The English Department will now offer a three-year pilot of an Intensive Literature Concentration modeled on the very successful Creative Writing Concentration.

It aims to provide a community of like-minded students for our most serious and ambitious majors, to provide extra guidance and advising for students who would like their major to have more shape and purpose, and to provide a more rigorous set of expectations for students who want to do more with their major.

We hope this concentration will better prepare students to propose and write a successful honors thesis in the department, and that it will also be useful preparation for admission to graduate programs in English, law, humanities, and social sciences. It will also demonstrate work ethic and self-direction.

• We will accept up to 30 students from among current freshmen and sophomores who intend to major in English. Students who want to apply for admission to the concentration should send a one-page statement explaining why they want to join the concentration to Treseanne Ainsworth. Because this is just a pilot program, completion of the Intensive Concentration will not be reflected on your transcript. But faculty who work with you will be able to note your participation in letters of recommendation.
• Students in the Intensive Concentration will be required to:
  • Complete a 13-course major (that is, take three courses beyond the existing ten courses required for the English major
  • Add to the existing requirements (as one of their 13 courses) a course in theory or the history of criticism;
  • Complete two advanced seminars (one of which may be a graduate course, if appropriate and with permission of the instructor);
  • Map out, with the help of their advisor, a three course concentration within the major. The student will be asked to submit a written description of this concentration by the beginning of fall semester of their senior year.
• We will offer the students in the concentration:
  • Special advising: these students will be assigned to designated advisors who will begin talking to them early on about their interests and plans;
  • Seats will be saved for them in advanced seminars;
  • Group meetings: we will organize a meeting of these students once a semester to hear presentations on the honors program, applying for fellowships, applying to graduate schools, and other topics of interest;
  • These students will receive special invitations to talks and colloquia.
• Students in the Concentration will be advised to:
  • Take appropriate background courses in their first semesters in the major, such as the Intro to Brit Lit, the ALH sequence, Classical and Biblical Backgrounds, History of the English Language, depending on individual needs and interests;
  • Gain proficiency in at least one foreign language relevant to their field of concentration and/or take appropriate courses in other departments that provide necessary knowledge and expertise;
  • Make sure that if they study abroad junior year, they choose a rigorous and relevant program;
  • Seriously consider writing a senior thesis and take steps to prepare themselves to do that by pursuing advanced coursework and by getting to know faculty in relevant fields.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How does the Intensive Literature Concentration relate to the English Department Honors Program? The two are completely separate.
  

Students in the Intensive Concentration are not required to write an honors thesis, although we hope that most will choose to do so. Students in the Concentration will need to apply for acceptance into the Honors Program just like everyone else.

• Can a student participate in both the Creative Writing Concentration and the Intensive Literature Concentration?

In theory, yes, although a student who wanted to do both would need to sit down with an advisor and map out how to complete the requirements for both. Creative Writing workshops will not be accepted in place of the two required advanced seminars.

• Will this appear on my transcript?

During the pilot program, it will not. If this becomes a permanent program in the department after the three-year pilot, it will appear on transcripts.

If you have further questions, please email Frances Restuccia or Treseanne Ainsworth.