Major: English and World Literatures, B.A. (1501), 42 Credits
In the English & World Literatures major, we believe that language has aesthetic value and power across genres, histories, and cultures. We provide students with opportunities to critically and thoughtfully engage world literary voices and to develop a range of essential intellectual and professional skills. We believe in the power of literature to transcend differences, to invite empathy with others, and to prepare individuals for the unique challenges of global citizenship in the 21st century. To that end, we offer two concentrations that engage the power of the written word: Literature and Literature and Media. Students should declare their concentration by the end of sophomore year.
Literature Concentration
In their literature courses, students are invited to draw connections to other creative fields—art, dance, music, and theatre—as well as subjects that inform both writers and readers: social justice, economics, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. In other words, like the literature that they read, our students’ studies never exist in a vacuum. We stress critical reading and writing, developing skills that will serve students well in any professional capacity. Students develop critical reading, writing, research, and thinking skills that are essential for success not only in their academic work but also in their professional lives beyond the classroom. Students are encouraged to individualize their studies through independent studies, to supplement their classroom experiences with internships, and to broaden their global perspective through study abroad. By the end of their studies, our students are well prepared to continue on to graduate school or to pursue careers in advertising, communications, creative writing, journalism, law, media studies, public relations, publishing, teaching, and many other fields.
Literature and Media Concentration
The Literature and Media concentration extends students’ writing, analytical and research skills to interpret and understand various media, including cinema, television and emerging media. Students who have an interest in the narrative and cultural functions of media will analyze them through the critical lens of literary theory and our global curriculum. This program culminates with students producing a senior seminar project that bridges the essential skills of critical thinking, reading, researching, and writing that are the hallmark of the English & World Literatures major with skills that will prepare our students for a host of career options across a range of sectors in technology and the media that are the hallmark of the English & World Literatures major with skills that will prepare our students for a host of career options across a range of sectors in technology and the media.
General Education: 42 Credits; Major: 42 Credits; Elective Credits: 36 Credits
Observable learning goals of program:
The English & World Literatures major provides a platform on which students will:
- Identity how social and historical forces shape language, literature, and identity.
- Analyze, interpret, and communicate effectively in multiple formats.
- Question what is familiar in literature and language and propose ways to innovate creatively and intellectually, and to push geographic boundaries.
- Use language and literature to create meaning, inspire change, and be connected to the world.
Required courses: (9 credits)
Literature Concentration (33 Credits)
Required courses: (6 credits)
Language Studies (6 credits)
Students fulfill the Language Studies requirements by taking a foreign language at the appropriate level given previous study.
Perspectives Courses (21 credits)
| | Historical Perspectives (200 level courses) | 6 |
| | Thematic/Generic Perspectives (300 level courses) | 6 |
| | Advanced Perspectives (400 level courses) | 3 |
| | Elective Courses and any two EWL or CRW course | 6 |
Literature and Media Concentration (33 Credits)
Required courses: (6 credits)
Required COMM Courses (12 credits)
Choose 3 of The Following EWL Courses (9 credits)
| AIP 315 | Spain in the 1980’s and the Films of Almodóvar (CP, IP) | 3 |
| EWL 304 | Inside Modernism | 3 |
| EWL 305 | The Spanish Inquisition in Literature and Film | 3 |
| EWL 307 | The Visual Memoir | 3 |
| EWL 308 | Trauma in Literature and Film | 3 |
| EWL 327 | Literature and Film Of The Global Portuguese Empire | 3 |
| EWL 333 | Literature and the Visual Arts | 3 |
| EWL 345/COMM 345 | Shakespeare and Film | 3 |
| FREN 315 | French and Francophone Cinema | 3 |
| COMM 328/EWL 350 | Special Topics in Literature and Media | 3 |
Choose 1 Of The Following COMM Courses (3 credits)
One additional elective from either EWL or COMM at the 200 level or above (3 credits)
Students must maintain a 2.8 cumulative grade-point average in all courses, and a 3.0 grade-point average in their major.
Honors in the EWL Major (3 additional credits)
During their penultimate semester, EWL majors who have maintained a GPA in the major of 3.5 or higher are invited to apply for an Honors Independent Study (EWL 499) to be taken in their final semester. Students who earn an A or A- in the EWL Honors Independent Study will graduate with honors in the major.