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Department of English

Bachelor of Arts in English

Students on Summer 2021, Fall 2021, or Spring 2022 requirements ENGBA

The Bachelor of Arts in English provides majors with marketable skills in writing, text analysis, and critical thinking and allows them to explore the power of the English language in all its historical, persuasive, and expressive range. Requirements for the English major provide in-depth training in literary history and culture. Majors take courses in all periods of British and American literature, as well as more recent periods of ethnic and contemporary world literature.

In addition to core requirements, students choose from an array of elective options in genre (poetry, fiction, and drama), media studies, popular culture, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, rhetoric, creative writing, and public and professional writing. In the department, majors can work with novelists and lexicographers, biographers and poets, rhetoricians and bloggers, experts in everything from medievalism to modernity, from nature writing to digital gaming, from Jonathan Swift to Taylor Swift.

Requirements

The major requires at least 33 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
  1. Introductory Course. One (1) course:
    • ENG-L 260 Introduction to Advanced Study of Literature
  2. Introduction to Genre. One (1) course:
    • ENG-L 203 Introduction to Drama (must be approved for CASE Intensive Writing)
    • ENG-L 204 Introduction to Fiction (must be approved for CASE Intensive Writing)
    • ENG-L 205 Introduction to Poetry (must be approved for CASE Intensive Writing)
    • ENG-L 206 Introduction to Prose (Excluding Fiction) (must be approved for CASE Intensive Writing)
  3. Literary History.
    1. Beginnings Through the Seventeenth Century. One (1) course:
      • ENG-L 305 Chaucer
      • ENG-L 306 Middle English Literature
      • ENG-L 307 Medieval and Tudor Drama
      • ENG-L 308 Elizabethan and Seventeenth-Century Drama
      • ENG-L 309 Elizabethan Poetry
      • ENG-L 310 Literary History 1: Beginnings through the Seventeenth Century
      • ENG-L 313 Early Plays of Shakespeare
      • ENG-L 314 Late Plays of Shakespeare
      • ENG-L 317 English Poetry of the Early Seventeenth Century
      • ENG-L 318 Milton
      • ENG-L 350 Early American Writing and Culture to 1800
      • ENG-L 367 Literature of the Bible
    2. Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. One (1) course:
      • ENG-L 312 Literary History 2: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
      • ENG-L 320 Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Literature
      • ENG-L 327 Later Eighteenth-Century Literature
      • ENG-L 328 Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama
      • ENG-L 332 Romantic Literature
      • ENG-L 335 Victorian Literature
      • ENG-L 347 British Fiction to 1800
      • ENG-L 348 Nineteenth-Century British Fiction
      • ENG-L 351 American Literature 1800-1865
      • ENG-L 352 American Literature 1865-1914
      • ENG-L 355 American Fiction to 1900
      • ENG-L 356 American Poetry to 1900
    3. Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries. One (1) course:
      • ENG-L 316 Literary History 3: Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
      • ENG-L 345 Twentieth-Century British Poetry
      • ENG-L 346 20th and 21st Century British Fiction
      • ENG-L 354 American Literature since 1914
      • ENG-L 357 Twentieth-Century American Poetry
      • ENG-L 358 American Literature, 1914-1960
      • ENG-L 359 American Literature, 1960-Present
      • ENG-L 360 American Prose (Excluding Fiction)
      • ENG-L 363 American Drama
      • ENG-L 365 Modern Drama: Continental
      • ENG-L 366 Modern Drama: English, Irish, American, and Post-Colonial
      • ENG-L 374 Ethnic American Literature
      • ENG-L 375 Studies in Jewish Literature
      • ENG-L 380 Literary Modernism
      • ENG-L 381 Recent Writing
      • ENG-L 396 Studies in African American Literature and Culture
  4. Critical Practices. One (1) course:
    • ENG-L 371 Critical Practices
  5. Concentration or Electives. One of the following options:
    • Electives Option.
      1. 200–499 Electives. Two (2) courses:
        • ENG-G 205 Introduction to the English Language
        • ENG-G 208 World Englishes
        • ENG-G 302 Structure of Modern English
        • ENG-G 405 Studies in English Language
        • ENG-L 202 Literary Interpretation
        • ENG-L 203 Introduction to Drama
        • ENG-L 204 Introduction to Fiction
        • ENG-L 205 Introduction to Poetry
        • ENG-L 206 Introduction to Prose (Excluding Fiction)
        • ENG-L 207 Women and Literature
        • ENG-L 208 Topics in English and American Literature and Culture
        • ENG-L 210 Studies in Popular Literature and Mass Media
        • ENG-L 213 Literary Masterpieces I
        • ENG-L 214 Literary Masterpieces II
        • ENG-L 220 Introduction to Shakespeare
        • ENG-L 221 Health and Literature
        • ENG-L 223 Introduction to Ethnic American Literature
        • ENG-L 224 Introduction to World Literatures in English
        • ENG-L 230 Introduction to Science Fiction
        • ENG-L 240 Literature and Public Life
        • ENG-L 241 American Jewish Writers
        • ENG-L 249 Representations of Gender and Sexuality
        • ENG-L 260 Introduction to Advanced Study of Literature
        • ENG-L 295 American Film Culture
        • ENG-L 305 Chaucer
        • ENG-L 306 Middle English Literature
        • ENG-L 307 Medieval and Tudor Drama
        • ENG-L 308 Elizabethan and Seventeenth-Century Drama
