The English department offers two undergraduate major concentrations culminating in a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English: the literature and cultural studies track and the creative writing track. Students concentrating in literature and cultural studies gain a breadth of cultural history, hone their analytical skills and can choose four electives in English based on their interests. Students concentrating in creative writing take a sequence of workshops in progressive order. In the foundational requirements for both, these programs overlap so that all English majors learn the skills of literary criticism and the art of excellent writing.
Honors Program
Students interested in writing a senior thesis in order to earn Latin Honors should confer with the associate chair for undergraduate studies early on in their studies, but no later than the beginning of the spring term in their junior year. As students progress through their coursework, those interested in writing a thesis should make sure to take courses with full-time instructors before and during their junior year so that they can ask a faculty member to advise their senior thesis.
Requirements
General Requirements
The English department offers two undergraduate major tracks culminating in the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English. Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and one of the two tracks listed on the Program Tracks tab.
A minimum of 12 credit hours of upper-division coursework for the English major must be completed on the Boulder campus. English courses taken at other colleges must be evaluated by the Department of English. Courses taken in other departments (except approved cross-listed courses) normally do not count toward the English major. English courses taken on a pass/fail basis do not fulfill major requirements. Independent study credit hours cannot fulfill a major requirement unless that requirement is not being offered or available within the year that the student graduates.
Students must have a grade point average of at least 2.000 in the major in order to graduate.
Graduating in Four Years
Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information. The concept of "adequate progress" as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in English, students should meet the following requirements:
- Ideally by the beginning of the second semester, declare the English major and begin coursework in the major.
- By the end of the fourth semester, successfully complete one-third of the credit hour requirements for the major. For literature track majors, this includes ENGL 2102, an English elective and any 2000-level course for the major. For creative writing track majors, this includes ENGL 2102, ENGL 1191, and ENGL 2021 or ENGL 2051, as well as formal declaration of the creative writing track.
- By the end of the sixth semester, successfully complete two-thirds of the credit hour requirements for the major, including ENGL 2112.
- By the end of the eighth semester, successfully complete the remaining major requirements, including ENGL 4039.
Program Tracks
Literature and Cultural Studies Track
Students must complete the major requirements in effect at the time they formally declare the major. A minimum of 36 credit hours must be earned in the Department of English, 18 of which must be upper division. Requirements may be fulfilled by taking specific courses designated by the Department of English. All English classes must be completed with a C- or better. A maximum of 45 ENGL credit hours can be applied to the 120 total credits that are required to graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 2102 | Literary Analysis | 3 |
| ENGL 2017 | World Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 2112 | Introduction to Literary Theory | 3 |
| One course from each of the following requirements: | 12 | |
Medieval and Early Modern Period | ||
18th- or 19th-Century Literature | ||
Studies in Ethnicity, Race, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
Form, Genre, or Poetics | ||
| ENGL 4039 | Capstone in Literary Studies | 3 |
| Four required elective courses in English | 12 | |
| Optional Electives | ||
| In addition to the 36 credit hours required for the major, another 9 credit hours may be taken, for a maximum of 45 credit hours in English | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 36 | |
Creative Writing Track
Students are subject to those major requirements in effect at the time they formally declare the major. A minimum of 36 credit hours must be earned in the Department of English, 18 of which must be upper division.
Students declare the creative writing track when declaring their English major with the help of an academic advisor. Students should declare no later than the second semester of their junior year. In order to take workshops beyond the 2000 level, students must declare the creative writing track or the creative writing minor. Each workshop may be taken three times for credit, except for ENGL 1191.
All students completing the creative writing track must take and complete a 4000-level writing workshop. Students may not take two poetry or two fiction workshops in the department in the same semester.
Students must satisfy all required creative writing workshop prerequisites in sequence, with a grade of B or better, before moving on to the workshop at the next level.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 2102 | Literary Analysis | 3 |
| ENGL 2112 | Introduction to Literary Theory | 3 |
| One course from the following requirements: | 9 | |
Medieval and Early Modern Period | ||
18th and 19th -Century Literature | ||
Studies in Ethnicity, Race, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| ENGL 4039 | Capstone in Literary Studies | 3 |
| Six creative writing workshops taken in progressive order, three of which must be upper division, including one at the 4000-level 1 | 18 | |
| Optional Electives | ||
| In addition to the 36 credit hours required for the major, another 9 credit hours may be taken, for a maximum of 45 credit hours in English | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 36 | |
| 1 | The sequence of creative writing workshops must begin with ENGL 1191 and proceed according to genre through the 2000-level, 3000-level and 4000-level workshops. For example, the required prerequisites for ENGL 4021 are ENGL 1191, ENGL 2021 and ENGL 3021; and the required prerequisites for ENGL 4051 are ENGL 1191, ENGL 2051 and ENGL 3051. |
Recommended Four-Year Plans of Study
Literature Track
Please speak with your advisor for specific recommendations; the following is intended to be a general outline only and there may be flexibility to this plan.
