The Bachelor of Arts in English

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Major Academic Plans page or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Upper-Division Writing Requirement:

Writing Across the Curriculum (Executive Memorandum 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog for more details on the four courses.  The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.

• Any upper-division Writing (W) course.

The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (Executive Order 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Course Requirements for the Major: 41-45 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree. Additional required courses, depending upon the selected option are outlined following the major core program requirements.

Major Core Program: 23 units

6 courses required:

1 course selected from:

Major Option Course Requirements: 18-22 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required dependent upon the option chosen. Students must select one of the following options for completion of the major course requirements.  Use the links below to jump to your chosen option.

• The Option in English Education
• The Option in English Studies
• The Option in Literature

The Option in English Education: 18 units

The Option in English Education, when combined with the Minor in Secondary Language Arts, fulfills all requirements for the Single Subject Matter Preparation Program in English, which will lead to a California teaching credential. See the Single Subject Matter Teaching Credential section for additional information.

Note: Students pursuing the Option in English Education must take the following 2 GE courses:

3 courses required:

2 courses selected from:

Courses selected may not count toward any other requirement.

1 course selected from:

The Option in English Studies: 20-22 units

12-14 units: Select one of the following groups of courses and complete the requirements for that group.

Writing Studies: 12-13 units

4 courses selected from:

Literature: 12 units

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ENGL 354	Classical Literature		3.0	SP	GE
An introduction to the literature of ancient Greece and Rome. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (003411)
ENGL 355	Bible, Literature, and Culture		3.0	FA	GE
Study of the literary types and qualities of the English Bible and their impact upon British and American literature and language. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. (003471)
ENGL 446	British Renaissance Literature:		3.0	INQ
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. A study of the literature and culture of Tudor England, emphasizing the prose and poetry of such figures as More, Skelton, Wyatt, Sidney, Spenser and Marlowe. 3 hours seminar. (003511)
ENGL 448	The Long Eighteenth Century		3.0	INQ
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. The literature and intellectual currents of Restoration and eighteenth-century Britain, including works by such authors as Dryden, Addison, Steele, Pope, Swift, Hume, Sterne, Goldsmith, and Johnson. 3 hours seminar. (003514)
ENGL 449	The Romantic Period		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. A study of the literary and intellectual currents of the Romantic period, including major essayists and critics, and the poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. 3 hours seminar. (003515)
ENGL 450	The Victorian Period		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. The poetry and prose of Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Hopkins, and others. Attention to important essayists and critics and to the significance of the Victorian scene for our times. 3 hours seminar. (003516)
ENGL 455	The 18th-Century British Novel		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. A study of eighteenth-century and Romantic-period novels, including such authors as Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Sterne, Burney, Austen, and Scott. 3 hours seminar. (003554)
ENGL 456	The 19th-Century British Novel		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. A study of Victorian novels, including such authors as Thackeray, the Brontes, Dickens, Gaskell, Eliot, Trollope, and Hardy. 3 hours seminar. (003556)
ENGL 457	The American Novel		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 278, ENGL 340. A critical and historical study of the American novel from its beginnings through the nineteenth century; Cooper, Melville, Hawthorne, Twain, James, and others. 3 hours seminar. (003557)
ENGL 458	Early American Literature		3.0	FS	USD
Prerequisites: ENGL 278, ENGL 340. An in-depth study of major themes, authors, and works from the beginnings of American literature through the nineteenth century. As an approved US Diversity course, students examine the diverse perspectives and cultures of groups both inside and outside of hegemonic US culture that inform the American literary tradition. Topics vary from semester to semester. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved US Diversity course. (003558)
ENGL 459	Later American Literature		3.0	FS	USD
Prerequisites: ENGL 279, ENGL 340. An in-depth study of major themes, authors, and works in the twentieth-century and contemporary American literature. As an approved US Diversity course, students examine the diverse perspectives and cultures of groups both inside and outside of hegemonic US culture that inform the American literary tradition. Topics vary from semester to semester. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved US Diversity course. (003559)
ENGL 468	20th-Century and Contemporary British Literature		3.0	FS
Prerequisite: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. Study of 20th-Century and contemporary poetry, fiction, drama, and essays from British, Irish, and postcolonial authors. 3 hours lecture. (020571)
ENGL 475	History of the English Language		3.0	SP
The development of the English language from its earliest origins to the present. Fundamental rules of language change in syntax, morphology, and phonology, with application to examples from Old, Middle, Early Modern, and contemporary English. 3 hours lecture. (003532)

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

General Studies: 13-14 units

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

Linguistics: 12 units

4 courses selected from:

Creative Writing, and Literary Editing and Publishing: 12 units

3 courses selected from:

Electives: 8 units

8 units selected from:

Any upper-division English (ENGL) course except ENGL 499 not used to satisfy any other requirement in the major.

