A. The English Major
The requirements for the major are flexible enough to permit students to concentrate in areas of their choice.
1. Requirements for the Major (for students entering Indiana
University in the Summer of 1998 and thereafter):
L202 - Literary Interpretation 3 hours
L371 - Critical Practices 3 hours
Historical-Distribution Requirement*
Beginnings Through the Sixteenth Century 3 hours
Sixteenth Through Eighteenth Centuries 3 hours
The Nineteenth Century 3 hours
1900 to the Present 3 hours
English Electives at or above the 200 level 12 hours
TOTAL 30 hours
*The Historical-Distribution Requirement is satisfied by taking at least one approved 300-level course in each historical period from the following list:
COURSES SATISFYING THE HISTORICAL-DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT
Beginnings Through the Sixteenth Century:
E301 - Literatures in English to 1600
L305 - Chaucer
L306 - Middle English Literature
L307 - Medieval and Tudor Drama
Sixteenth Through Eighteenth Centuries:
E302 - Literatures in English, 1600-1800
L308 - Elizabethan and Seventeenth-Century Drama
L309 - Elizabethan Poetry
L313 - Early Plays of Shakespeare
L314 - Late Plays of Shakespeare
L317 - English Poetry of the Early Seventeenth Century
L318 - Milton
L320 - Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Literature
L327 - Later Eighteenth-Century Literature
L328 - Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama
L347 - British Fiction to 1800
L350 - Early American Writing and Culture to 1800
The Nineteenth Century:
E303 - Literatures in English, 1800-1900
L332 - Romantic Literature
L335 - Victorian Literature
L348 - Nineteenth-Century British Fiction
L351 - American Literature 1800-1865
L352 - American Literature 1865-1914
L355 - American Fiction to 1900
L356 - American Poetry to 1900
1900 to the Present:
E304 - Literatures in English, 1900-Present
L345 - Twentieth-Century British Poetry
L346 - Twentieth-Century British Fiction
L354 - American Literature since 1914
L357 - Twentieth-Century American Poetry
L358 - American Literature 1914 - 1960
L359 - American Literature 1960- Present
L366 - Modern Drama: English, Irish, American, and Post-Colonial
L380 - Literary Modernism
L381 - Recent Writing
L383 - Studies in British and Commonwealth Culture (when subject
is Twentieth-Century)
English L202 must be taken before L371 and preferably before the courses satisfying the historical-distribution requirement The historical-distribute courses can be taken in any order; taking them in chronological sequence will enhance an understanding of the evolution of issues, genres, and symbols. ENG L202 and a number of 300-level literature courses are sound preparation for ENG L371.
Students may include in their credit hours satisfying the major one 300-level or higher course in ancient or modern literature in another language, in English or American history, or in some other closely related field. They should inquire of the departmental advisor about any such substitutions. Double majors whose other major is not already in a related field may petition to have 3 hours of their other major included as part of their English major, if the course is closely related.
Students who entered Indiana University prior to the summer of 1998 will be held to a different set of major requirements. For more information, contact the departmental advisor.
2. Elective Courses and the Honors Option:
Along with traditional studies in English and American literature the department is especially strong in its creative writing, culture, and theory offerings. The department prides itself on the variety of approaches it offers. In different courses, or even within the same course, faculty members may concern themselves and their students with a single author, or a single period of literary history, a specific genre or kind of literature, or a particular theme in literature. Some courses are designed to emphasize a particular approach – examining poems, novels, plays, or films by themselves or by setting them in historical context, or employing the insights of psychology, philosophy, sociology, or religion to illuminate the works.
In view of such diversity within the department, it is appropriate to define the backbone of the curriculum as training students in ways of thinking, talking, and writing about literature. Ideally, English majors should graduate having read a broad representative sampling of British and American literature and world literatures in English and having learned something about the history of those literatures and of their respective cultures. More importantly, majors should have learned to read and think for themselves in order to respond discriminatively and imaginatively not only to the books that they may read throughout a lifetime but also to other essential aspects of culture and society.
Majors may choose to include one 400-level seminar in their English program. These courses are limited to fifteen seniors and offer a wide range of approaches and topics from semester to semester. They afford the senior English major an opportunity to work closely with the instructor in learning and applying specific methodologies to the study of literature and culture.
