This section is meant to help you design a coherent program of your own within the field of English. It offers some general considerations to take into account in choosing your courses, and it gives specific examples of different kinds of programs an English major may wish to follow.
First, it is an excellent idea to take the required courses especially L202 and the courses meeting the historical-distribution requirement as soon as possible. L202 (the prerequisite for L371) develops analytic and writing skills that will be useful in all your advanced literature courses. L371 continues that development, and places critical practice in its intellectual and historical contexts, though you may wisely defer taking it until you have had several literature courses. The literary history courses introduce you to the diversity of literatures in the English languages; they may lead to the discovery of writers, of cultural questions, and of other topics you may want to investigate in greater depth.
Understanding how the present curriculum came into being helps to explain the variety of options available to you, that is, why you have this particular list of courses to choose from. Traditionally, English literature has been divided into a number of historical periods, and the numbering of the L300 courses reflects a chronological sequence from L305 (Chaucer) to L348 (19th-Century British Fiction). All these courses, as many titles indicate, fit into some period of literary history, though they need not be taught from an historical point of view. The L350-L363 courses comprise American literature, starting with four survey courses, again arranged in chronological order.
There are other ways of organizing a curriculum or a program. The Department offers sequences or groups of courses in creative writing, literary criticism, and English language. Another set of courses is given to the study of different genres and different kinds of writing: introductions to poetry, fiction, drama, and non-fictional prose; science fiction; literature for children and young adults. Yet another group of courses examines the relationships between literature and culture for example, women and literature, popular literature and culture, Ethnic American literature, American Jewish writers, African American literature and culture, Native American literature, and special topics in British, American, and British Commonwealth literature and culture.
One traditional and valuable way to complete an undergraduate major in English is to select a variety of courses from different groups. Such a program might contain courses in major writers, different periods of English and American literature, creative writing, a genre course, a course in one of the topics in literature and culture, and one of the interdisciplinary and theory courses. The important thing is to achieve a coherent course of study, one that develops a critical appreciation of aesthetic choices and consequences, an informed approach to the politics of cultural productions, and an overall sense of the historical perspective that readings in early and recent literatures can afford each other.
Within this larger framework, students may wish to work out a program designed to follow up some special interest. The possibilities for concentration within the English major are as varied as the interests of the students and the faculty. A few examples of more specialized programs are offered below. These sample programs are merely suggestions and guides, not prescriptions. The purpose is to show you different ways of planning a program to fit your own interests. You certainly should not try to map out a three-year program at the beginning of your sophomore year, and you are free to change your plans at any time as your interests change. Nor should you hesitate to elect any course that doesn't seem directly related to your program. These sample programs are in no way meant to limit your choices; they illustrate only a few of the many ways several courses might be combined. Any member of the faculty but especially your instructor in L202 and the Director of Undergraduate Studies will be glad to talk to you about your plans, when you first start thinking about your program and as your plans develop and change during your undergraduate study.
A. History of English Literature
Students may select from the following courses offered by the English Department: major author courses (Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton), courses from several different periods, a genre course.
Students might also elect one or more courses in British history, the literature and culture of other languages that have influenced or been influenced by British literature, and in comparative literature.
B. Medieval and Renaissance Literature
Students may select from the following courses offered by the English Department: Chaucer (L305), Middle English Literature (L306), Medieval and Tudor Drama (L307), Elizabethan and Seventeenth-Century Drama (L308), Elizabethan Poetry (L309), Shakespeare (L220, L313, L314), English Poetry of the Early Seventeenth-Century (L317), Milton (L318).
Students might also elect one or more of the following courses from other departments: Comparative Literature (Medieval Literature, The Renaissance, Traditions of Christian Literature); Fine Arts (Survey of Medieval Art, Early Medieval Art, Romanesque and Gothic Art); French and Italian (Dante and His Times, Renaissance Florence); History (Medieval Civilization, Women in Medieval Society, The Reformation, The Renaissance); History and Philosophy of Science (Survey of Science up to 1800); Medieval Studies (Studies in Medieval Culture); Philosophy (Medieval Philosophy).
C. From Classicism to Romanticism
Students may select from the following courses offered by the English Department: Milton (L318), Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature (L320 and L327), Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama (L328), Romantic Literature (L332), British Fiction to 1800 (L347), Early American Writing and Culture to 1800 (L350), American Literature 1800-1865 (L351), Victorian Literature (L335), American Poetry to 1900 (L356).