        • ENG-L 309 Elizabethan Poetry
        • ENG-L 310 Literary History 1: Beginnings through the Seventeenth Century
        • ENG-L 312 Literary History 2: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
        • ENG-L 313 Early Plays of Shakespeare
        • ENG-L 314 Late Plays of Shakespeare
        • ENG-L 316 Literary History 3: Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
        • ENG-L 317 English Poetry of the Early Seventeenth Century
        • ENG-L 318 Milton
        • ENG-L 320 Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Literature
        • ENG-L 327 Later Eighteenth-Century Literature
        • ENG-L 328 Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama
        • ENG-L 332 Romantic Literature
        • ENG-L 335 Victorian Literature
        • ENG-L 345 Twentieth-Century British Poetry
        • ENG-L 346 20th and 21st Century British Fiction
        • ENG-L 347 British Fiction to 1800
        • ENG-L 348 Nineteenth-Century British Fiction
        • ENG-L 350 Early American Writing and Culture to 1800
        • ENG-L 351 American Literature 1800-1865
        • ENG-L 352 American Literature 1865-1914
        • ENG-L 354 American Literature since 1914
        • ENG-L 355 American Fiction to 1900
        • ENG-L 356 American Poetry to 1900
        • ENG-L 357 Twentieth-Century American Poetry
        • ENG-L 358 American Literature, 1914-1960
        • ENG-L 359 American Literature, 1960-Present
        • ENG-L 360 American Prose (Excluding Fiction)
        • ENG-L 363 American Drama
        • ENG-L 364 Native American Literature
        • ENG-L 365 Modern Drama: Continental
        • ENG-L 366 Modern Drama: English, Irish, American, and Post-Colonial
        • ENG-L 367 Literature of the Bible
        • ENG-L 369 Studies in British and American Authors
        • ENG-L 371 Critical Practices
        • ENG-L 373 Interdisciplinary Approaches to English and American Literature
        • ENG-L 374 Ethnic American Literature
        • ENG-L 375 Studies in Jewish Literature
        • ENG-L 378 Studies in Women and Literature
        • ENG-L 380 Literary Modernism
        • ENG-L 381 Recent Writing
        • ENG-L 383 Studies in British or Commonwealth Culture
        • ENG-L 384 Studies in American Culture
        • ENG-L 387 Queer Literary Studies
        • ENG-L 389 Feminist Literary and Cultural Criticism
        • ENG-L 390 Children\'s Literature
        • ENG-L 391 Literature for Young Adults
        • ENG-L 393 Comics and the Graphic Novel
        • ENG-L 395 British and American Film Studies
        • ENG-L 396 Studies in African American Literature and Culture
        • ENG-L 399 Junior Seminar
        • ENG-L 450 Seminar: British and American Authors
        • ENG-L 460 Seminar: Literary Form, Mode, and Theme
        • ENG-L 470 Seminar: Literature and Interdisciplinary Studies
        • ENG-L 480 Seminar: Literature and History
        • ENG-L 499 Senior Independent Study for Honors Students
        • ENG-R 201 Professional Speaking
        • ENG-R 209 Topics in Rhetoric and Public Culture
        • ENG-R 210 Introduction to Digital Rhetoric
        • ENG-R 211 Rhetoric and Sports
        • ENG-R 212 Communicating Sustainability
        • ENG-R 214 Feminist Rhetoric and Public Issues
        • ENG-R 222 Democratic Deliberation
        • ENG-R 223 Group Communication
        • ENG-R 224 Persuasion
        • ENG-R 228 Argumentation and Public Advocacy
        • ENG-R 301 Advocacy and Debate
        • ENG-R 305 Rhetorical Criticism
        • ENG-R 321 Rhetoric, Law, and Culture
        • ENG-R 323 Speech Composition
        • ENG-R 330 Science, Advocacy, and the Public
        • ENG-R 339 Freedom of Speech
        • ENG-R 340 The Rhetoric of Social Movements
        • ENG-R 342 Rhetoric and Race
        • ENG-R 348 Environmental Communication
        • ENG-R 355 Public Memory in Communication and Culture
        • ENG-R 396 The Study of Public Advocacy
        • ENG-R 397 Visual Rhetoric
        • ENG-R 398 Culture, Identity, and the Rhetoric of Place
        • ENG-W 203 Creative Writing
        • ENG-W 231 Professional Writing Skills
        • ENG-W 240 Community Service Writing
        • ENG-W 241 Collaborative Digital Writing
        • ENG-W 270 Argumentative Writing
        • ENG-W 280 Literary Editing and Publishing
        • ENG-W 301 Writing Fiction
        • ENG-W 303 Writing Poetry
        • ENG-W 311 Writing Creative Nonfiction
        • ENG-W 321 Advanced Technical Writing
        • ENG-W 350 Advanced Expository Writing
        • ENG-W 381 The Craft of Fiction
        • ENG-W 383 The Craft of Poetry
        • ENG-W 401 Advanced Fiction Writing
        • ENG-W 403 Advanced Poetry Writing
        • ENG-W 410 Indiana Writing Workshop
        • ENG-W 413 Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing
        • ENG-X 373 Professional Practice in English (Departmental consent required)
        • ENG-X 395 Global Experience in English (Departmental consent required)
        • ENG-X 471 Teaching Internship in English (Departmental consent required)
        • ENG-X 473 Internship in English (Departmental consent required)
        • ENG-X 490 Individual Reading in English (Departmental consent required)
      2. 300–499 Elective. Two (2) courses:
        • ENG-G 302 Structure of Modern English
        • ENG-G 405 Studies in English Language
        • ENG-L 305 Chaucer
        • ENG-L 306 Middle English Literature
        • ENG-L 307 Medieval and Tudor Drama
        • ENG-L 308 Elizabethan and Seventeenth-Century Drama
        • ENG-L 309 Elizabethan Poetry
        • ENG-L 310 Literary History 1: Beginnings through the Seventeenth Century
