Advanced Placement: A score of 4 or 5 in Literature earns college credit and counts toward the literature common area requirement; a score of 4 or 5 in Language & Composition earns college credit but does not meet any common area requirement. Students with AP credit in English do not receive credit toward the major or advanced standing in the English curriculum.
Majors: Students who are considering an English major should enroll in ENGL 130: Poetry and Poetics during the first year. Those seeking to sharpen their skills before entering Poetry and Poetics may begin with ENGL 100: Introduction to Literary Study.
Creative Writing Minor: Students interested in pursuing a minor in creative writing should consider enrolling in ENGL 100: Introduction to Literary Study or ENGL 130: Poetry and Poetics.
Courses
ENGL 100
Introduction to Literary Study
Common Area: Literature
How does literature matter? What use is figurative language? What truth can literature offer? This course teaches students how literary texts produce meaning through genre and form. Through frequent analytical writing assignments based on the readings, the course helps students learn to present complex arguments with clarity, logic, and persuasive style.
ENGL 110
Intro to Academic Writing
Devoted to improving the student's writing through frequent revisions. Intensive work during the semester concentrates on the student's own writing, which is examined in class and in conference with the instructor.
Class size limited to 12 students.
ENGL 130
Poetry and Poetics
Common Area: Literature
The study of poetry is central to the study of literature, since it is in poetry that the power of language-play is at its most intense. This course investigates how poetry produces emotional and intellectual effects through language, sound, and form. Examining poems from a broad range of writers and periods, students will hone close reading skills as they engage with the devices poets use to prompt imaginative work in their readers. All sections will be writing-intensive, using the drafting process to develop and refine literary analysis and ultimately to present it in the form of persuasive critical arguments. The course is required for English majors, who are encouraged to take it as early as possible to prepare for more advanced literary study.