medieval romance to contemporary novels and film. Students develop their own paths through the major, experimenting with historical periods, genres, forms, and methodologies, while also developing expertise in specific areas. 

The department stresses critical thinking, incisive writing and speaking, and a sense of initiative and responsibility for the enterprise of interpretation. With their advisers, Literatures in English majors design a program of study that deepens their understanding of diverse genres, textual traditions, and periods. We encourage students to explore the history of cultural production and reception and also to question the presuppositions of literary study. The major culminates in an independently written essay of 30-40 pages, developed during a senior research seminar in the fall semester and individually mentored by a faculty member in the spring. Students are encouraged to take at least two English courses at ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ or Haverford College before signing up for the major or minor.

Summary of the Major 

The major requires a total of eleven courses. Three courses are required: 250, 398, and 399.  Of the other eight courses, at least three must be at the 300-level (exclusive of 398 and 399). All 300-level courses must be taken at BMC or HC. 250 must be taken before the senior year.  One 100-level class may be taken as a first year or sophomore, and only one may count towards the major.  

• ENGL B250 Methods of Literary Study, (recommended to take in sophomore year, but must be taken before the senior year. Prerequisite: at least one 200-level course)
• ENGL B398 Senior Seminar (offered exclusively in the fall, on Mondays, 2:40-4pm)
• ENGL B399 Senior Essay (taken in the spring, with an individual adviser)

Summary of the Minor

Students must declare their minor by the end of their junior year.

• The minor requires a total of six courses.
• Five Literatures in English courses (at least one at the 300 level). 300-level courses must be taken at BMC or HC. Only one 100-level Literatures in English course may count towards the minor.
• ENGL B250 Methods of Literary Study (must be taken before the senior year.  Prerequisite: one or preferably two 200-level Literatures in English courses)

Writing Requirement

By the end of their junior year, Literatures in English majors must satisfy the College's Writing Intensive Requirement. ENGL 250 is the Department's WI course.

Concentration

A Concentration in Creative Writing will not be an option for the class of 2027 and thereafter.

Departmental Honors

Students who have done distinguished work in their courses in the major and who write outstanding senior essays will be considered for departmental honors.

Students Going Abroad

Students should complete both ENGL 250 and one 300-level course before leaving for a semester or year abroad. Students may petition the department to count up to two study abroad courses towards the major, but students should be advised that two courses are often counted as one, given differences in intensity of coursework abroad. Students must send their requests, and full syllabuses of the courses they took/will take, to the department chair.

Creative Writing Courses

One 200-level Creative Writing course can count towards the major or minor; it will count as a 200-level Literatures in English class even if it is listed at the 300 level.

Film Studies Courses & Minor in Film Studies

There is no limit to the number of courses in film studies that may count toward the Literatures in English major, except for a student majoring in Literatures in English who is also seeking to declare a minor in Film Studies. In that case two (and only two) of the courses that comprise the six-course Film Studies minor may also count towards the eleven-course Literatures in English major. The minimum number of courses required to complete a Literatures in English major and a minor in Film Studies is thus fifteen courses. All film classes at BMC and HC count towards the major, including those offered by the Department of History in Art.

Allied Courses

Students may petition the department to count one course from outside the department as an allied course toward the major. They must make an argument for why the course enhances their major.

Minors Allied with Literatures in English

The Department of Literatures in English contributes certain courses toward minors in Africana Studies, in Asian American Studies, in Comparative Literature, in Child and Family Studies, in Environmental Studies, in Film Studies, in Gender and Sexuality Studies, in Health Studies, in Latin American, Iberian, and Latina/o Studies, and in Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and North African Studies.

Literatures in English Majors and the Education Certification Program

Literatures in English majors planning to complete an education certification in their senior year should file a work plan with the chairs of the Education and Literatures in English Departments no later than December 1 of their junior year. Literatures in English majors on this path will follow an accelerated writing schedule in their senior year.

Extended Research

Some students seek a longer horizon and a chance to dig deeper into their research interests. Rising juniors and seniors in Literatures in English frequently apply for fellowship support from the Hanna Holborn Gray program, to pursue original research over the summer or through the year. The projects may be stand-alone or may lead to a senior essay. In either case, students work closely with faculty advisers to define the goals, methods, and potential outcomes of their research.