The English Major
Declaring an English major is simple. Just follow the Step-By-Step Checklist linked to this page.
Students deciding to pursue the new English major at Penn study literature, literary history, and theories of literary production in a twelve-course major of flexible design, consisting of:
Most new majors will pursue our Standard Curriculum, designed to provide the broadest foundation and greatest possible range of mastery across literary periods, genres, and national literatures. Majors adopting the Standard Curriculum have the option of later adding a Concentration if they wish. English offers 16 distinct Concentrations, and these go everywhere that English goes or has gone.
Still, many other majors will find their interests drawn by our special tracks in Creative Writing and Cinema Studies. Indeed, English is the only major that allows students to major with an emphasis in Creative Writing.
Because our majors pursue emphases and concentrations of their own choosing, they are able to construct courses of study that correspond to their own growing intellectual interests. Some decide to explore entire literary periods (from medieval to the present day), others individual genres (poetry, prose, drama, and cinema), and others specific literary cultures (whether British American, or African-American, Asian-American, Latina/o, Caribbean, Celtic, South African, or other literatures in English).
Total Courses:
The English Major consists of 12 courses numbered from English 015 to English 599. Students must earn a grade of C- or better for courses to count toward the major. Please note that Writing Seminars in English that fulfill the Writing Requirement (English 001-009, 011-012, and 125) do not count toward the major.
The English Major - Standard Curriculum
The Core (6 courses):
These lists change semester to semester. Always check with your advisor to make sure that your choices fit the requirements. Students must take one course within each sector as follows (Spring 2012 semester):
- Sector 1: Theory and Poetics: Can be satisfied by taking any one of the following:
015 054 066 088 093 094 094 095 096 096 105 234 258 259 261 266 272 288 390 394 - Sector 2: Language, Literature and Culture: Can be satisfied by taking any one of the following:
058 080 081 082 090 093 096 096 100 103 103 258 266 270 272 282 284 292 292 323 - Sector 3: Early Literature to 1660: Can be satisfied by taking any one of the following:
020 025 087 101 221 231 238 323 - Sector 4: Literature of the long 18th-century (ca. 1640-1832): Can be satisfied by taking any one of the following:
040 050 090 101 - Sector 5: 19th Century Literature: Can be satisfied by taking any one of the following:
040 050 051 066 081 256 259 352 376 395 - Sector 6: 20th and 21st Century Literature: Can be satisfied by taking any one of the following:
015 054 056 058 065 074 075 080 081 082 088 091 092 093 094 094 095 096 096 101 104 105 256 256 258 259 261 266 270 272 274 282 284 288 291 292 292 292 292 315 356 376 390 395
Please Note: In up to 2 sectors, a student may substitute a 200-level or 300-level seminar ending in the same number. Thus, for example, a student could take English 293 instead of English 093 to satisfy Sector 2.
The Advanced Seminars (4 courses):
- Students must take at least 4 advanced seminars (courses numbered 110 and above, with the exception of English 125, which counts neither as a seminar nor toward the major).
- Of the four seminars, two must be in earlier literatures: one must be in English literature before 1700 and one must be in English literature before 1900. Please Note: Neither of these two seminars in earlier literatures may be double-counted in the core, and both must be English Department courses.
- For one of the seminars, students may choose an advanced seminar Outside of English. Please discuss such courses with your faculty advisor and have them approved before electing them.
The Electives (2-4 Courses):
How many Electives a student needs depends on how many seminars have been double-counted in the core. See the information on Free Electives and outside courses for full information.
Concentrations (4 courses, Optional):
A student adopting the standard major has the option of declaring a Concentration in a given field at any time before graduation. This concentration will appear on the final transcript. Concentrations are comprised of four courses, and are optional. Students may choose to concentrate in: Medieval and Renaissance Literature; 18th- and 19th-century Literature; 20th-century Literature; American Literature and Culture; Gender, Literature, and Culture; Colonial and Postcolonial Literatures; Literary Theory and Cultural Studies; African-American Literature and Culture; Drama; Poetry; Prose; Celtic Studies; Journalism and Print Culture; Law and Literature; or may construct Individualized Concentrations of their own making.