English

The study of literature offers students a comprehensive point of view from which they can integrate the diversity of human experiences. Language reveals fascinating truths about the human mind and literature records its preoccupations—intellectual, aesthetic, spiritual, psychological, political, social, historical, and ethical.

The study of literature offers deep schooling in human experience. It is also superb training for any field in which understanding of behavior is valued. Students of literature consistently explore language and the forms of expression, valuable in any future work where precise and effective communication is important. English majors and minors can develop these skills to a considerable degree, and non-majors find that taking even a few well-chosen electives beyond the Core requirement can widen their knowledge of literature and sharpen their linguistic abilities.

The English major at Boston College is designed to introduce students to a wide range of expression in the literary traditions of the past and present. It aims to help undergraduate students develop a strengthened ability to work critically and sensitively with texts in poetry and prose, to write with clarity and grace, and to articulate judgments about literature with an awareness of various critical approaches. English majors will become familiar with some of the major developments in the history of literature in the English language and will have the opportunity to choose from an array of courses covering topics from the medieval period to contemporary cultural studies to a range of transnational literatures.

By the successful completion of the English major at Boston College, students will be able to demonstrate:

  • An ability to write clear, coherent, organized, and stylistically correct papers;
  • An ability to close-read, interpret, and analyze texts (including poetic texts);
  • A knowledge of literary genres and appropriate use of critical terminology;
  • A recognition of the historical specificity of literary works and/or other cultural products;
  • An awareness that there are a variety of critical approaches to literary and cultural texts.

Information for First-Year Majors and Non-majors

The English Department has primary responsibility for two Core requirements—ENGL1010 First-Year Writing Seminar, taught entirely by English Department faculty, and ENGL1080 Literature Core, taught largely by English Department faculty. Because Core classes are restricted to first-year students, students should plan to take both courses during the first year. Courses offered through the Woods College may not be counted toward the English Core, major, or minor.

ENGL1010 First-Year Writing Seminar

The First-Year Writing Seminar helps students use their writing as a source of learning and a form of communication. Designed as a workshop in which each student develops a portfolio of personal and academic writing, the seminar follows a semester-long process. Students write and rewrite essays continuously, discuss their works-in-progress in class, and receive feedback during individual and small group conferences with the instructor. In connection with their writing, students read and discuss a wide range of texts, including various forms of non-fiction prose. In addition to regular conferences, the class meets two hours per week to learn and discuss writing processes and strategies, various genres and rhetorical situations for writing, the evolving drafts of class members, and various forms of conducting and writing research, including an introduction to using the resources at O'Neill Library.

ENGL1080 Literature Core

In this part of the Core program, students explore the principal motives which prompt people to read literature—to assemble and assess the shape and values of one's own culture, to discover alternative ways of looking at the world, to gain insight into issues of permanent human importance as well as issues of contemporary urgency, and to enjoy the linguistic and formal satisfactions of literary art.

Literature Core will strive to develop the student's capacity to read and write with clarity and engagement, to allow for that dialogue between the past and present we call history, and to provide an introduction to literary genres.

Courses for English Language Learners

The department offers Core level courses in language and literature for English language learners. These classes require department permission for registration. Interested students should contact the ELL Director, Lynne Anderson, for more information: lynne.anderson@bc.edu.

Major Requirements

Students ordinarily begin the English major in their sophomore year, after completing the First-Year Writing Seminar and the Literature Core. In addition to the two 3-credit Core courses, students take 30 credits (in the form of ten 3-credit courses) from the Department’s offerings. These must include ENGL2131 Studies in Poetry (3 credits) and ENGL2133 Studies in Narrative (3 credits), usually taken in sequence in the sophomore year. Both courses train students intensively in the close reading of literary texts and in writing with critical awareness about literature.

To provide a deeper understanding of the foundations of literary traditions, English majors are required to take 6 credits in earlier literatures in English, to be distributed in the following manner:

  • 3 credits in medieval or early-modern literature (before 1700)
  • 3 credits in eighteenth or nineteenth-century literature (between 1700–1900)

 

Students are also required to take a course in Race, Blackness, and Language. This requirement is designed to encourage students to think about how the meaningfulness of literature emerges from the many forces shaping the world as we understand it, focusing on anti-black racism and racial difference. Students will examine issues of race thinking and global relations of power through lenses of ethics, social justice, respect for human dignity, and sustainability.

Students complete the English major by taking 15 credits in elective courses of their choice. Courses offered through the Woods College may not be counted toward the English Core, major, or minor.

During the sophomore year, historical survey courses such as Introduction to British Literature and Culture I and II and the American Literary History sequence may be useful to fill in students' knowledge of the development of English and American literature. Students who have a special interest in American literature are advised to take American Literary History I as a foundation for later courses. Please note that earlier literatures in languages other than English (such as cross-listed courses offered through other departments) will be counted as major electives and not historical distribution requirements. At this point, students should be in a position to begin making their own choices about how they will complete the major requirements, in discussion with their major advisor. They will have many options from among the 30 or more electives the Department offers each semester in English and American literature, in Irish Studies, in writing, in the different genres, and in particular themes.

Seminars

All majors will be required to take one seminar prior to graduation. The seminar, with its small class size and intensive focus, is designed to foster an intimate learning community where students are encouraged not only to study an issue intensively but also to engage actively in an intellectual exchange with a faculty member and a select group of committed peers. These courses are intended mainly for juniors and seniors, and ordinarily, students are advised to have completed both Studies in Poetry and Studies in Narrative and at least one additional elective before taking a seminar. Students should expect to produce a longer seminar project or research paper (15–20 pages) as well as one or more shorter papers and make at least one oral presentation.

