Courses of Study 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Literatures in English
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In the College of Arts and Sciences .
Course Offerings
The Department of Literatures in English offers a wide range of courses in English, American, and Anglophone literature as well as in creative writing, expository writing, and film analysis. Literature courses focus variously on close reading of texts, study of particular authors and genres, questions of critical theory and method, and the relationship of literary works to their historical contexts and to other disciplines. Writing courses typically employ the workshop method in which students develop their skills by responding to criticism of their work by their classmates as well as by their instructors. Many students supplement their formal course work in English by attending public lectures and readings sponsored by the department or by writing for campus literary magazines. The department seeks not only to foster critical analysis and lucid writing but also to teach students to think about the nature of language and to be alert to both the rigors and the pleasures of reading texts of diverse inspiration.
Website: english.cornell.edu
Faculty
S. Samuels, Picket Family Chair, Department of Literatures in English; H. Viramontes, director of creative writing; M. Raskolnikov, director of undergraduate studies; P. Lorenz, director of honors; K. Attell, director of graduate studies; E. Anker, K. Attell, C. Boyce-Davies, J. Braddock, M.P. Brady, L. Brown, N. Bulawayo, J. Byrd, C. Caruth, E. Cheyfitz, E. Cohn, D. Faulkner, C. Frazier, E. Fridlund, A. Galloway, R. Gilbert, C. Green, E. Hanson, J. Hu Pegues, G. Hutchinson, J. Juffer, R. Kalas, J.R. Lennon, C. Levine, G. Londe, K. McCullough, J. McKenzie, S. Mohanty, V. Mort Hutchinson, T. Murray, M.W. Ngugi, E. Quiñonez, J. Rosenberg, D. Schwarz, D. Spires, N. Thompson-Spires, L. Thomas, L. Van Clief-Stefanon, L. Warren, S. Zacher. Emeriti: B. Adams, J. Blackall, F. Bogel, C. Chase, B. Correll, J. Culler, S. Davis, L. Donaldson, D. Fried, A. Fulton, L. Herrin, T. Hill, M. Hite, M. Jacobus, J. Mackowski, K. McClane, M. McCoy, D. Mermin, R. Morgan, R. Parker, N. Saccamano, P. Sawyer, H. Shaw, S. Siegel, S. Vaughn, W. Wetherbee, S. Wong
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First-Year Writing Seminars:
As part of the university-wide First-Year Writing Seminars program administered by the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines, the department offers a wide range of courses in literature, film, and media; nature, the environment, and climate change; culture, politics, and identity; and in community engagement—connecting students with local community partners. Students may apply any of these courses to their first-year writing seminar requirement. Detailed course descriptions may be found in the first-year writing seminar program listings, available through the Knight Institute in July for the fall semester and in November for the spring semester.
First-year students interested in majoring in English are encouraged to enroll in at least one section of ENGL 1270 - FWS: Writing About Literature . ENGL 1270 is open, as space permits, to first-semester freshmen with scores of 700 or above on the CEEB College Placements Tests in English composition or literature, or 5 on the CEEB Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition, as well as to students who have completed another first-year writing seminar.
The Major in English:
The English major provides a foundation in reading writing, research, critical theory, and critical thinking relevant to a vast variety of fields, including journalism, publishing, authoring fiction and non-fiction, the arts and sciences, law, business, and medicine. For more information, visit the English Majors Guide on the department’s website.
Note: In addition to the major requirements outlined below, all students must meet the college graduation requirements .
Major requirements for students matriculating in Fall 2022 and later:
Students matriculating in 2021 may choose to follow either these requirements or those listed for students matriculating in 2020 or earlier.
Coursework requirements
Ten full-semester courses in Literatures in English or related fields
A minimum of seven full-semester courses must be ENGL courses.
Major distribution requirements
Students are required to take courses from the following categories within the course offerings of Literatures in English:
- Pre-1800: two courses in which at least half of the material consists of literature written in English before 1800, studied in the original language. The sole exception to this rule is ENGL 3280 - [The Bible as Literature] , which, although not originally written in English, qualifies for the pre-1800 requirement.
- Post-1800: two courses in which at least half of the material consists of literature written in English after 1800, studied in the original language.
- Literatures of the Americas: two courses, at least one of which must cover one or more of the following fields: American Indian or Indigenous, African American, Asian American & Asian Pacific Islander, or Latinx.
