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:

• 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.
  • 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.
     
  • Literary History I/pre-1800
     
  • Literary History II/pre-1800
     
  • Literatures of Difference (beginning with the class of 2010)
     
  • Theory
     

• Field of Concentration (click here to view the Concentrations)
  Students in the class of 2010 are encouraged to select a concentration when they declare the English major.  Beginning with the class of 2011, a concentration will be required.
  
  A concentration consists of four courses, including at least two courses at the 200 level and one at the 300 level.  Courses fulfilling major requirements may also be used to fulfill the concentration.

• 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.
   

• Creative Writing Courses
  Students may enroll in no more than one writing class per semester (not including tutorials).  Ordinarily, two writing courses may be counted toward the major; however, three writing courses may be counted if one is an advanced workshop course.
   

• ENGL 491 and 492: Ford Seminars and Teaching Apprentice Tutorials.  When they designate Ford Seminars for writing tutors, these courses may be counted for the major only if the actual tutoring is associated with an upper-level English course that the tutor has not taken. When they designate Teaching Apprentice tutorials associated with English courses, they may be counted whether or not the teaching apprentice has taken the course.
   

• Student forum classes do not count toward the major.
   

• Senior thesis tutorials do not count toward the major.
   

• Individual and group tutorials may not be used to fulfill the literary history, literatures of difference, and theory requirements.  They may be counted toward the concentration.
   

• AP Credit.  Students who scored 4 or 5 on the AP in English Literature or English Composition or both, or 5, 6, or 7 on the English A1 or AS IB exam, will automatically receive a total of one credit.  The same credit is awarded for taking one exam as for taking more than one.  This credit counts toward graduation but not toward General Education expectations or the English major.
   

• Oversubscription:
  Students can count toward the total of 32 course credits required for the B.A. no more than 14 course credits in any one department (15 with a senior project and 16 with a two-credit senior thesis).  Among the 14 course credits in any one department (15 or 16 with project or thesis) that can be counted toward the degree requirements, no more than 12 course credits numbered 201 or higher (13 or 14 with project or thesis) can be included, and no more than four course credits numbered from 101 to 200.  If a given course appears in more than one departmental listing, i.e., is cross-listed, it must be counted in the major department if it appears there.