        • ENG-L 312 Literary History 2: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
        • ENG-L 313 Early Plays of Shakespeare
        • ENG-L 314 Late Plays of Shakespeare
        • ENG-L 316 Literary History 3: Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
        • ENG-L 317 English Poetry of the Early Seventeenth Century
        • ENG-L 318 Milton
        • ENG-L 320 Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Literature
        • ENG-L 327 Later Eighteenth-Century Literature
        • ENG-L 328 Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama
        • ENG-L 332 Romantic Literature
        • ENG-L 335 Victorian Literature
        • ENG-L 345 Twentieth-Century British Poetry
        • ENG-L 346 20th and 21st Century British Fiction
        • ENG-L 347 British Fiction to 1800
        • ENG-L 348 Nineteenth-Century British Fiction
        • ENG-L 350 Early American Writing and Culture to 1800
        • ENG-L 351 American Literature 1800-1865
        • ENG-L 352 American Literature 1865-1914
        • ENG-L 354 American Literature since 1914
        • ENG-L 355 American Fiction to 1900
        • ENG-L 356 American Poetry to 1900
        • ENG-L 357 Twentieth-Century American Poetry
        • ENG-L 358 American Literature, 1914-1960
        • ENG-L 359 American Literature, 1960-Present
        • ENG-L 360 American Prose (Excluding Fiction)
        • ENG-L 363 American Drama
        • ENG-L 364 Native American Literature
        • ENG-L 365 Modern Drama: Continental
        • ENG-L 366 Modern Drama: English, Irish, American, and Post-Colonial
        • ENG-L 367 Literature of the Bible
        • ENG-L 369 Studies in British and American Authors
        • ENG-L 371 Critical Practices
        • ENG-L 373 Interdisciplinary Approaches to English and American Literature
        • ENG-L 374 Ethnic American Literature
        • ENG-L 375 Studies in Jewish Literature
        • ENG-L 378 Studies in Women and Literature
        • ENG-L 380 Literary Modernism
        • ENG-L 381 Recent Writing
        • ENG-L 383 Studies in British or Commonwealth Culture
        • ENG-L 384 Studies in American Culture
        • ENG-L 387 Queer Literary Studies
        • ENG-L 389 Feminist Literary and Cultural Criticism
        • ENG-L 390 Children\'s Literature
        • ENG-L 391 Literature for Young Adults
        • ENG-L 393 Comics and the Graphic Novel
        • ENG-L 395 British and American Film Studies
        • ENG-L 396 Studies in African American Literature and Culture
        • ENG-L 399 Junior Seminar
        • ENG-L 450 Seminar: British and American Authors
        • ENG-L 460 Seminar: Literary Form, Mode, and Theme
        • ENG-L 470 Seminar: Literature and Interdisciplinary Studies
        • ENG-L 480 Seminar: Literature and History
        • ENG-L 499 Senior Independent Study for Honors Students
        • ENG-R 301 Advocacy and Debate
        • ENG-R 305 Rhetorical Criticism
        • ENG-R 321 Rhetoric, Law, and Culture
        • ENG-R 323 Speech Composition
        • ENG-R 330 Science, Advocacy, and the Public
        • ENG-R 339 Freedom of Speech
        • ENG-R 340 The Rhetoric of Social Movements
        • ENG-R 342 Rhetoric and Race
        • ENG-R 348 Environmental Communication
        • ENG-R 355 Public Memory in Communication and Culture
        • ENG-R 396 The Study of Public Advocacy
        • ENG-R 397 Visual Rhetoric
        • ENG-R 398 Culture, Identity, and the Rhetoric of Place
        • ENG-W 301 Writing Fiction
        • ENG-W 303 Writing Poetry
        • ENG-W 311 Writing Creative Nonfiction
        • ENG-W 321 Advanced Technical Writing
        • ENG-W 350 Advanced Expository Writing
        • ENG-W 381 The Craft of Fiction
        • ENG-W 383 The Craft of Poetry
        • ENG-W 401 Advanced Fiction Writing
        • ENG-W 403 Advanced Poetry Writing
        • ENG-W 410 Indiana Writing Workshop
        • ENG-W 413 Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing
        • ENG-X 373 Professional Practice in English (Departmental consent required)
        • ENG-X 395 Global Experience in English (Departmental consent required)
        • ENG-X 471 Teaching Internship in English (Departmental consent required)
        • ENG-X 473 Internship in English (Departmental consent required)
        • ENG-X 490 Individual Reading in English (Departmental consent required)
      3. 400–499 Elective. One (1) course:
        • ENG-G 405 Studies in English Language
        • ENG-L 450 Seminar: British and American Authors
        • ENG-L 460 Seminar: Literary Form, Mode, and Theme
        • ENG-L 470 Seminar: Literature and Interdisciplinary Studies
        • ENG-L 480 Seminar: Literature and History
        • ENG-L 499 Senior Independent Study for Honors Students
        • ENG-W 401 Advanced Fiction Writing
        • ENG-W 403 Advanced Poetry Writing
        • ENG-W 410 Indiana Writing Workshop
        • ENG-W 413 Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing
    • Concentration Option. One (1) of the following concentrations (see requirements below):
      • Creative Writing
      • Cultural Studies
      • Public and Professional Writing
  6. Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
    1. Major GPA. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
    2. Major Minimum Grade. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
    3. Major Upper Division Credit Hours. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
    4. Major Residency. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
    5. College Breadth. At least 58 credit hours must be completed in courses from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines outside of the major area.

