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Undergraduate Program
Description | Major | Minor

Undergraduate Program Description
The English department offers three kinds of courses: Composition courses, undergraduate courses, and graduate courses. Composition courses develop skills in reading analytically and in writing persuasively. Undergraduate and graduate courses cover the entire range of English and American literature, as well as creative writing. Students majoring in English may elect a teaching emphasis, a creative writing emphasis, or a general literature emphasis. The teaching emphasis focuses on the study of composition and of language. The writing emphasis focuses on fiction, poetry, and article writing. Creative writing majors have an opportunity to work with distinguished professional writers of fiction and poetry. The general literature emphasis focuses on a series of related courses in various historical periods of English and American literature.

Career Alternatives
Graduates have found the major excellent pre-professional training for graduate study in English, as well as for careers in teaching, writing, law, medicine, and library work. Many graduates are employed in journalism, publishing, advertising, and public information. Others have worked in local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as in industry and agriculture. Some have established their own businesses.

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Undergraduate Major Requirements
2006/2007 English A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) Degree Requirements:
(Checklist of English major requirements for the A.B. degree. Check with the College of Letters & Science Dean's Office for breadth, General Education and foreign language requirements.)

Preparatory Subject Matter (20 units)
UWP 1, Expository Writing, OR ENL 3, Introduction to Literature, OR AP score 4 or 5

Two courses from:

• ENL 42, Approaches to Reading
• ENL 43, Introduction to the Study of Drama
• ENL 44, Introduction to the Study of Fiction
• ENL 45, Introduction to the Study of Poetry

 AND two courses from:

• ENL 30A, Survey of American Literature (17th Century - 1865)
• ENL 30B, Survey of American Literature (1865 - present)
• ENL 46A, Masterpieces of English Literature (Early - 1640)
• ENL 46B, Masterpieces of English Literature (1640 - 1832)
• ENL 46C, Masterpieces of English Literature (1832 - present)

Core Requirements for all emphases (32 units)
A. Literary Criticism (4 units):
ENL 110A, Introduction to the Principles of Criticism (Aristotle to Modern)
(recommended for students going into teaching)
ENL 110B, Introduction to the Principles of Criticism (Modern)
(Recommended for students going into graduate school)

B. Shakespeare (4 Units):
ENL 117A, Shakespeare: The Early Works OR
ENL 117B, Shakespeare: The Middle Period OR
ENL 117C, Shakespeare: The Later Works

C. Historical Breadth (ONE course each from FIVE of the following SIX historical fields):

1. Medieval
ENL 111, Medieval Literature
ENL 113A, Chaucer: Troilus and "Minor" Poems
ENL 113B, Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales
2. Renaissance
ENL 115, Topics in Renaissance Literature
ENL 122, Milton
3. British Lit. Restoration through Romantic
ENL 123, Topics in 18th Century British Literature
ENL 130, British Romantic Literature
ENL 155A, 18th Century British Novel
4. British Lit. Victorian or Twentieth Century
ENL 133, 19th Century British Literature
ENL 137N, British Literature 1900-1945
ENL 138, British Literature 1945-Present
ENL 155B, 19th Century British Novel
ENL 155C, 20th Century British Novel
5. American Lit. pre-1865
ENL 142, Early American Literature
ENL 143, 19th Century American Literature to the Civil War
ENL 158A, 19th Century American Novel
6. American Lit. post-1865
ENL 144, Post-Civil War American Literature
ENL 146N, American Literature 1900-1945
ENL 147, American Literature 1945-present
ENL 158B, 20th Century American Novel
ENL 166, Love & Desire in Contemporary American Poetry
ENL 167, 20th Century African-American Poetry
ENL 181B, African-American Literature Harlem Renaissance-Present

ENL 182, Literature of California

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The following courses may be used to satisfy the above requirements, IF they fall into that category in subject, time period, etc. (Please refer to quarterly Expanded Course Descriptions listings):
ENL 150A, Topics in British Drama
ENL 150B, British Drama 1800- present
ENL 152, American Drama
ENL 159, Topics in the Novel
ENL 165, Topics in Poetry
ENL 178, Special Topics in Ethnic Literature
ENL 179, Multi-ethnic Literature
ENL 181A, African-American Literature to the Harlem Renaissance
ENL 185A, Literature by Women I
ENL 185B, Literature by Women II
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D. Upper Division Seminar—one course (4 units):
May not be repeated.
ENL 187, Literature and other Arts
ENL 188, Special Topics in Literary Studies
ENL 189, Seminar in a Major Writer
ENL 194H, Special Study for Honors Student
ENL 195H, Honors Thesis

E. Depth Subject Matter (12 additional units):
Choose one emphasis: General Major, Creative Writing or Teaching

Emphases
General Major—(12 units):
Three upper division English electives

Creative Writing—(12 units):
Three sections in any combination of:
ENL 100F, Creative Writing: Fiction (4 units)
ENL 100NF, Creative Writing: Nonfiction (4 units)
ENL 100P, Creative Writing: Poetry (4 units)
(you may choose all three courses from the same genre)

Teaching—(12 units):
One course from each of the following:
UWP 101 or 104A-F (D preferred), Advanced Composition (4 units)
AND
ENL 105 or Linguistics 106/ENL 106 (4 units)
AND
One course (4 units) from:
ENL 178**, Special Topics in Ethnic Literature
ENL 179**, Multi-ethnic Literature
ENL 181A**, African-American Literature to the Harlem Renaissance
ENL 181B**, African-American Literature from the Harlem Renaissance to the present
OR 
an ethnic literature course from outside the English Department

Additional Upper Division English Courses
ENL 107*, Freedom of Expression
ENL 139, World Lit in English
ENL 149, Topics in Literature
ENL 153, Topics in Drama
ENL 156, The Short Story
ENL 160*, Film as Narrative
ENL 161A*, Film History I
ENL 161B*, Film History II
ENL 162*, Film Theory & Criticism
ENL 171A*, The Bible as Literature: The Old Testament
ENL 171B*, The Bible as Literature: Prophets and New Testament
ENL 173*, Literature of Science Fiction
ENL 177, Study of an Individual Author
ENL 180*, Children's Literature
ENL 183, Adolescent Literature
ENL 184*, Literature of Wilderness
ENL 186, Literature, Sexuality, and Gender

*May not be repeated

Four upper-division units in a national literature other than English or American, or in Comparative Literature, May count toward English requirements. Must be approved by faculty adviser.


It is strongly recommended that you see your adviser once per quarter. There may be changes that could affect you.

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Minor Requirements
Students minoring in English learn to analyze what they read; they learn to read critically, to think about both what is said and how it is said, and to employ various methods of criticism, including the latest theoretical approaches. They also learn to articulate, in oral reports, in-class, and written papers what they have discovered. Through much writing practice and excellent instruction, they improve their writing ability, a lifetime skill worth having.

The English Department’s mission is to encourage students to think, to read critically and analytically, and to express their thoughts in clear, forceful, and graceful prose.

This minor joined with any major on campus will give students useful preparation for any position requiring orderly and clear thinking and expression. For example, many Davis graduates have found the minor a nice complement for majors preparing students for pre-professional training in law, medicine, library work, and teaching.

Requirements
Five upper division English courses, at least four of which must focus on literature.

What can you use in fulfillment of a literature course requirement?
Basically, any English course numbered 107 to 186.

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