English Minor

The English minor is comprised of six courses (18 credits) beyond the Core requirements in English. These must include:

  • Either ENGL2131 Studies in Poetry or ENGL2133 Studies in Narrative
  • A historical foundations course (pre–1700 or pre–1900)
  • Four electives from the department offerings.
     

Core and Woods College classes may not be counted toward the minor, though additional courses that fulfill the first two requirements may be counted as electives. Students may count up to two courses from study abroad toward the minor, though they must be approved by the department.

​For questions about the English minor, or to declare, please contact Marla DeRosa (marla.derosa@bc.edu).

English Courses for Non-majors

Students majoring in other subjects have always been welcome in English courses for the diversity of viewpoint and variety of knowledge they often bring with them. From the students' point of view, English courses offer the enjoyment of reading good literature; insight into history, culture, and human character; and a chance to polish reading and writing skills.

Interdisciplinary and Related Programs

The English Department is connected to a variety of interdisciplinary programs at Boston College. For details about each program, you can go to the English Department website.

  • American Studies Program
  • Asian American Studies
  • Creative Writing
  • Irish Studies
  • Journalism
  • Medical Humanities 

Secondary Education Major

English majors who are also completing Lynch School of Education and Human Development majors must fulfill more specific major requirements to demonstrate a broad range of knowledge within the discipline. In addition to the First-Year Writing Seminar, the Literature Core, Studies in Poetry, and Studies in Narrative, these students must fulfill the following requirements:

  • one pre–1700 course
  • one pre–1900 course
  • one course on Anglophone or Ethnic American Authors
  • one course on Women Authors
  • one course on the History of Language/Grammar/Linguistics
  • one course in Adolescent and Young Adult Literature
  • two English electives
     

To acquire sufficient knowledge across this spectrum, Lynch students should consider taking more general survey courses (e.g., Introduction to British Literature and Culture I and II, American Literary History I, II, and III) to fulfill some requirements.

Students with questions about the ENGL/Lynch requirements should contact Marla DeRosa (marla.derosa@bc.edu).

Creative Writing Concentration

The English Department offers a Creative Writing Concentration that allows certain students to intensify and focus their English majors by taking a series of practice-based writing courses along with their literature courses.

  • The creative writing concentrator undertakes a 36-credit English major instead of the usual 30 credits. At least 9 of these credits must be writing workshops in any genre, selected with the help of the student's concentration advisor.

 

All concentrators also attend monthly social gatherings to read new work and share news about literary activity on campus. English majors may declare the Creative Writing Concentration up through first semester of junior year, after receiving a grade of A- or better in one of the Department's creative writing workshops. The period for declaring the Concentration runs through the end of add/drop week of each semester. Eligible English majors wishing to declare should see Marla DeRosa in Stokes S493.

Summer Courses

A limited number of summer courses may be counted toward the English major or minor.

These include summer English courses taught abroad by our faculty through the Office of International Programs, as well as electives taught through the MCAS English Department. 

Please contact Marla DeRosa (marla.derosa@bc.edu) for questions about summer courses.

Information for Study Abroad

English majors should complete (at minimum) the required Studies in Poetry and Studies in Narrative prior to study abroad, while minors should complete at least one of those requirements. Majors will need to have their preliminary application for study abroad approved by the department. Majors may count up to six credits per semester abroad for the major (12 credits maximum); minors may count six credits total. These courses may fulfill historical requirements or major electives. All courses taken abroad must be approved by the department in order to be counted toward the major or minor. A course syllabus is required for major/minor approval. This syllabus must include the writing requirements for the course, and courses cannot be approved without this information. Please note that the number of credits awarded per course is determined by the Office of International Programs.

Students may study abroad for either or both semesters but must contact Marla DeRosa (marla.derosa@bc.edu). 

Honors Program

The English Department offers an honors program for English majors. Students admitted to the program will write an honors thesis senior year, either a critical study or a creative project, for 6 credits total toward the major. Students contemplating an honors thesis are encouraged to take a seminar during their junior year. A description of this program is available on the department website.

B.A./M.A. Program

The English Department at Boston College offers a B.A./M.A. Program that allows selected students to earn both a B.A. and an M.A. in English in five years. Enrolled students will start earning graduate credit as a senior, then complete the M.A. in a fifth year of full-time study. The purpose of the program is to allow students a greater opportunity for concentrated study and research training.

Requirements

Students in the B.A./M.A. program must meet all the specific course requirements for the undergraduate major as well as the formal requirements for the M.A., including the completion of Introduction to Advanced Research or its equivalent, demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language, a theory course, and a comprehensive exam. This requires overloading courses in the senior year, when BA/MA students take four courses that count towards the MA, at least two of which must be designated as graduate, or hybrid graduate/undergraduate, courses. Please see the English Department website for detailed information about the requirements specific to this program.

Students interested in the program should consult the Director of the M.A. Program, to discuss whether this version of the M.A. is right for their individual goals. Admission to the program requires a GPA of 3.3 overall and a 3.6 in the English major. The Director will review the student's academic record and, if appropriate, facilitate the application process. Students in the program will not be eligible for TF/TA positions or graduate financial aid. Students in the program will not be charged graduate tuition for the two overload graduate courses taken in the senior year.

How to Apply:

Students must submit applications by March 31 of the junior year. The required application materials are a personal statement, a writing sample, three letters of recommendation, and an official transcript. The application fee will be waived. Please take a look at the Graduate School of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Admissions page for application instructions and e-mail gsasinfo@bc.edu with any questions on how to upload materials.

Do not send any materials to the English Department.

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