UW English: English major options

English Major Options - Prior to Fall 2005

English Major Options - Fall 2005 and later

General English Literature Major - core curriculum (see diagram) covering major periods, figures and genres in English and American literature
English Major with an Emphasis in Creative Writing - core curriculum (see diagram) augmented by creative writing workshops and a directed creative writing thesis
Go to the Creative Writing web site
English Major with an Emphasis in Language and Linguistics - core curriculum (see diagram) plus courses in Old English, Middle English and linguistics
Go the ELL web site

Options for completing Honors in the Major

General English Literature Major with Honors - core curriculum (see diagram) covering major periods, figures and genres in English and American literature with the requirements of at least 2 required honors seminars, at least one non-honors course taken for honors credit and a 2 semester senior honors thesis
Emphasis in Creative Writing and Honors - core curriculum (see diagram) augmented by creative writing workshops, 2 honors seminars and a directed creative writing thesis

Certificate available

Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) - academic and pedagogical preparation for prospective English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers
See the Program in English as a Second Language web site for further details.

General English Literature Major

Completion of this major requires a minimum of 31 credits earned in at least 10 intermediate or advanced courses (ENGLISH 215 or higher). All students must take ENGLISH 215, 216 and 217 and must complete one of these courses in the four credit format. The fourth credit is a writing-intensive workshop focusing on drafts and revisions of papers required by the course. All other core courses are taken for 3 credits. Click on the outline of course requirements to see which courses fulfill each of the requirements in the major. The requirements and courses are distributed as follows:

1. ENGLISH 215 British Literature before 1750, 3-4 cr

2. ENGLISH 216 British and Anglophone Literature from 1750 to the Present, 3-4 cr

3. ENGLISH 217 American Literature, 3-4 cr

4. One course in Shakespeare (select from ENGLISH 219, 220, 226, 417, 418), 3 cr

5. One additional pre-1800 literature course (excluding Shakespeare) (select from ENGLISH 359-369, 400-416, 419-459, 605-608), 3 cr

6-10. Five additional ENGLISH elective courses at the intermediate or advanced level numbered 215 or higher, 15 cr

English Major with an Emphasis in Creative Writing

Students with a particular interest in creative writing (see also the Creative Writing section on this web site) can choose to earn an English major with an emphasis on creative writing. These students combine a background in literature with a concentration of courses in writing fiction or poetry.

The English Major with an Emphasis on Creative Writing requires a minimum of 31 credits earned in at least 10 intermediate or advanced courses (ENGLISH 215 or higher). All students are required to take ENGLISH 215, 216 and 217 and must also complete one of these courses in the four credit format. The fourth credit is a writing-intensive workshop focusing on drafts and revisions of papers required by the course. Click on the outline of course requirements to see which courses fulfil each of the requirements in the major. The requirements and courses are distributed as follows:

1. ENGLISH 215 British Literature before 1750, 3-4 cr

2. ENGLISH 216 British and Anglophone Literature from 1750 to the Present, 3-4 cr

3. ENGLISH 217 American Literature, 3-4 cr

4. One course in Shakespeare (select from ENGLISH 219, 220, 226, 417, 418), 3 cr

5. One course in Modern or Contemporary Literature, 1900 - Present (select from ENGLISH 223, 477, 478, 500-519, 610-612, 630-672), 3 cr

6. An ENGLISH elective course at the intermediate or advanced level numbered 215 or higher, 3 cr

7-9. Three Creative Writing Workshops (select from ENGLISH 300-307), 9 cr

10. ENGLISH 695 Directed Creative Writing, 3 cr

The prerequisites for ENGLISH 300-307 vary. Information about registering for Creative Writing Workshops is available on the Creative Writing web site Admission to Workshops page.

Upon completion of three 300-level workshops, an English Major may register for ENGLISH 695 (Directed Thesis).

English Major with an Emphasis in Language and Linguistics

A major emphasis on language and linguistics is available to students who wish to combine a background in literature with a concentration of courses in the history and structure of the English language. In this option students who seek to emphasize language and linguistics in their major curriculum take the core English major curriculum and then select additional courses from the language and linguistics offerings, including Old English, Middle English.

Completion of this major requires a minimum of 31 credits earned in at least 10 intermediate or advanced courses (ENGLISH 215 or higher). All students must take ENGLISH 215, 216 and 217 and must also take one of these courses in the four credit format. The fourth credit is a writing-intensive workshop focusing on drafts and revisions of papers required by the course. All other core courses are taken for 3 credits. This emphasis allows students to select one of two options to complete their curriculum, either the Historical Emphasis or the English Linguistics Emphasis. Click on the outline of course requirements to see which courses fulfill each of the requirements in the major. The requirements and courses are distributed as follows:

1. ENGLISH 215 British Literature before 1750, 3-4 cr

2. ENGLISH 216 British and Anglophone Literature from 1750 to the Present, 3-4 cr

3. ENGLISH 217 American Literature, 3-4 cr

4. One course in Shakespeare (select from ENGLISH 219, 220, 226, 417, 418), 3 cr

5. One additional pre-1800 literature course (excluding Shakespeare) (select from ENGLISH 359-369, 400-416, 419-459, 605-608), 3 cr

6. ENGLISH 324 Structure of English, 3 cr

7. ENGLISH 330 English Phonology, 3 cr

and either
The Historical Emphasis:
- ENGLISH 320: Old English
- ENGLISH 321: Middle English
- ENGLISH 323: History of the English Language
or
The English Linguistics Emphasis:
- ENGLISH 325: English Grammar in Use
- or
- ENGLISH 329: Introduction to the Syntax of English
- and 2 courses selected from:

Honors in the Major

Information about Honors in the Major in English is available from the undergraduate advisor. Students wishing to earn Honors in the Major should consult the honors coordinator. It is advised that students begin the honors curriculum in the first semester of the sophomore year. To graduate with Honors in the Major students must complete the honors curriculum in the department and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 in the major requirements. They also must have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 in all courses taken at UW-Madison. In general, honors students are encouraged to enroll in courses offered for honors credit whenever possible, but at least one non honors course in the curriculum must be taken for honors credit.

Students will plan each semester's program in consultation with the honors coordinator or the advisor. Honors students will be assisted in selecting those courses which offer the most challenging and rigorous academic experience, where multiple options are available.

English Literature Major with Honors

Click on the outline of course requirements to see which courses fulfill each of the requirements in the major. The following are required:

A minimum of 31 credits at the intermediate or advanced level (ENGLISH 215 and above)

One ENGLISH course taken in the 4-credit format (select from ENGLISH 215, 216, or 217)

1. ENGLISH 215 British Literature before 1750, 3-4 cr

2. ENGLISH 216 British and Anglophone Literature from 1750 to the Present, 3-4 cr

3. ENGLISH 217 American Literature, 3-4 cr

4. One course in Shakespeare (select from ENGLISH 219, 220, 226, 417, 418), 3 cr

5. One additional pre-1800 literature course (excluding Shakespeare) (select from ENGLISH 359-369, 400-416, 419-459, 605-608), 3 cr

6. One ENGLISH elective course at the intermediate or advanced level numbered 215 or higher, 3 cr

7. ENGLISH 381 Sophomore Honors: Research Methods in English, 3 cr

8. ENGLISH 481 Junior Honors Seminar in the Major, 3 cr

9-10. ENGLISH 681 and 682—Senior Honors Thesis in the Major, 6 cr

Creative Writing Emphasis with Honors

Click on the outline of course requirements to see which courses fulfill each of the requirements in the major. To earn honors in the creative writing major the following courses are required: