The Major Course of
Study
The English major at Wesleyan consists of ten full-credit
courses at the 200-level or higher, or the equivalent if half-credit courses are
counted. All but three of these credits, and all courses taken to meet the
literary history, literatures of difference, and theory requirements, must be
taken at Wesleyan or in the Department’s Sussex Program. The student’s major
program must include the following:
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Required Courses
Each of the following requirements must be fulfilled by taking a full-credit
course designated by the Department as meeting the requirement. Single courses
designated as fulfilling more than one requirement may be used to fulfill more
than one requirement. Courses fulfilling requirements must be taken for a
letter grade.
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English 201, in the sophomore year.
A grade of B- or higher is required for admission to the major. Students
currently enrolled in 201 will be admitted provisionally, pending receipt
of their final grade in the course. Students who have not taken and are not
taking 201 will ordinarily not be admitted.
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Literary History I
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Literary History II
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Literatures of Difference
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Theory
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Field of Concentration
In the spring of the sophomore year, students choose a concentration
to focus their coursework in the major. Each of the concentrations offers a
pathway through the major, from introductory to intermediate and advanced
courses, and provides students with both breadth and depth of knowledge in the
field as well as expertise in reading, analysis, and writing in various
formats.
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American Literature
This concentration focuses on the history of the literature written in the
United States and colonial America and is particularly concerned with the
relation between literary expression and nationality. Like other subfields
of English, the study of American literature at Wesleyan makes use of
textual analysis and the study of literary forms, but it places special
emphasis on the connections among literature and cultural and political
history. Among other subjects, our courses focus on the role of literature
in the formation and critique of American nationality and on its
participation in transnational contexts that may challenge national
identity. In addition, the concentration stresses the value of seeing
distinct works, authors, or movements in the larger context of the history
of literary expression in the U.S. The concentration requires four courses,
including either English 203 or English 204 and at least one 300-level
course. Normally, students will take 203 or 204 in the sophomore or junior
year. At least one of the four courses must focus on literature written
before the Civil War, and at least one must focus on the significance of
race and ethnicity.
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British Literature
The British Literature concentration treats British culture and society
through the lens of literature from its beginnings to the present day. Many
of the courses in the concentration deal with specific historical periods
and themes; others focus on individual writers or genres, topics in cultural
studies, methods, and literary and cultural theories germane to the study of
British literature. Students are required to take at least two 200-level
courses and at least one 300-level course. Students are encouraged to take,
ordinarily in the freshman, sophomore, or junior year, on e of the
introductory courses in British literature: ENGL 206, Late Renaissance to
Enlightenment; ENGL 208, Enlightenment to Modernism; or ENGL 238,
Renaissance Literature.
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Race and Ethnicity
This concentration is organized around courses devoted to studying the
representation of race and ethnicity. The Race and Ethnicity concentration
is topical and also encompasses courses that cover national literatures
(American, British), literary traditions within nations (African American,
U.S. Ethnic), and transnational and postcolonial literatures. In addition,
some courses within the concentration are devoted to particular genres,
focused on specific historical periods, and concerned with literary and
cultural theories. The concentration requires students to take at least two
200-level courses, which might include a survey such as ENGL 240.
Introduction to African American Literature; ENGL 243, Asian American
Literature and Its Discontents; ENGL 275, Postcolonial Literature; and ENGL
279, Introduction to Latina/o Literature and Culture, as well as one
300-level course, which might be a junior or senior seminar or a special
topics course such as ENGL 331, Topics in African American Literature:
Charles Chesnutt and Pauline Hopkins, or a theory course.
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Theory and Literary Forms
The Theory and Literary Forms concentration includes two overlapping groups
of courses. The first group consists of courses that take literary theory
as their subject matter, treating theory as a central topic within literary
studies. The second group includes courses that examine particular literary
forms, usually poetry, drama, nonfiction, or fiction. Additionally, most
creative writing courses fall under this heading.
Students may organize their course of study by concentrating on literary
theory; particular literary forms, examined through theoretical, critical,
and creative writing courses; the history of a particular form over time; or
the idea of genre and/or form itself. It should be noted that declaration
of a Theory and Literary Forms concentration does not guarantee admission to
creative writing courses. Students are expected to take at least two
200-level courses and at least one 300-level course.
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Creative Writing
Concentration
The Creative Writing Concentration is
a competitive program within the English major that is geared toward
students who wish to pursue an intensive specialization in creative writing
in the context of advanced literary study. The Creative Writing
Concentration supports a rigorous study of contemporary writing practices
and their roots, influences, and precursors. Students learn that writing is
a practice that involves an ongoing negotiation of the tensions between
creativity and discipline, experimentation and structure, critical analysis
and textual production. Admission to the concentration is not guaranteed.
Students wishing to pursue a specialization in Creative Writing should
initially declare a concentration in Theory and Literary Forms. In addition
to meeting the core requirements for the English major, students are
expected to complete four courses within the concentration: at least two
courses from the writing sequence (described below), one of which is an
upper-level workshop; one capstone course; and a literature course focusing
on a particular genre. Majors may apply to the Creative Writing
Concentration after completing an intermediate or advanced workshop and
receiving a grade of B+ or higher.
At the core of the Creative
Writing Concentration is the following sequence of highly-focused,
seminar-style workshops in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction:
The intermediate and advanced
workshops are enrolled by permission of instructor through an application
process explained on the course pages in WesMaps. Additional "Special
Topics" courses at the introductory and advanced levels are offered
regularly in each genre as well.
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Elective Courses
Elective courses chosen from the Department’s offerings at the 200 level and
higher should be selected to develop, define, or supplement the student’s
program of study in the major, or specifically to add to a concentration.
Electives may supplement literary texts with historical, cultural, or
theoretical contexts, or complement a field of study by comparing or contrasting
it with related schools of literature, philosophy, and so on. Electives are
thus an opportunity to extend the focus within the major in directions that may
not be immediately obvious but will enrich the student’s understanding of
literature.
A related course from another department may be counted toward the major.
Prior approval from the student’s major advisor is ordinarily required.
Click Here For:
Preliminary List of Courses Meeting
Requirements for 2010-2011
Other Course Information
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Creative Writing Courses
Creative Writing courses numbered 149 to 179 may be counted toward the
major. Ordinarily, two writing courses may be counted toward the major; however,
three writing courses may be counted if one is an advanced workshop course.
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