English Major Planning Forms

English Major Requirements Worksheet

General Education Requirements Worksheet

English Major Concentration

English Major Concentration Form

What is a Concentration?

  • A selection of courses linked by a theme, approach, genre, or period (see list on reverse);
  • At least three courses; at least 10 credits.
  • At least two of the courses must be upper-level;
  • One course may be from outside the department; consider the possibility of linking your concentration through this course to another major or a minor.

How to Register your Concentration

  • Student develops the theme of the concentration and selects the courses  in consultation with the adviser.  Begin thinking about this from early in the major.
  • Student drafts a concentration rationale and reviews it with the adviser.  When the adviser approves the rationale and course selection, she/he signs the concentration form.
  • The student then submits it to Kate Eggleston, the Administrative Assistant in Sitterly 108.

Potential concentrations could come from the following categories:

  • A genre (three courses focusing on a specific literary genre such as narrative, poetry or drama);
  • A period (three courses focusing on a particular period, such as Medieval, Renaissance, the Long 18th century, 19th century, Modernism or Contemporary);
  • Literary theory (three courses focusing on in-depth reading in theory or application of theory);
  • Postcolonial and Anglophone literature (three courses focusing on literatures in relation to competing notions of colonialism, nationalism, and postcolonial cultures);
  • Race and ethnicity (three courses focusing on literatures and/or theory that interrogates and/or reinforces concepts of race and ethnicity).
  • A particular racial/ethnic literary tradition [such as African American, Asian American, or Latino/a];
  • Women’s gender, and sexuality studies, (three courses focusing on the study of literatures that articulate and contest notions of gender and sexuality. Students may develop an historical focus);
  • Language and rhetoric/writing studies (Focus on the history of the language/rhetoric, linguistics, literacy studies, writing center  theory, or philosophy of language);
  • Interdisciplinary  (Possible topics include Inter-arts, Environmental Studies, Religion and Literature, Philosophy and Literature, History and Literature)

On-Campus Activities for Majors and Minors