All of the majors, major concentrations, and minors offered by the Department of English are listed below. The department's academic advisors can help you plan your coursework in any of these areas.
English and Teaching of English majors who matriculated prior to Fall 2019 have a choice between the current English major and the version in effect when they began their course of study.
The English concentration provides a broad base of instruction in literature in English across a range of historical periods and forms. Students in this concentration will study the methods and critical concepts of literary and cultural study, intensify their language and analytical skills, and learn more about the historical development of literature in British, American, and global Anglophone contexts from the medieval period to the present day.
The Topics in English concentration enables students to pursue intensive study in a focused area of inquiry, culminating in a senior capstone project. Based on faculty-wide research strengths, the Topics in English clusters include: 1. Literature & Science (technology, medicine, neuroscience, and the environmental humanities), 2. Media Cultures (manuscript and print culture, visual culture, new media, and performance studies), and 3. Race, Indigeneity, Gender, & Sexuality (RIGS).
The English Teaching concentration leads to a professional educator license to teach in Secondary School. Coursework in this concentration is largely similar to that required in the English Concentration, and it is based on that concentration’s formal and historical goals. Students working toward earning a teaching license are guided toward additional coursework focused on language and composition.