English: 18th/19th Centuries, BA

Conceived as including the Restoration, Enlightenment, Romantic, Victorian, and Edwardian Periods, this concentration is intended for students interested in understanding British cultural history between the English Civil War and the First World War. It is especially intended for students who want to learn about literary history and wish not to limit themselves to a single genre. The incredible richness of this period means that students choosing this Concentration will read authors imaginatively confronting vast social change, including Behn and Dryden; Penn and Franklin; Swift and Pope; Fielding and Burney; Brockden Brown and Radcliffe; Dickens and Eliot; Austen and Hardy; Wollstonecraft, Godwin, and the Shelleys; Hawthorne, Fuller, Melville, and Stowe; Marx, Darwin, and Freud. They will read about a range of economic, political, and aesthetic changes that took place in these years — from agrarian to industrial economies, abolition to imperialism, oligarchy to universal suffrage, from “literature” as a common medium for political discussion to literature as commodity and art object. In doing so, students will read across genres and national cultures, and will read literary history alongside economic and political history.

The minimum total course units for graduation in this major is 33. Double majors may entail more course units.

For information about the General Education requirements, please visit the College of Arts & Sciences Curriculum page.

College General Education Requirements and Free Electives
Foundational Approaches + Sectors + Free Electives20
Major Requirements
Core Requirement
Select one course in each sector from ENGL 0010-ENGL 5999, except 3000-3999: 16
Sector 1 - Theory & Poetics (Attribute: AETP)
Sector 2 - Difference and Diaspora (Attribute: AEDD)
Sector 3 - Medieval/Renaissance (Attribute: AEMR)
Sector 4 - Literature of the Long 18th Century (Attribute: AE18)
Sector 5 - 19th Century Literature (Attribute: AE19)
Sector 6 - 20th-21st Century Literature (Attribute: AE20)
The One Series (TOS) 2
ENGL 4500-49981
Early-Period Seminars 3
ENGL 0300-0399; 0500-0599; 0700-0799; 2000-2999; 4500-4998; 5000-59992
Seminar 1: Literature Before 1700 (Attribute: AEB7)
Seminar 2: Literature Before 1900 (Attribute: AEB7, AEB9)
Literature Seminar Electives 4
ENGL 0051; 0300-0399; 0500-0599; 0700-0799; 2000-2999; 3000-3999; 4000-4998; 5000-59992
Seminar 3: Any Literature Seminar
Seminar 4: Any Literature Seminar
Electives 5
ENGL 0010-ENGL 59992-4
Concentration Requirements 6
Four courses ENGL 0010-5999 with attribute AE18 and/or AE19.
Total Course Units33
1

You will need to take one course to fulfill each sector of the Major Core, six in total. Two of these courses may double-count with your Literature Seminar Electives. Creative Writing Seminars cannot count in the Major Core.

2

The One Series seminar (TOS) cannot double-count in the Major Core. However, if you take a second TOS course, your additional TOS may count as a Literature Seminar or an Elective.

3

These Early-Period Seminars may NOT double-count in the Core.

4

These Seminar Electives may be double-counted in the Core.

5

The rest of your 13 c.u. for the English Major will be met with Electives. If none of your seminars are being double-counted in the Core, you will only need two Electives. For each double-counting course, you will need to add an Elective, for a maximum of four, to reach 13 c.u. With the approval of your Major Advisor, you may count up to two courses outside of English toward the Major. Courses in Linguistics (LING) and in Literatures not in English may count; in the case of Non-English Literatures, the courses should ideally be crosslisted (“Also offered As”) with ENGL, or you may obtain the permission from your Major advisor.

6

Concentration may be comprised from the 13 c.u. of the Major, or other courses.

Honors

Applicants must have a 3.6 GPA in the major. Thesis required.

 


The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.