Given the flexibility inherent in such a program, the student majoring in English must make a series of important decisions. These will depend on individual interests, abilities, and future plans. Students planning to obtain a provisional teaching certificate must take a number of additional requirements, to be found in the School of Education Bulletin. Those who plan to teach above the high-school level, or for other reasons contemplate graduate work in English, may wish to choose their courses covering several historical periods and providing training in a variety of critical approaches. Those planning to write creatively, enter industry, or pursue careers in law, medicine, or advertising, may wish to enroll in several courses in language, writing, and film. Students need not make these decisions until they are well advanced in their program; students who are undecided about which course to select often find it convenient to take some required courses first and defer the choice of electives until they are more experienced with English and American literature and with the nature of the department and its faculty. The undergraduate advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies can often make helpful suggestions in this area.
A departmental Honors Program is open to selected English majors. Primarily this program offers greater latitude for the student who can most profit from independent study. A seminar in the junior year and the writing of a thesis in the senior year are the principal features of this program. Further details about the Honors Program are listed in section V of this pamphlet.
B. The English Major with Concentration in Creative Writing
L202 - Literary Interpretation 3 hours
L371 - Critical Practices 3 hours
Historical-Distribution Requirement
Beginnings Through the Sixteenth Century 3 hours
Sixteenth Through Eighteenth Centuries 3 hours
The Nineteenth Century 3 hours
1900 to the Present 3 hours
12 hours, of which at least 6 must be at the 300-level or above, chosen from the following list. At least one course must be either W381 or W383.
W203 - Creative Writing
W301 - Writing Fiction
W303 - Writing Poetry
W311 - Writing Creative Nonfiction
W401 - Advanced Fiction Writing
W403 - Advanced Poetry Writing
W381 - The Craft of Fiction
W383 - The Craft of Poetry
COURSES SATISFYING HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT
Beginnings Through the Sixteenth Century:
E301 - Literatures in English to 1600
L305 - Chaucer
L306 - Middle English Literature
L307 - Medieval and Tudor Drama
Sixteenth Through Eighteenth Centuries:
E302 - Literatures in English, 1600-1800
L308 - Elizabethan Drama and Its Background
L309 - Elizabethan Poetry
L313 - Early Plays of Shakespeare
L314 - Late Plays of Shakespeare
L317 - English Poetry of the Early Seventeenth Century
L318 - Milton
L320 - Restoration and Early Eighteenth- Century Literature
L327 - Later Eighteenth-Century Literature
L328 - Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama
L347 - British Fiction to 1800
L350 - Early American Writing and Culture to 1800
The Nineteenth Century:
E303 - Literatures in English, 1800-1900
L332 - Romantic Literature
L335 - Victorian Literature
L348 - Nineteenth-Century British Fiction
L351 - American Literature 1800-1865
L352 - American Literature 1865-1914
L355 - American Fiction to 1900
L356 - American Poetry to 1900
1900 to the Present:
E304 - Literatures in English, 1900-Present
L345 - Twentieth-Century British Poetry
L346 - Twentieth-Century British Fiction
L354 - American Literature since 1914
L357 - Twentieth-Century American Poetry
L358 - American Literature, 1914-1960
L359 - American Literature, 1960-present
L366 - Modern Drama: English, Irish, American, and Post-Colonial
L380 - Literary Modernism
L381 - Recent Writing
L383 - Studies in British and Commonwealth Culture (when subject is 20th Century)
C. The English Minor
The requirements for the minor (for students entering Indiana University in the Summer 1998 and thereafter) are:
1. L202 (Literary Interpretation)
2. Departmentally approved courses representing two of the periods in the
historical-distribution requirement defined for the English Major. (See the list of these courses in the description of the Major, pages 3and 4.)
3. 200- to 400-level electives, at least one of them at the 300-level or above, for a total of 15 hours.
At least nine hours of these courses must be taken in residence on the Bloomington campus. The minor may be declared in the English Undergraduate Office, Ballantine 442, 855-9532. Departmental approval can be arranged by the Undergraduate Secretary. Students whose major department requires a minor should consult with their advisor about additional or other requirements.
D. English Minor in Creative Writing
The requirements for the minor in creative writing are:
1. 12 credit hours selected from L202, W203, W301, W303, W311, W401, W403. 2. W381 or W383.
A minimum of 6 credit hours must be taken at the 300-400 level. At least 9 credit hours of the minor must be taken on the Bloomington campus.
A student may complete both the English minor and the minor in creative writing as long as different courses are chosen to complete each minor. Students majoring in English are not eligible for the creative writing minor.
E. Courses Leading to a Graduate Degree in English at Indiana University
Students considering graduate study in English at Indiana University may be able to take graduate courses during the final semester of their senior year. These courses could be designated to count toward a graduate degree when the student is officially admitted to the graduate program. Students interested in this option should consult with the Undergraduate Advisor or Director of Undergraduate Studies.
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