The Option in Literature: 21 units

Literature Surveys

2 courses selected from:

Courses selected may not count toward any other requirement.

Methods

1 course selected from:

Literature and Diversity

1 course selected from:

Literature, History, and Culture

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
ENGL 354	Classical Literature		3.0	SP	GE
An introduction to the literature of ancient Greece and Rome. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (003411)
ENGL 355	Bible, Literature, and Culture		3.0	FA	GE
Study of the literary types and qualities of the English Bible and their impact upon British and American literature and language. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. (003471)
ENGL 446	British Renaissance Literature:		3.0	INQ
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. A study of the literature and culture of Tudor England, emphasizing the prose and poetry of such figures as More, Skelton, Wyatt, Sidney, Spenser and Marlowe. 3 hours seminar. (003511)
ENGL 448	The Long Eighteenth Century		3.0	INQ
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. The literature and intellectual currents of Restoration and eighteenth-century Britain, including works by such authors as Dryden, Addison, Steele, Pope, Swift, Hume, Sterne, Goldsmith, and Johnson. 3 hours seminar. (003514)
ENGL 449	The Romantic Period		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. A study of the literary and intellectual currents of the Romantic period, including major essayists and critics, and the poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. 3 hours seminar. (003515)
ENGL 450	The Victorian Period		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. The poetry and prose of Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Hopkins, and others. Attention to important essayists and critics and to the significance of the Victorian scene for our times. 3 hours seminar. (003516)
ENGL 455	The 18th-Century British Novel		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. A study of eighteenth-century and Romantic-period novels, including such authors as Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Sterne, Burney, Austen, and Scott. 3 hours seminar. (003554)
ENGL 456	The 19th-Century British Novel		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. A study of Victorian novels, including such authors as Thackeray, the Brontes, Dickens, Gaskell, Eliot, Trollope, and Hardy. 3 hours seminar. (003556)
ENGL 457	The American Novel		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ENGL 278, ENGL 340. A critical and historical study of the American novel from its beginnings through the nineteenth century; Cooper, Melville, Hawthorne, Twain, James, and others. 3 hours seminar. (003557)
ENGL 458	Early American Literature		3.0	FS	USD
Prerequisites: ENGL 278, ENGL 340. An in-depth study of major themes, authors, and works from the beginnings of American literature through the nineteenth century. As an approved US Diversity course, students examine the diverse perspectives and cultures of groups both inside and outside of hegemonic US culture that inform the American literary tradition. Topics vary from semester to semester. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved US Diversity course. (003558)
ENGL 459	Later American Literature		3.0	FS	USD
Prerequisites: ENGL 279, ENGL 340. An in-depth study of major themes, authors, and works in the twentieth-century and contemporary American literature. As an approved US Diversity course, students examine the diverse perspectives and cultures of groups both inside and outside of hegemonic US culture that inform the American literary tradition. Topics vary from semester to semester. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved US Diversity course. (003559)
ENGL 468	20th-Century and Contemporary British Literature		3.0	FS
Prerequisite: ENGL 276, ENGL 340. Study of 20th-Century and contemporary poetry, fiction, drama, and essays from British, Irish, and postcolonial authors. 3 hours lecture. (020571)
ENGL 475	History of the English Language		3.0	SP
The development of the English language from its earliest origins to the present. Fundamental rules of language change in syntax, morphology, and phonology, with application to examples from Old, Middle, Early Modern, and contemporary English. 3 hours lecture. (003532)

Language, Form, and Genre

1 course selected from:

Media, Text, and Performance

1 course selected from:

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major:

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:

• You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
• You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
• Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
• Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
• Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
• Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.

Honors in English

To be eligible for Honors in English, students must have completed the following courses with grades that place them in the top 5% of English majors:

2 courses required:

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

Any 400-level genre or period courses.

Upon recommendation by a faculty member and after an interview, the student will take 6 units of ENGL 599H, Senior Honors Thesis. Grades of B or higher in ENGL 599H and in all other courses taken in the major are required to graduate with Honors in English.