Major Area Courses

Unless otherwise noted below, the following courses are considered in the academic program and will count toward academic program requirements as appropriate:

  • Any course at the 100–499 level with the ENG prefix—as well as any other subject areas that are deemed functionally equivalent
  • Any course contained on the course lists for the academic program requirements—as well as any other courses that are deemed functionally equivalent—except for those listed only under Addenda Requirements
  • Any course directed to a non-Addenda requirement through an approved exception
  • Any course, consistent with the policies herein, that is part of a concentration, track, and/or specialization being pursued as part of this academic program
Exclusions

The following courses cannot be applied toward major requirements or the College Breadth requirement (unless otherwise noted) :

  • ENG-L 111 Discovering Literature
  • ENG-L 112 Experiencing World Cultures through Literatures in English
  • ENG-L 198 Freshman Literature
  • ENG-W 101 Critical Literacy
  • ENG-W 103 Introductory Creative Writing
  • ENG-W 130 Principles of Composition
  • ENG-W 131 Reading, Writing, and Inquiry I
  • ENG-W 143 Interdisciplinary Study of Expository Writing
  • ENG-W 170 Introduction to Argumentative Writing: Projects in Reading and Writing
  • ENG-W 171 Projects in Digital Literacy + Composition
  • ENG-W 131 Reading, Writing, and Inquiry I*
  • ENG-W 170 Introduction to Argumentative Writing: Projects in Reading and Writing*
  • ENG-W 202 English Grammar Review
  • ENG-W 205
  • ENG-X 101 Pre-Composition

Courses marked with an asterisk (*) will count toward the College Breadth requirement.

Restrictions

The following restrictions apply to the minimum credit hours required in the major:

  • Only 3 credit hours from a combination of:
    • ENG-L 498
    • ENG-X 373 Professional Practice in English
    • ENG-X 471 Teaching Internship in English
    • ENG-X 473 Internship in English
    • ENG-Y 398

This program of study cannot be combined with the following:

  • Bachelor of Arts in African American and African Diaspora Studies and English (AAADENGBA)
  • Bachelor of Arts in English and African American and African Diaspora Studies (ENGAAADBA)
  • Minor in Communication and Public Advocacy (COPUADVMIN)
  • Minor in Creative Writing (CRWRTMIN)
  • Minor in English (ENGMIN)

Exceptions to and substitutions for major requirements may be made with the approval of the unit's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.