Program Description

The English literature major serves those students who want to focus particularly on the study of literature — its many forms and styles, its rich history and the range of approaches to its analysis. The English literature track is an especially attractive major for those who plan to go on to graduate school.

As an English literature major, a student will learn about various literary traditions, both British and American literature as well as traditions organized around other principles, such as post-colonial literature, women's literature, African-American literature and genres like poetry and drama. Courses are designed to expose students to many different sorts of works and to help them develop questions and strategies of critical thinking that will make all kinds of literary expression meaningful. And the works students will study will provide many ways of looking at the world and enrich their quality of life. What's more, students have many opportunities to hone critical writing and research skills and to practice the art of presenting research findings to a group, all skills in high demand in today's workplace. The English literature major is an excellent way to combine development of interpretive and writing skills with an exciting, in-depth encounter with some of the very best writing ever produced in the English language.

Requirements for the Program

As an English literature major, you must complete a minimum of 40 credits of major coursework with a grade of C- or better, with the exception of ENGL 419 How to Read Anything, which you must complete with a grade of C or better. You may not use ENGL 401 First-Year Writing, ENGL 415s, "Literature and..." courses, or ENGL 444 classes to satisfy major requirements.

A minimum of six courses must be completed at the 600 level or higher.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Coursework must meet the following distribution requirements (a single course may satisfy multiple requirements):
ENGL 419	How to Read Anything ¹
Select two 500-level literature courses (select from list below)
Select two pre-1800 literature courses (select from list below)
Select two post-1800 literature courses (select from list below)
ENGL 714	Critical Skills
Select one American literature course at the 600/700 level
Select one British literature course at the 600/700 level
Select one course that addresses race, the construction of race, and racial theories in a U.S. context (select from list below)
Select one course that investigates Anglophone literature in a global or transnational context (select from list below)
Select one course in a specific genre including, poetry, memoir, nonfiction, drama, fiction, and film with the exception of ENGL 533 (select from list below)
Capstone:
ENGL 787	English Major Seminar

¹: This must be completed with a minimum grade of “C.” ENGL 419 How to Read Anything is the only 400-level class that may count towards the English literature major.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
500-level Courses
ENGL/LING 405	Introduction to Linguistics
ENGL 501	Introduction to Creative Nonfiction
ENGL 502	Professional and Technical Writing
ENGL 503	Persuasive Writing
ENGL 510	Introduction to the Digital Humanities
ENGL 511	Major Writers in English
ENGL 512	British Literature I Age of Heroes: Beowulf to Dr. Faustus
ENGL 513W	British Literature II Age of Revolutions: Shakespeare to Austen
ENGL 514W	British Literature III: Revolts, Renewals, Migrations
ENGL 515W	American Literature I Conquest and Nation: First Contact to the Civil War
ENGL 516W	American Literature II Money, Migration, and Modernity: Huck Finn to Beloved
ENGL #517	Black Creative Expression
ENGL 518W	Bible as Literature
ENGL 520	Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
ENGL 521	Nature Writers
ENGL 526	Introduction to Fiction Writing
ENGL 527	Introduction to Poetry Writing
ENGL 533	Introduction to Film Studies
ENGL 534	21st Century Journalism: How the News Works
ENGL 549	In the Groove: African American Music as Literature
ENGL 550	Introduction to the Literature and Culture of Race
ENGL 555	Science Fiction
ENGL 560	Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture
ENGL 575	Sex and Sensibility: The Rise of Chick Lit
ENGL 581	Reading the Postcolonial Experience
ENGL 585	Introduction to Women in Literature
ENGL 585R	Introduction to Women in Literature
ENGL 595	Literary Topics

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Pre-1800 Literature Courses
ENGL 512	British Literature I Age of Heroes: Beowulf to Dr. Faustus
or ENGL 513W	British Literature II Age of Revolutions: Shakespeare to Austen
ENGL 595	Literary Topics (if topic is appropriate)
ENGL 657	Shakespeare
ENGL 693R	Special Topics in Literature (if topic is appropriate)
ENGL #741	Early American Literature: Colonialism, Revolution, Nation
ENGL 751	Medieval Romance
ENGL 753	Old English
ENGL 756	Chaucer
ENGL 758	Advanced Shakespeare
ENGL 758R	Advanced Shakespeare
ENGL 759	Milton
ENGL 767	Literature of the Restoration and Early 18th Century
ENGL 768	Literature of the Later 18th Century
ENGL 780	Drama of Shakespeare's Contemporaries: Will and Company
ENGL 783	English Novel of the Eighteenth Century
ENGL 787	English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate)
ENGL 787R	English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate)

