English Major Requirements

The program for English majors is designed to lay a foundation for careers in writing, teaching, scholarship, and research, as well as for many other types of position in the business and professional world where skills in communication, creative, critical, or analytical writing, public relations, editorial skills, advertising, or the like are required.

Students who ENTERED the university since Summer 2020 are required to follow the 2020 undergraduate program shown here to meet the requirements for graduation. Students who entered the university when previous graduation requirements were in place (1997, 2003, 2006, or 2010) can continue to use those to meet the requirements for graduation unless they CHOOSE to switch to these new ones. Anyone considering switching to the new graduation requirements should first consult one of the two undergraduate advisors.

For an application to become an English Major please visit the A&S Advising Center or apply on-line.

Major: ENGL
Degree: BA
Unit: Arts and Sciences

Requirements

  • Only 40 hours in the major department may be applied toward the Bachelor of Arts degree. Courses in first-year composition (English 101, 102, and 105) are not counted in computing the 40 hours for an English major.
  • At least 50 of the minimum hours required must be at the 300 level or higher.
  • Students should complete first the Core classes before beginning a Track.
  • Student Learning Outcomes:
    • Completion of the Bachelor of Arts in English requires the student to submit one paper written for an English course taken at the University of Louisville during the student’s last two semesters.
    • The paper should be critical or analytical in style and should be 4 to 10 pages long.
    • Papers utilizing primary or secondary sources are preferred over those that do not.
    • Further details are available from the Administrative Assistant. Please submit SLO papers are submitted to the Administrative Assistant.

Cardinal Core General Education Requirements (GERs)

Skills

  • Written Communication (WC) - 6 credit hours minimum
  • Oral Communication (OC) - 3 credit hours minimum
  • Quantitative Communication (QC) - 3 credit hours minimum

Disciplinary Perspectives

  • Arts & Humanities (AH) - 6 credit hours minimum (at least 2 courses from different disciplines)
  • Social & Behavioral Sciences (SB) and Historical Perspective (SBH) - 6 credit hours minimum (at least 2 courses from different disciplines and 3 hrs. must be in Historical Perspective)
  • Natural Sciences (S, SL, B) - 7 credit hours minimum (lecture and lab in a single discipline; an additional 3 hours in a second discipline)

Diversity

  • US. Diversity (D1) - 3 credit hours minimum*
  • Global Diversity (D2) - 3 credit hours minimum*

* The Diversity requirements will be met by taking courses in other Cardinal Core categories that also carry the D1 or D2 designation. This requirement, therefore, does not add hours to the total Cardinal Core Program.

Total Hours = 31

College of Arts and Sciences Program Requirements

  • Gen 101 (Arts & Sciences Orientation) = 1 hour
  • Electives outside your program (taken in addition to the courses used to meet Cardinal Core Requirements):
    One course at any level = 3 hours
    Two courses at 300 or above = 6 hours
  • Foreign Language = 12 hours (completion of the intermediate level of a single foreign language)
  • Writing [WR] (For English majors, this requirement is already incorporated into the other degree requirements for the major)
  • Total Hours = 22

Supporting Courses in Humanities

  • Electives in Humanities (other than English)
    Four courses at 300 or above = 12 hours
    One course at 400 or above = 3 hours
  • Total Hours = 15

Department of English Requirements

Students entering the English Major will take the required Core classes first:

The Core

(Minimum Total Hours = 18)

  • 6 credit hours - Take two of the following:
    • ENGL 202 - Introduction to Creative Writing-AH
    • ENGL 300 - Introduction to Literature-WR
    • ENGL 310 - Introduction to Professional and Public Writing-WR
  • 9 credit hours - Take each of the following:
    • ENGL 301 - Literature in English before 1800
    • ENGL 302 - Literature in English after 1800
    • ENGL 315 - Culture, Text, and Media
  • 3 credit hours - Take one of the following:
    • ENGL 368 - Minority Traditions in English Literatures-AHD2
    • ENGL 369 - Minority Traditions in American Literature-AHD1

The remaining 18 credit hours will be completed by choosing one of the three Tracks:

Track in Literature

(Minimum Total Hours = 18)

    • 12 credit hours - Take each of the following:
      • Two 400-level literatures in English electives
      • One 500-level literatures in English elective
      • ENGL 599 - Texts and Technologies-CUE
    • 3 credit hours - Take one of the following:
      • ENGL 491 - Literary and Cultural Theory
      • ENGL 492 - Special Topics in Interpretive Theory
      • ENGL 591 - History of Criticism - Plato to the New Criticism-CUE
    • 3 credit hours - Take one of the following:
      • One 500-level literatures in English elective
      • ENGL 555 - Cooperative Internship in English Studies-CUE

    Track in Creative Writing

    (Minimum Total Hours = 18)

    • 6 credit hours - Take two of the following:[1]
      • ENGL 304 - Special Topics: Creative Nonfiction
      • ENGL 305 - Intermediate Creative Writing Workshop - Poetry
      • ENGL 305 - Intermediate Creative Writing Workshop - Fiction
    • 6 credit hours - Take each of the following:
      • ENGL 403 - Special Topics: Advanced Creative
        Writing
      • ENGL 504 - Special Topics: Advanced Creative
        Writing II
    • 3 credit hours - Take one of the following:
      • ENGL 404 - Miracle Monocle: Editing, Publishing &
        Promoting a Literary Journal
      • ENGL 450 - Cooperative Internship in English Studies
      • ENGL 491 - Special Topics: Interpretive Theory: The
        New Criticism to the Present
      • ENGL 492 - Special Topics in Interpretive Theory
      • ENGL 507 - Special Topics: The Teaching of Creative
        Writing - WR, CUE
      • ENGL 555 - Cooperative Internship in English
        Studies - CUE
      • ENGL 591 - Special Topics: History of Criticism:
        Plato to the New Criticism - CUE
    • 3 credit hours - Take each of the following:
      • ENGL 599 - Special Topics: Texts and Technologies -
        CUE, WR

    [1]A student who did not take ENGL 202 in the common core will need to take it before starting the track sequence.  ENGL 305 is a special topics course. Students in the Creative Writing track may take ENGL 305 twice to satisfy this requirement if they choose two different genres/topics.

    Track in Professional and Public Writing

    (Minimum Total Hours = 18)

    • 3 credit hours - Take each of the following:
      • ENGL 405 - Special Topics: Editing, Publishing, and
        Document Design
    • 6 credit hours - Take two of the following:
      • ENGL 303 - Special Topics: Scientific and Technical
        Writing - WR
      • ENGL 306 - Special Topics: Business Writing - WR
      • ENGL 309 - Special Topics: Inquiries in Writing - WR
      • ENGL 407 - Special Topics: Writing for Social Change -
        WR
    • 3 credit hours - Take each of the following:
      • ENGL 480 - Special Topics: Digital and Visual
        Composition
    • 3 credit hours - Take one of the following:
      • ENGL 404 - Miracle Monocle: Editing, Publishing, and Promoting a
        Literary Journal
      • ENGL 450 - Cooperative Internship in English Studies
      • ENGL 491 - Special Topics: Interpretive Theory: The
        New Criticism to the Present
      • ENGL 492 - Special Topics in Interpretive Theory
      • ENGL 509 - Special Topics: Special Topics Writing
      • ENGL 555 - Cooperative Internship in English Studies -
        CUE
      • ENGL 591 - Special Topics: History of Criticism: Plato to
        the New Criticism - CUE
    • 3 credit hours - Take each of the following:
      • ENGL 599 - Special Topics: Texts and Technologies -
        CUE, WR