Through the required coursework for the major, students will fulfill all 12 credits of the Arts & Humanities area of the Gen Ed Distribution Requirement, and potentially one or both categories of the Gen Ed Diversity Requirement.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 2102 | Literary Analysis | 3 |
| ENGL Required Elective | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Social Sciences/Global Perspective) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Lower-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 2017 World Literature | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: QRMS) | 3-5 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15-17 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ENGL 2112 | Introduction to Literary Theory | 3 |
| ENGL Requirement (example: Medieval and Early Modern Period) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences with Lab) | 4 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL Requirement (example: 18th- or 19th-Century Literature) | 3 | |
| ENGL Requirement (example: Studies in Ethnicity, Race, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ENGL Requirement (example: Form, Genre, or Poetics) | 3 | |
| ENGL Required Elective | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Social Sciences/US Perspective) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Upper-Division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL Required Elective | 3 | |
| ENGL Required Elective | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ENGL 4039 | Capstone in Literary Studies | 3 |
| ENGL Optional Elective (consider ENGL 4000-level, internship, honors, etc.) 1 | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL Optional Elective (consider ENGL 4000-level, internship, honors, etc.) 1 | 3 | |
| ENGL Optional Elective (consider ENGL 4000-level, internship, honors, etc.) 1 | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 121-123 | |
| 1 | Students following the literature track of the English major can take up to three optional ENGL electives, with a maximum of 45 total hours in ENGL coursework allowed. |
Creative Writing Track
Please speak with your advisor for specific recommendations; the following is intended to be a general outline only and there may be flexibility to this plan.
Through the required coursework for the major, students will fulfill all 12 credits of the Arts & Humanities area of the Gen Ed Distribution Requirement, and potentially one or both categories of the Gen Ed Diversity Requirement.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 2102 | Literary Analysis | 3 |
| ENGL 1191 | Introduction to Creative Writing | 3 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Social Sciences/US Perspective) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Lower-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 2000-level Creative Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| ENGL Optional Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: QRMS) | 3-5 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15-17 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ENGL 2112 | Introduction to Literary Theory | 3 |
| ENGL 2000-level Creative Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences with Lab) | 4 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL Requirement (example: Medieval and Early Modern Period) | 3 | |
| ENGL Upper-Division Creative Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ENGL Requirement (example: 18th or 19th-Centure Literature) | 3 | |
| ENGL Requirement (Studies in Ethnicity, Race, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 4 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Upper-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL Upper-Division Creative Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Social Sciences/Global Perspective) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 3 | |
| ENGL Optional Elective (example: upper-division ENGL classes, internship) | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ENGL 4000-level Creative Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| ENGL Optional Elective (example: upper-division ENGL classes, internship, honors) | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 4039 | Capstone in Literary Studies | 3 |
| ENGL Optional Elective (example: another 4000-level Creative Writing Workshop, internship, honors, etc.) 1 | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 122-124 | |
| 1 | Students following the creative writing track of the English major can take up to three optional ENGL electives, with a maximum of 45 total hours in ENGL coursework allowed. |
Learning Outcomes
Students completing the literature track are expected to acquire the ability and skills to:
- Analyze literary and cultural forms and genres critically through close reading;
- Explain how literature reflects and contributes to the historical and political contexts of its production;
- Develop an argument about literature or cultural production based on in-depth research and synthesis of evidence;
- Understand how race, gender, class and sexuality inform different literary forms and traditions.
Students completing creative writing track are expected to acquire the ability and skills to:
- Understand and utilize the techniques of poetry, including but not limited to metaphor, symbolism, prosody, voice, allegory, tone, form and structure.
- Understand and utilize the techniques of prose, including but not limited to point of view, plot development, character development, genre, setting, tone, style, structure and voice.