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More Information:
englishdept@ucdavis.edu

Undergraduate Program
Description | Major | Minor

Undergraduate Program Description
The English department offers three kinds of courses: Composition courses, undergraduate courses, and graduate courses. Composition courses develop skills in reading analytically and in writing persuasively. Undergraduate and graduate courses cover the entire range of English and American literature, as well as creative writing. Students majoring in English may elect a teaching emphasis, a creative writing emphasis, or a general literature emphasis. The teaching emphasis focuses on the study of composition and of language. The writing emphasis focuses on fiction, poetry, and article writing. Creative writing majors have an opportunity to work with distinguished professional writers of fiction and poetry. The general literature emphasis focuses on a series of related courses in various historical periods of English and American literature.

Career Alternatives
Graduates have found the major excellent pre-professional training for graduate study in English, as well as for careers in teaching, writing, law, medicine, and library work. Many graduates are employed in journalism, publishing, advertising, and public information. Others have worked in local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as in industry and agriculture. Some have established their own businesses.

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Undergraduate Major Requirements
2007/2008 English A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) Degree Requirements:
(Checklist of English major requirements for the A.B. degree. Check with the College of Letters & Science Dean's Office for breadth, General Education and foreign language requirements.)

Preparatory Subject Matter (20 units)
UWP 1, Expository Writing, OR ENL 3, Introduction to Literature, OR AP score 4 or 5

One course from:

  • ENL 40, Introductory Topics in Literature
  • ENL 43, Introductory Topics in Drama
  • ENL 44, Introductory Topics in Fiction
  • ENL 45, Introductory Topics in Poetry

 AND three courses from:  (Must be taken in sequence)

  • ENL 10A, Literatures in English I: to 1700
  • ENL 10B, Literatures in English II: 1700-1900
  • ENL 10C, Literatures in English III: 1900-Present

Core Requirements for all emphases (32 units)
A. Literary Criticism (4 units):
ENL 110A, Introduction to the Principles of Criticism (Aristotle to Modern)
ENL 110B, Introduction to the Principles of Criticism (Modern)

B. Historical Distribution (20 units)

Three courses focusing on literature written in English before 1800, at least one of which must be on literature written primarily before 1500:

Before 1500:
ENL 111, Medieval Literature
ENL 113A, Chaucer: Troilus and "Minor" Poems
ENL 113B, Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales
1500-1800:
ENL 115, Topics in Renaissance Literature
ENL 117A, Shakespeare: The Early Works

ENL 117B, Shakespeare: The Middle Works

ENL 117C, Shakespeare: The Later Works

ENL 122, Milton
ENL 123, Topics in 18th Century British Literature

ENL 142, Early American Literature

ENL 150A, British Drama to 1800

ENL 155A, 18th Century British Novel

One course focusing on literature written in English between 1800-1900:

ENL 130, British Romantic Literature

ENL 133, 19th Century British Literature

ENL 143, 19th Century American Literature to the Civil War

ENL 144, Post-Civil War American Literature

ENL 152, American Drama

ENL 155B, 19th Century British Novel

ENL 158A, The American Novel to 1900

ENL 181A, African American Literature to 1900

One course focusing on literature written in English between 1900 and the present:

ENL 137N, British Literature 1900-1945

ENL 138, British Literature 1945-present

ENL 146N, American Literature 1900-1945

ENL 147, American Literature 1945 to the present

ENL 150B, British Drama from 1800 to the present

ENL 155C, 20th Century British Novel

ENL 156, The Short Story

ENL 158B, The American Novel from 1900 to the present

ENL 166, Love & Desire in Contemporary American Poetry

ENL 167, 20th Century African American Poetry

ENL 168, 20th Century American Poetry

ENL 181B, African-American Literature 1900-present

 

C. Non-Historical Distribution (20 units)

One course on literature and ethnicity, literature and gender, or literature and sexuality:  (4 units)

ENL 139, World Literature in English

ENL 166, Love & Desire in Contemporary American Poetry

ENL 167, 20th Century African American Poetry

ENL 178, Special Topics in Ethnic Literature

ENL 179, Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States

ENL 181A, African American Literature to 1900

ENL 181B, African American Literature 1900-present

ENL 185A, Literature by Women I

ENL 185B, Literature by Women II

ENL 186, Literature, Sexuality, and Gender

One course in film and media studies, language studies, cultural studies and contexts, literature and science/technology, or literature and the environment: (4 units)

ENL 105, History of the English Language

ENL/LIN 106, English Grammar

ENL 107, Freedom of Expression

ENL 160, Film as Narrative

ENL 161A, Film History I: Origins to 1945

ENL 161B, Film History II: 1945 to present

ENL 162, Film Theory & Criticism

ENL/STS 164, Writing Science

ENL 171A, The Bible as Literature: The Old Testament

ENL 171B, The Bible as Literature: Prophets and New Testament

ENL/STS 173, Science Fiction

ENL 180, Children's Literature

ENL 182, Literature of California

ENL 183, Adolescent Literature

ENL 184, Literature & the Environment

D. Area of Emphasis (12 additional units)

Literature, Criticism, and Theory (12 units):

One upper division elective (4 units)

Two advanced courses, one of which can be a Seminar (S): (8 units) - please note that 110A or 11B is a prerequisite for advanced study in the major.  Consent of instructor required for all seminars (S).

ENL 149, Topics in Literature

ENL 153, Topics in Drama

ENL 159, Topics in the Novel

ENL 165, Topics in Poetry

ENL 177, Study of an Individual Author
ENL 187, Literature and other Arts (S)
ENL 188, Special Topics in Literary Studies (S)
ENL 189, Seminar in a Major Writer (S)
ENL 194H, Special Study for Honors Student
ENL 195H, Honors Thesis


Creative Writing—(12 units):


Three sections drawn from the following.  Students must select courses in more than one genre:
ENL 100F, Creative Writing: Fiction (4 units)

ENL 100FA, Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction (4 units)
ENL 100NF, Creative Writing: Nonfiction (4 units)
ENL 100P, Creative Writing: Poetry (4 units)

ENL 100PA, Creative Writing: Advanced Poetry (4 units)


Four upper-division units in a national literature other than English or American, or in Comparative Literature, May count toward English requirements. Must be approved by faculty adviser.


It is strongly recommended that you see your adviser once per quarter. There may be changes that could affect you.

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Minor Requirements
Students minoring in English learn to analyze what they read; they learn to read critically, to think about both what is said and how it is said, and to employ various methods of criticism, including the latest theoretical approaches. They also learn to articulate, in oral reports, in-class, and written papers what they have discovered. Through much writing practice and excellent instruction, they improve their writing ability, a lifetime skill worth having.

The English Department’s mission is to encourage students to think, to read critically and analytically, and to express their thoughts in clear, forceful, and graceful prose.

This minor joined with any major on campus will give students useful preparation for any position requiring orderly and clear thinking and expression. For example, many Davis graduates have found the minor a nice complement for majors preparing students for pre-professional training in law, medicine, library work, and teaching.

Requirements
Five upper division English courses, at least four of which must focus on literature.

What can you use in fulfillment of a literature course requirement?
Basically, any English course numbered 107 to 186.

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