English

The English Major:
The English major at Saint Louis University leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. As a major in English, you have great freedom to select courses, experiencing the variety and historical continuity of the British, American and Postcolonial literary traditions.

Required courses include selections from both early and later British literature, along with at least one course in American literature. Multiple elective courses, and a required senior seminar on a special topic (to be taken at the Frost campus, in St. Louis), round out the 10-course sequence for the major.

In every part of the University's English program, writing is central, both as the medium through which we hone our ability to reflect upon what we read and as a subject unto itself. Thus, along with courses in literature, in which writing plays a principal role, you may take courses in various genres of creative writing and/or business and professional writing. These courses can enhance both personal creativity and professional competence.

English majors are required to take a minimum of three courses (nine hours), including their senior seminar, at the Frost campus in St. Louis, Missouri, during one of the last three terms of their studies. This "reverse" study-abroad experience permits the English major to take advantage of the wide range of course offerings at the Frost campus as well as pursue research at the Pius XII Library, which houses more than one million books and 6,000 journal subscriptions.
Admission to the Major

English Courses:

• ENGL-150 The Process of Composition
• ENGL-190 Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research
• ENGL-192 Advanced Writing for Professionals
• ENGL-202 Introduction to Literary Study
• ENGL-220 Introduction to Poetry
• ENGL-230 Introduction to the Novel
• ENGL-240 Introduction to Drama
• ENGL-302 English-Spanish in Translation (cross-listed with SPAN-421)
• ENGL-307 Special Topics: Creative Writing
• ENGL-320 British Literary Tradition to 1800
• ENGL-321 British Literary Traditions II: 1800 to the Present
• ENGL-332 Literature and Film
• ENGL-333 Literature of the African Diaspora
• ENGL-340 World Literary Traditions I
• ENGL-385 Introduction to Post-Colonial Literature
• ENGL-411 Language and Linguistics (cross-listed with CMM-301, FREN-411, GR-411, SPAN-411)
• ENGL-431 Early Shakespeare
• ENGL-432 Later Shakespeare
• ENGL-434 Falling in Love in the Renaissance
• ENGL-454 The Victorian Novel
• ENGL-469 Special Topics in Irish Literature
• ENGL-476 Twentieth-Century American Literature: American Modernisms
• ENGL-477 Twentieth-Century American Poetry
• ENGL-489 American Postmodernisms
• ENGL-489 Americans in Paris
• ENGL-493 British Drama
• ENGL-493 The Literature of the Spanish Civil War
• ENGL-493 Don Juan in Literature

To be admitted to the English major, a student is required to:

1. Have at least a 2.00 cumulative average;
2. Fill out an application to the English major in the Office of the Registrar. The application and the student's record are then submitted to the Department of English. Upon acceptance, a departmental advisor is assigned.

Requirements for the Major:

The major in English requires thirty (30) hours minimum. Students may not count English courses taken to fulfill the Core Requirement toward the major. Nine (9) hours must be taken at the Frost campus in St. Louis, Missouri.

a. 300-level courses in English:

After taking one 300-level course in English to fulfill the Core Requirement, students may count toward the major up to twelve (12) hours in courses at the 300-level.

The department strongly recommends that students take two or more of the following courses before embarking on extensive study at the 400-level:

• ENGL-320: British Literary Traditions I (Beginnings-1800)
• ENGL-321: British Literary Traditions II (1800-present)
• ENGL-325: Literature of the Postcolonial World
• ENGL-328: American Literary Traditions I (beginnings to 1865)
• ENGL-329: American Literary Traditions II (1865-present)

b. 400-level courses in English:

The major requires at least eighteen (18) hours at the 400-level.

c. Area requirements:

Courses taken for the major must include:

• 6 hours of British literature prior to 1800
• 6 hours of British literature after 1800 (including English, Irish, World, and Postcolonial)
• 3 hours of American literature.

Students may count toward Area Requirements up to six (6) hours earned in the following 300-level courses: ENGL-320, ENGL-321, ENGL-325, ENGL-328, and ENGL-329. All other hours counted towards Area Requirements must be taken at the 400-level. ENGL-494 may not be used to satisfy an Area Requirement.

English/Education majors may substitute 400-level state-required English courses for the following:

• 3 hours of British literature prior to 1800
• 3 hours of British literature after 1800 (including English, Irish, World and Postcolonial).

d. Senior Seminar:

Majors must complete 3 hours in ENGL-494 at the Frost Campus, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Creative Writing Emphasis:

Students who wish to major in "English with a Creative Writing Emphasis" must fulfill the fifteen-hour Area Requirements, take ENGL-494, and complete twelve (12) hours of coursework in Creative Writing, chosen from ENGL-305-309, ENGL-405-409, and ENGL-412.

The Department of English participates in the Creative and Professional Writing Certificate, which is open to any major.
Graduation Requirements

General Graduation Requirements: 120 hours (minimum)

1. Completion of the Core Curriculum (54-63 hours)
2. English courses: (30 hours beyond the core)
3. Minor, certificate program or approved related elective courses (18-24 hours)
4. General electives (9-15 hours)

To be certified for graduation, a student is required to:

1. Have at least a 2.00 cumulative average, a 2.00 average in the major and a 2.00 average in the minor, certificate program or related elective hours.
2. Complete his or her final 30 hours at the Saint Louis University (between the Madrid and Frost campuses). Of the 30 required residency hours, especially for transfer students, a minimum of 18 hours of work must be taken within the English Major.
3. Enroll in ENGL-495, the senior residency course (for 0 hours), during the semester in which he or she intends to graduate;
4. Complete a degree application in English Department Office at the beginning of the semester in which he or she intends to graduate.