Students might also elect one or more of the following courses from other departments: Comparative Literature (The Eighteenth Century, Romanticism); Fine Arts (19th-century European Art, American Art to 1913, 19th-century Painting); Philosophy (Modern Philosophy: Descartes through Kant); courses in 18th- and 19th-century literature in translation in the Department of French and Italian, Germanic Studies, Spanish and Portuguese, and Slavic Languages and Literatures; and courses in 18th-century British and European history and 19th-century British, European, and American history in the Department of History.
D. Victorian and Modernist Literature
Students may select from the following courses offered by the English Department: Romantic or Victorian literature (L332, L335), Nineteenth-Century British Fiction (L348), American Literature 1865-1914 (L352), Twentieth-Century British poetry or fiction (L345, L346), Twentieth-Century American poetry or fiction (L357, L358), Literary Modernism (L380), British and American Film Studies (L395).
Students might also elect one or more of the following courses from other departments: Comparative Literature (The 20th Century: Tradition and Change, Modern Literature and the Other Arts); Philosophy (Phenomenology and Existentialism, 19th Century Philosophy); and courses in late 19th- and 20th-century literature in translation offered in the departments of French and Italian, Germanic Studies, Spanish and Portuguese, and Slavic Languages and Literatures; courses in 20th-century European and American history in the Department of History.
E. American Literature
Students may select from among those English Department courses which include the major writings in all genres within a distinct literary period (L350, L351, L352, L354), from among those which concentrate on the development of a single genre (L355, American Fiction to 1900, and L358, Twentieth-Century American Fiction; L356, American Poetry to 1900, and L357, Twentieth-Century American Poetry; L360, American Prose; L363, American Drama), or from among those which include the major writings of a distinct ethnic or cultural group (L374, Ethnic American Literature; L364, Native American Literature; L241, American Jewish Writers; L375, Studies in Jewish Literature; L396, Studies in African American Literature and Culture). The English Department also offers a variety of 300-level courses which are organized according to topic and in any given semester may concentrate on American materials (e.g., L369, Studies in British and American Authors, which usually focuses on one or two writers).
It is also recommended that students interested in American literature take one or more courses in related departments, especially American Studies, History, Afro-American Studies, Folklore, and Fine Arts. Each of those departments offers a wide range of courses pertinent to the student of American literature and culture. Of particular interest might be the History Department's offerings on Twentieth Century American Intellectual History and Modern American Social and Intellectual History, as well as the period courses of American history. Similarly, African American and African Diaspora Studies offers courses in Afro-American literature, history, art, and music. Fine Arts offers courses on American art and architecture. The Folklore Department offers courses in North American Folklore, Jewish Folklore, African-American Folklore, and Chicano Folklore, all of which would be relevant to the study of American literature.
F. Creative Writing
No one really knows what constitutes the best education or the ideal life experience for a writer. History tells us that a variety of backgrounds lies behind good writing. Shakespeare had minimal schooling; Milton was a university graduate; Byron was a member of the nobility; D.H. Lawrence was the son of a coal miner. And so on.
All writers educate themselves, if only by reading books and looking closely at life around them. We don't think it inappropriate, therefore, to suggest a course of study that might help a person develop his or her ability to write creatively. Though what we are here proposing is a version of the English major, it is obviously not necessary to be an English major to write well. Individuals might, with good cause, want to alter or supplement this program. So what follows is a suggested course of study only, with, as you will see, considerable choice already built into it. The thing we suggest most strongly is that the writing workshops themselves be taken in sequence, first W203, then W301 or W303, then W401 or W403. And we think you should take one of the two overview courses, W381, The Craft of Fiction, or W383, The Craft of Poetry. You can acquire familiarity with the business of writing in W280, Literary Editing and Publishing.
The creative writer should take at least one course in a genre, either fiction or poetry, depending upon the writer's interest. Possible courses on fiction include L204, L346, L347, L348, L355, and L358. A course on the Black Novel is offered in African American and African Diaspora Studies. Comparative Literature offers several courses on fiction, including Narrative, The Lyric Poem, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and the Western Tradition, and Detective, Mystery, and Horror Literature. English Department courses on poetry as a genre include L205, L345, L356, and L357. Folklore offers a variety of courses in ethnic and regional folklore. Theatre and Drama teaches play writing and screen writing.