- Literatures of the Global South: one course must cover one of more of the following: African Literatures in English, African Diaspora Literatures in English, Asian Diaspora Literatures in English, Caribbean Literatures in English, or South Asian Literatures in English.
- 4000-level: two courses must be at the 4000-level or above. The 4000-level requirement may only be satisfied with ENGL seminar courses.
- Concentration: three courses must form an intellectually coherent “concentration.”
Notes on course credits
- Courses may qualify for multiple categories, but students may use a single course to fulfill no more than two of the four historical/regional requirements. English courses that satisfy the requirement categories are so designated in the Courses of Study and Class Roster.
- Concentrations are defined by students in consultation with their advisors. Concentrations might feature historical periods or regions of literatures in English (including those required as above), particular genres, or particular approaches. Possible concentrations include creative writing; medieval literature; Renaissance literature; African diaspora literatures; literatures of the Americas before 1900; poetry; twentieth-century literatures in English; literary theory; gender and sexuality studies; film and media; drama; etc.
- A minimum grade of C is required for a course to qualify for the major (no S/U grades).
- Courses must be 3 credits or higher to count toward the major unless otherwise noted.
- No more than two courses of non-Cornell credit per semester may be applied to the major (this restriction includes study abroad under Cornell auspices).
- ENGL 4930 - Honors Essay Tutorial I - ENGL 4940 - Honors Essay Tutorial II may be counted toward the required ten full-semester courses but may not be used to satisfy other categories of requirements.
- First Year Writing Seminars, ENGL 2800 - Creative Writing and ENGL 2880 - Expository Writing may not be counted toward the major.
- All cross-listed courses qualify for the major, even if the student is not enrolled in the ENGL section.
- A maximum of three non-ENGL courses 2000 level or above from other departments, even if focused on literatures not originally in English, may count toward the required ten full-semester courses and the concentration with the approval of the major advisor. To count toward any of the major requirement categories, a course must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS).
- Credit for courses taken abroad or at another institution can in most instances be applied to the ten full-semester courses required for the English major and to the other requirement categories (such as the concentration and pre-1800 requirements) with the approval of the DUS. No more than two non-Cornell courses per semester may be applied to the major. (This restriction includes study abroad under Cornell auspices.)
Major requirements for students who matriculated in Fall 2020 or earlier:
Students who matriculated in 2021 may choose to follow either these requirements or those listed for students matriculating in 2022 or later.
Coursework requirements
- 40 credit hours of English courses or related fields
- A minimum of 28 credit hours must be ENGL courses.
Major distribution requirements
Students are required to take the following number of courses from different categories within the English course offerings:
- Pre-1800: 12 credits (three courses) must be from courses in which 50 percent or more of the material consists of literature originally written in English before 1800. The sole exception to this rule is ENGL 3280 - [The Bible as Literature] which, although not originally written in English, may be used to satisfy the pre-1800 requirement. English courses that satisfy the pre-1800 requirement are so designated in the Courses of Study. Courses outside of the department may be used with permission of the DUS.
- 4000-level: 8 credits (two courses) must be at the 4000-level or above. The 4000-level requirement may only be satisfied with ENGL seminar courses.
- Concentration: 12 credits (three courses) must form an intellectually coherent “concentration.”
Notes on course credits
- Students select their concentration in consultation with their major advisor.
- To receive credit towards the major, students must receive a grade of C or better within a course.
- A maximum of 12 of the 40 required credit hours may come from non-ENGL literature courses provided they are at the 2000-level or above. Majors should discuss the use of non-English courses for major credit with their faculty advisor or the DUS.
- No more than 8 credits per semester of non-Cornell credit may be applied to the English major. This restriction applies to study abroad even when that study is conducted under Cornell auspices.
- ENGL 4930 - Honors Essay Tutorial I - ENGL 4940 - Honors Essay Tutorial II may be counted toward the 40 required credit hours in the major, but they may not be used to satisfy the pre-1800, 4000-level seminar, or concentration requirements.
- All 2000-level ENGL courses (with the exception of ENGL 2800 - Creative Writing and ENGL 2880 - Expository Writing ) count for the major, as do all 3000- and 4000-level courses. Courses from other departments that are crosslisted with ENGL courses qualify for major credit. Courses used for the English major may also be used to meet distribution requirements in the College of Arts and Sciences.
