The standard English major requires 10 courses:
2 introductory inquiries (survey courses)
2 gateway courses (ENG 3010 and ENG 3020)
5 advanced inquiries (courses above ENG 3020)
1 capstone course (senior seminar)
The English major with a concentration in creative writing requires 12 courses, including a minimum of three courses in creative writing.
Students interested in an English major or minor are encouraged to take survey courses (ENG 1210: British Literatures to 1789; ENG 1220: British Literatures after 1789; ENG 1230: American Literatures to 1860; ENG 1240: American Literatures after 1860; ENG 1250: World Literatures; or ENG 1270: African-American Literatures) in their first year and to declare a major as sophomores.
In conjunction with declaring an English major or minor, students must take ENG 3010: Textual Studies and Criticism and ENG 3020: Literary and Cultural Theory, a sequence of gateway courses in critical methods and contemporary theory. Juniors and seniors should take primarily 3000-level courses, at least three of which must be literature or theory courses.
The senior seminar is a capstone course, in which students study a topic, author, or a period in depth and develop independent research projects. ENG 3020: Literary and Cultural Theory and the senior seminar must be taken at Hamline. ENG 3010 and ENG 3020 must be taken at least one semester before the senior seminar and are strongly recommended before taking other 3000 and 5000-level courses.
Creative Writing Options
Students interested in pursuing a program in creative writing in the College of Liberal Arts have several options. The English Department offers an English major with a concentration in creative writing or an English creative writing minor (see requirements below) as part of a Bachelor of Arts degree. The Creative Writing Programs offers a major in creative writing as part of a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (see Creative Writing Programs in this Bulletin).