Professors walking with MCLA student

Program Details

BA in English

Our four-year B.A. in English is a dynamic and thematically diverse major that exemplifies the best of 21st century liberal arts.  Our faculty have designed an inclusive, justice-oriented curriculum that is both flexible and deliberately “scaffolded,” allowing you to develop your abilities progressively—starting with a series of introductory “gateway” courses in your first year, and featuring cornerstone courses like a junior-year colloquium and a culminating senior seminar.  Along the way, you will explore a wide range of courses in creative writing, literary analysis, film studies, cultural studies, visual culture, rhetorical theory, research methodologies and information literacy—all with an emphasis on the ways that creative expression combined with critical thinking can be both personally and socially transformative.

English majors take the eight foundational courses listed below, while choosing one or more of our “concentrations”—Writing, Literature, or Film & Visual Culture—in order to focus your passions and hone your skills. You may also gain academic credit for the various internship, travel abroad, and teaching assistantship opportunities we offer. After completing our four-year degree, you will be well-equipped to pursue any number of professional trajectories—this versatility is partly what makes the English major so attractive. Our recent graduates have gone on to become publishers, lawyers, school teachers, small business owners, university professors, librarians, community organizers and published writers. 

English Foundation

All students take each of these intro courses:

  • ENGL 151 Fundamentals of Literary Studies I: Reading & Imagination  
  • ENGL 152 Fundamentals of Literary Studies II: Interpretations & Methods  
  • ENGL 153 Introduction to Visual Culture
  • ENGL 208 Experiments in Creative Writing

Social Justice & Transformations (choose one):

  • ENGL 251 Queer Lit
  • ENGL 256 African American Lit
  • ENGL 291 Open Up: Community Dialogue Workshop
  • ENGL 405/405H Creativity & Survival

Literary Histories (choose one from each period):

Period 1 (to 1700)

  • ENGL 351 The World of Shakespeare
  • ENGL 368/368H The Age of Milton
  • ENGL 441 Special Topics in Literature

Period 2 (1700-1900)

  • ENGL 371 American Renaissance
  • ENGL 441 Special Topics in Literature

Rhetoric & Writing Studies (choose one):

  • ENGL 202 Writing Identities
  • ENGL 308 Writing Associate Workshop
  • ENGL 331 The Story of English
  • COMM 306 Business Writing & Presentation
  • COMM 309 Technical Writing
  • COMM 400 Intercultural Communication

Cornerstone Courses (each of the following):

  • ENGL 399 Junior Colloquium  
  • ENGL 490 Senior Seminar