English Major (BA)

The standard English major requires 10 courses:

2 introductory inquiries (survey courses)
2 gateway courses (ENG 1900 and ENG 3020)
5 advanced inquiries (courses above ENG 3020)
1 capstone course (senior seminar)

There are two other English major options: the English major with a concentration in creative writing and the English major with a concentration in professional writing and rhetoric. Each English major with a concentration requires 12 courses. The department offers three corresponding minors in English, creative writing, and professional writing and rhetoric.

Students interested in a standard English major 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, students must take the sequence of “gateway” courses in critical methods and contemporary theory, ENG 1900: Introduction to Literature and Criticism and ENG 3020: Literary and Cultural Theory. Juniors and seniors should take 3000-level courses numbered above 3020, at least three of which must be literature or theory courses.

The senior seminar is a capstone course, in which students study a topic in depth and develop independent research projects. ENG 3020: Literary and Cultural Theory and the senior seminar must be taken at Hamline. ENG 3020 must be taken at least one semester before the senior seminar and is strongly recommended before taking 3000-level literature courses numbered above 3020.