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Minors

The department offers both a minor in literature and a minor in writing; both offer experience in reading literary texts and writing critical analysis. Students pursuing either minor will permitted to pre-register in the department after declared English majors do so.

Minor in Literature (7 units)

The pre-requisite courses for the minor are the same as those for the major. Students must complete one quarter of either English 210 or English 270, and be enrolled in English 298 before being allowed to declare the major.

After that, four 300-level courses are required, two of which must deal with literature written pre-1798 and two with literature written post-1798. One of these four courses may be in comparative literary studies. In addition the other quarter of English 210 or 270 must be taken (so if you've taken Eng 210-1, you must take 210-2).

Declaring an English Literature Minor

You may declare the English Minor after you have begun English 298. At that time, you'll need to fill out a Declaration of Minor form (available in the Department Office, UH 215) and take it to the Director of Undergraduate Studies for approval. You can find out who the current director is either through the About Us page here on this website, or by asking at the Department Office. Once your Declaration form has been signed, you'll return part of it to the Department Office (you'll be added to the English listserv at this time), and will then take the remainder to the Office of Studies at 1922 Sheridan Road.

Minor in Writing (7 units)

The gateway courses are the same as those for the major, consisting of English 206 (Reading and Writing Poetry) followed by English 207 (Reading and Writing Fiction) or English 208 (Reading and Writing Creative Nonfiction).

After that, two 300-level English courses are required, one covering pre-1798 material, the other post-1798. Additionally, the student must take one "Theory and Practice" sequence: either English 393-1 and 2 (Poetry); or English 394 1 and 2 (Fiction), or English 395 1 and 2 (Creative Nonfiction). The first semesters of the sequences concentrate on the principles of the genre, the second on original work.

Note: Admission to the "Theory-and-Practice" sequences is competitive, for both Writing Majors and non-Writing Majors.

Declaring an English Writing Minor

Declaring an English Minor in Writing involves going through the same application process required for the English Major in Writing. Students may submit an application (downloadable here) for admission to the Writing Major through the English Office, University Hall 215, in the early spring of each year. The deadline for application is usually around the beginning of May. To submit an application, the student must at least be currently enrolled in English 206, and will preferably have already completed both 206 and 207 or 208.