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Post-1800 Literature Courses
ENGL 514W	British Literature III: Revolts, Renewals, Migrations
or ENGL 516W	American Literature II Money, Migration, and Modernity: Huck Finn to Beloved
ENGL 595	Literary Topics (if topic is appropriate)
ENGL 609	Ethnicity in America: The African American Experience in the 20th Century
ENGL 636	Literature and the Environment
ENGL 650	I Hear America Singing: Studying American Literature and Culture
ENGL 681	Contemporary African Literature
ENGL 690	African American Literature
ENGL 693R	Special Topics in Literature (if topic is appropriate)
ENGL 738	Asian American Studies
ENGL 739	American Indian Literature
ENGL 743R	American Literature, 1865-1915: The Birth of the American Empire
ENGL 745	Contemporary American Literature
ENGL 749R	Major American Authors
ENGL 773	Literary Modernisms: Return, Revolt, Recycle
ENGL 774R	Modern & Contemporary British Literature: New Departures
ENGL 775	Modern Irish Literature: A Changing Landscape
ENGL 777	The English Novel in the World
ENGL 782	Modern and Contemporary Drama
ENGL #784	English Novel of the 19th Century
ENGL 787	English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate)
ENGL 787R	English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate)
ENGL 797R	Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories) (if topic is appropriate)

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Race, the Construction of Race, and Racial Theory Courses
ENGL 440A	On Race in Culture and Society
ENGL #441	On Race and Culture in Society
ENGL #517	Black Creative Expression
ENGL 549	In the Groove: African American Music as Literature
ENGL 550	Introduction to the Literature and Culture of Race
ENGL 560	Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture
ENGL 585R	Introduction to Women in Literature
ENGL 609	Ethnicity in America: The African American Experience in the 20th Century
ENGL 650R	I Hear America Singing: Studying American Literature and Culture
ENGL 690	African American Literature
ENGL 693	Special Topics in Literature (subtopic R)
ENGL 693R	Special Topics in Literature
ENGL 738	Asian American Studies
ENGL 739	American Indian Literature
ENGL 743R	American Literature, 1865-1915: The Birth of the American Empire
ENGL 749R	Major American Authors
ENGL 758R	Advanced Shakespeare
ENGL 774R	Modern & Contemporary British Literature: New Departures
ENGL 778	Race and Gender in Film and Popular Culture
ENGL 787R	English Major Seminar
ENGL 797R	Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories)

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Courses that Investigate Anglophone Literature in Global or Transnational Contexts
ENGL 581	Reading the Postcolonial Experience
ENGL 681	Contemporary African Literature
ENGL 773	Literary Modernisms: Return, Revolt, Recycle
ENGL 775	Modern Irish Literature: A Changing Landscape
ENGL 777	The English Novel in the World

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Courses in a specific genre including poetry, memoir, nonfiction, drama, fiction, and film ¹
ENGL 520	Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
ENGL 555	Science Fiction
ENGL 575	Sex and Sensibility: The Rise of Chick Lit
ENGL 585R	Introduction to Women in Literature
ENGL 616A	Studies in Film/Genre
ENGL 616B	Studies in Film/Authorship
ENGL 616C	Studies in Film/Culture and Ideology
ENGL 616D	Studies in Film/Narrative and Style
ENGL 618	Film Theory
ENGL 693R	Special Topics in Literature (if topic is appropriate)
ENGL 778	Race and Gender in Film and Popular Culture
ENGL 797R	Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories)

¹: With the exception of ENGL 533 Introduction to Film Studies

Please see your advisor if you have questions about other courses that might fulfill these requirements.

Candidates for a degree must satisfy all of the University Discovery Program requirements in addition to satisfying the requirements of each individual major program. Bachelor of arts candidates must also satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement.

The required minimum overall GPA in major coursework is 2.0.

English literature majors may use one major-required course to satisfy one Discovery category requirement.

Majors may only count one online course toward their English major requirements.

Students interested in majoring in English literature should consult Carla Cannizzaro, academic/career counselor, Department of English, 230F Hamilton Smith Hall, (603) 862-1313 or the director of the English literature program.

Student Learning Outcomes

English Department Student Learning Outcomes: Undergraduate program Undergraduate students in the English Department at the University of New Hampshire have many options as they advance to degree. They can choose to complete a general English major or opt to follow one of several specialized tracks: English Literature, Journalism, English Teaching, and Linguistics. I. All undergraduate English majors acquire the same core skills. These include:

Proficiency in analytical writing, critical thinking, and public-speaking.
Knowledge of important literary genres and subgenres
Fluency in literary terminology,
A broad understanding of British-and-American literature, from the medieval period in England and the moment of first contact in America to the present day.
Demonstrated proficiency in writing an analytical essay that offers a sophisticated close-reading or explication of a literary text. This essay will have a clear thesis and proceed in a logical fashion, with interpretive claims supported by evidence from the text.
Demonstrated proficiency in literary research and in writing an extended thesis-driven research paper in which sources are correctly and responsibly cited.

Demonstrated understanding of how to read across the color line in the US and /or how to analyze literary works written in English from outside the UK and the US--from India, Africa, and the Caribbean, for example. II. Students in our major tracks acquire the following specialized skills.

English

English

English Literature (B.A.)