- Credit for courses taken abroad or at another institution can in most instances be applied to the ten full-semester courses required for the English major and to the other requirement categories (such as the concentration and pre-1800 requirements) with the approval of the DUS. No more than two non-Cornell courses per semester may be applied to the major. (This restriction includes study abroad under Cornell auspices.)
Planning a Program of Study:
Few students know from the moment they decide to pursue a major in English exactly what they wish to study. Moreover, it is natural for interests to change over the course of time. The requirements of the English major are designed to provide a flexible framework for increasing skills in literary analysis, research, and writing; the span of studies is as important as following particular interests. Within that framework, the concentration and the Honors Program provide two further ways to shape the pursuit of the major.
Students who major in English develop their own programs of study in consultation with their major advisors. Some focus on a particular historical period or literary genre, or combine sustained work in creative writing with the study of literature. Others pursue interests in such areas as women’s literature, regional literature, literature and the visual arts, or critical theory.
English majors are expected to discuss their overall program of study with their major advisor each semester. The effort of creating or discovering a coherent pattern in the courses selected is itself a valuable part of literary education, and the department expects students to choose courses with an eye to breadth and variety as well as focus and coherence.
The Honors Program:
Second-semester sophomores who have done superior work in English are encouraged to seek admission to the departmental program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in English. Completing the English major with honors allows students to independently study a topic they choose and to write a researched, critical paper of about 50 pages. To be eligible for the Honors Program, students should have a GPA of 3.7 in courses that qualify for the English major. After submitting the online English Honors Program application, eligible students will be admitted provisionally to the program.
During their junior year these students complete at least one Honors Seminar (ENGL 4910 , which covers a pre-1800 topic, or ENGL 4920 , covering a post-1800 topic) and are encouraged to take an additional 4000-level English course in the area of their thesis topic. Provisional Honors candidates must select a thesis topic and secure a thesis advisor by the end of the junior year. A student who has been accepted by a thesis advisor and whose brief thesis proposal has been approved by the Director of Honors becomes a candidate for Honors rather than a provisional candidate. Students planning to study abroad in their junior year who wish to complete the Honors program should make arrangements with the Director of Honors in English before leaving campus.
During their senior year, each candidate for honors in English enrolls in a yearlong tutorial (ENGL 4930 –ENGL 4940 ) with their thesis advisor. The year’s work culminates in the submission of a substantial critical essay that is read by at least two members of the faculty. Find more information about the Honors Program.
Minors in the Department of Literatures in English:
The Department of Literatures in English offers three minors, open to any student at Cornell with any major (except English): “Creative Writing,” “English,” and “Minority, Indigenous, and Third World Studies” (MITWS). Students interested in minoring with the department should submit an online minor intent form as soon as possible. To declare a minor, students submit the applicable online minor declaration form as soon as all classes to be used are known, and no later than the end of the seventh week of their final semester.
View the English Minors Guide for forms.
Successful completion of the minor will be noted on students’ official transcripts.
Notes on course credits
- Each minor requires students to pass five three- or four-credit courses with a minimum grade of C (no S/U grades).
- No first-year writing seminars may be used toward minor requirements.
- At most, one course total from transfer, study abroad, independent study, or upper-level literature courses from another Cornell department may qualify if approved by the department.
Creative Writing
Due to the writing-intensive nature of these courses, students may take only one creative writing course per term. The minor in creative writing cannot be completed in less than four terms. The literature course may be taken concurrently. The following courses are required:
English
Students may distribute their five eligible courses across categories including literature, creative writing, and critical writing/creative nonfiction at the 2000-, 3000-, and 4000-levels. Those wishing to take four creative writing courses should minor in creative writing.
- Literature courses offered in the Department of Literatures in English and courses from another department that are crosslisted with English count towards the minor.
- With the exception of ENGL 1100 - How Reading Changes Your Life , no 1000-level courses count.
- Students should consult the department if they have questions about a course counting for the English minor.
Minority, Indigenous, and Third World Studies (MITWS)
Students wishing to minor in Minority, Indigenous, and Third World Studies (MITWS) may distribute their five eligible courses across categories including African American, Asian American, American Indian and other indigenous, Latino/a, and Anglophone African, Asian, and Caribbean literatures. The MITWS minor seeks to foster comparative thinking across domestic U.S. and international contexts, and coursework should engage with ethnic, indigenous, and/or national literatures.
The courses listed below provide an example of the kind of courses that qualify for the MITWS minor. For questions about a course’s eligibility, please consult the department.
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