The creative writer is also well advised to study modern or contemporary literature, to gain a better sense of current voices and modes in writing. Relevant courses in English include L230, L345, L346, L357, L358, L380, and L381. Courses on contemporary Black American writing are offered in African American and African Diaspora Studies, on contemporary Chicano and Puerto Rican Literature in Spanish and Portuguese.
The study of creative writing will be enriched if you also study the history, theory or practice of another art, such as painting or music, dance or film. The choice of art forms, of course, is very wide. Certain departments come naturally to mind, like Music, Fine Arts, Telecommunications, Theatre and Drama, Film Studies, but bear in mind that Anthropology, Afro-American Studies, Comparative Literature, Classical Studies, and Folklore all have courses in the non-literary arts. You will also do well to attend and perhaps take workshops during the annual summer IU Writers' Conference.
Aside from suggesting courses or kinds of courses, the Creative Writing Committee also advises that they be taken, if possible, in roughly the following order: in the sophomore year, L202, two historical-distribution courses, W203; in the junior year, the remaining historical-distribution courses, W301 or W303, the course in genre; in the senior year, W381 or W383, W401 or W403, the course in another art. While several of these course are repeatable with a different instructor, students may not take two classes in W301, W303, W311, W401 or W403 concurrently. Members of the Creative Writing Committee who can be identified by noting, in the Schedule of Classes, the names of those teachers who conduct creative writing courses are always very willing to advise students on the design of a program of study.
G. Women and Literature
Students may select from Women and Literature (L207), Representations of Gender and Sexuality (L249), Studies in Women and Literature (L378), and Feminist Literature and Cultural Criticism (L389), as well as frequent senior seminars and other topics courses (such as L381) with a women-and-literature theme.
Students might also elect the introductory courses and the senior seminar from the Gender Studies Program, as well as related courses from other departments. The Gender Studies Program publishes a list of pertinent courses each semester. For information about the new Gender Studies major or optional minor in Gender Studies, contact the Gender Studies Office, Memorial Hall East 130, phone 855-0101.
H. Drama
Some students may wish to organize an English major around an interest in drama and dramatic literature. For such a major, the general framework of English literature provided by historical survey courses would be extremely useful for placing the drama within an historical context and within the context of the other literature of a given period. The Introduction to Drama (L203), and the Introduction to Shakespeare (L220) are courses that would, respectively, provide training in the special ways one reads dramatic literature and a solid background in the work of the most eminent and influential of all playwrights, Shakespeare. The courses on Shakespeare's Early (L313) and Late (L314) Plays could serve to develop the work done in L220, or, in the case of a student with a strong Shakespearean background, serve as a substitute for L220. A student might then select from among the other English Department courses stressing drama: Medieval and Tudor Drama (L307), Elizabethan and Seventeenth-Century Drama (L308), Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama (L328), American Drama (L363), Modern Drama: Continental (L365), and Modern Drama: English, Irish, American, and Post-Colonial (L366).
Students with an interest in drama might wish to elect courses in theatre technology, theatre arts, or theatre history offered by the Department of Theatre and Drama. Students should note as well offerings by other departments: African American and African Diaspora Studies (two courses on Blacks in American Drama and Theatre, and Seminar in Black Theatre), Anthropology (The Arts in Anthropology), Classical Studies (courses on Greek and Roman literature in translation), Comparative Literature (Drama, Literary and Television Genres), East Asian Languages and Culture (History of Japanese Theatre and Drama), Telecommunications (Scriptwriting). In addition students should check the varying course offerings of literature in translation offered by foreign language departments. Often these will include or stress dramatic literature. For students with proficiency in a foreign language especially French, German, Russian, Latin, Greek, Italian, and Spanish Indiana University offers a variety of drama courses in which the works are read in the original language. Students with an interest in drama may well wish to supplement their literature courses with courses listed under Film Studies, Business (for graduate work in Arts Administration), or Journalism (for graduate work in reporting on the arts). For qualified students, courses on opera offered by the School of Music may be of interest.
Students working toward secondary school teaching certification who wish to teach English and qualify to coach high school drama might well major in English with an
emphasis on dramatic literature and elect additional pertinent Theatre and Drama courses. And of course they should view as many theater and opera productions as possible.
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