English Literature Major (B.A.)
https://cola.unh.edu/english/program/ba/english-literature
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.
Students interested in majoring in English literature should consult Carla Cannizzaro, Senior Academic Advisor, Department of English, 230F Hamilton Smith Hall, (603) 862-1313 or the director of the English literature program.
Degree Requirements
All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.
Major Requirements
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.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework must meet the following distribution requirements (a single course may satisfy multiple requirements): | ||
| 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) | ||
| 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: | ||
| English Major Seminar | ||
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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.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 500-level Courses | ||
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| Introduction to Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Professional and Technical Writing | ||
| Persuasive Writing | ||
| Introduction to the Digital Humanities | ||
| Major Writers in English | ||
| British Literature I Age of Heroes: Beowulf to Dr. Faustus | ||
| British Literature II Age of Revolutions: Shakespeare to Austen | ||
| British Literature III: Revolts, Renewals, Migrations | ||
| American Literature I Conquest and Nation: First Contact to the Civil War | ||
| American Literature II Money, Migration, and Modernity: Huck Finn to Beloved | ||
| Black Creative Expression | ||
| Bible as Literature | ||
| Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction | ||
| Nature Writers | ||
| Introduction to Fiction Writing | ||
| Introduction to Poetry Writing | ||
| Introduction to Film Studies | ||
| 21st Century Journalism: How the News Works | ||
| In the Groove: African American Music as Literature | ||
| Introduction to the Literature and Culture of Race | ||
| Science Fiction | ||
| Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture | ||
| Sex and Sensibility: The Rise of Chick Lit | ||
| Reading the Postcolonial Experience | ||
| Introduction to Women in Literature | ||
| Introduction to Women in Literature | ||
| Literary Topics | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1800 Literature Courses | ||
| British Literature I Age of Heroes: Beowulf to Dr. Faustus | ||
or ENGL 513W | British Literature II Age of Revolutions: Shakespeare to Austen | |
| Literary Topics (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Special Topics in Literature (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Medieval Romance | ||
| Old English | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Advanced Shakespeare | ||
| Advanced Shakespeare | ||
| Milton | ||
| Literature of the Restoration and Early 18th Century | ||
| Drama of Shakespeare's Contemporaries: Will and Company | ||
| English Novel of the Eighteenth Century | ||
| English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Post-1800 Literature Courses | ||
| British Literature III: Revolts, Renewals, Migrations | ||
or ENGL 516W | American Literature II Money, Migration, and Modernity: Huck Finn to Beloved | |
| Literary Topics (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Ethnicity in America: The African American Experience in the 20th Century | ||
| Literature and the Environment | ||
| I Hear America Singing: Studying American Literature and Culture | ||
| Contemporary African Literature | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Special Topics in Literature (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Asian American Studies | ||
| American Indian Literature | ||
| American Literature, 1865-1915: The Birth of the American Empire | ||
| Major American Authors | ||
| Literary Modernisms: Return, Revolt, Recycle | ||
| Modern & Contemporary British Literature: New Departures | ||
| Modern Irish Literature: A Changing Landscape | ||
| The English Novel in the World | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Drama | ||
| English Novel of the 19th Century | ||
| English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories) (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Race, the Construction of Race, and Racial Theory Courses | ||
| On Race in Culture and Society | ||
| Black Creative Expression | ||
| In the Groove: African American Music as Literature | ||
| Introduction to the Literature and Culture of Race | ||
| Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture | ||
| Introduction to Women in Literature | ||
| Ethnicity in America: The African American Experience in the 20th Century | ||
| I Hear America Singing: Studying American Literature and Culture | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Special Topics in Literature (subtopic R) | ||
| Special Topics in Literature | ||
| Asian American Studies | ||
| American Indian Literature | ||
| American Literature, 1865-1915: The Birth of the American Empire | ||
| Major American Authors | ||
| Advanced Shakespeare | ||
| Modern & Contemporary British Literature: New Departures | ||
| Race and Gender in Film and Popular Culture | ||
| English Major Seminar | ||
| Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories) | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses that Investigate Anglophone Literature in Global or Transnational Contexts | ||
| Reading the Postcolonial Experience | ||
| Contemporary African Literature | ||
| Literary Modernisms: Return, Revolt, Recycle | ||
| Modern Irish Literature: A Changing Landscape | ||
| The English Novel in the World | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in a specific genre including poetry, memoir, nonfiction, drama, fiction, and film 1 | ||
| Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction | ||
| Science Fiction | ||
| Sex and Sensibility: The Rise of Chick Lit | ||
| Introduction to Women in Literature | ||
| Studies in Film/Genre | ||
| Studies in Film/Authorship | ||
| Studies in Film/Culture and Ideology | ||
| Studies in Film/Narrative and Style | ||
| Film Theory | ||
| Special Topics in Literature (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Race and Gender in Film and Popular Culture | ||
| Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories) | ||
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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.
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.