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The English Major

In order to officially file for a major in English, students are required to:

•meet with an English and Creative Writing Department faculty advisor to discuss the major plan and to fill out a major worksheet,

•enter a major plan into DartWorks,

•submit a DartWorks major plan for online approval through DartWorks dashboard, and

•turn in a major worksheet signed by a faculty advisor to the English and Creative Writing department administrator in Sanborn 202 or via email

Requirements

The Major in English requires the successful completion of eleven major courses. Major courses are, unless otherwise stated, all courses with either the ENGL (English) or CRWT (Creative Writing) course code.

  1. The courses must satisfy the following distribution requirements according to the Course Groups, listed below: at least 2 courses from Group I; at least 2 courses from Group II; at least 1 course from Group III; at least 1 course from Group IV.
  2. Two courses must be selected from the Literary Histories (ENGL 1, 2, 3). Each of these courses may be used to satisfy one of the Course Group requirements.
  3. One course must be a Junior Colloquium (ENGL 61-65). This course may also satisfy one of the Course Group requirements.
  4. One course must be a Senior Seminar (ENGL 71-75, CRWT 60-62). This course can also be used to satisfy one of the Course Group requirements.
  5. One course must be designated as satisfying the Culminating Experience Requirement. This may be a Senior Seminar (ENGL 71-75, CRWT 60-62) or, in the case of students seeking a degree with Honors, ENGL 98 or CRWT 98. The Culminating Experience course must be taken and completed after the sophomore-junior summer term.

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the major in the Department of English and Creative Writing should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a proficient grasp of major figures, forms, and texts in English-language literature, culture, and media;
  2. Use analytical techniques to recognize and think critically about challenging questions around identity and the social sphere, including questions of race, gender, sexuality, class, governmentality, and personhood, and
  3. Critically assess ideas expressed in writing, including their own written ideas.
  4. In addition, students who concentrate in Creative Writing should be able to generate lucid, original, elegant, and significant written expression in at least one of the three genres taught in our curriculum: poetry, creative non-fiction, and long-/short-form prose fiction.

Things to remember

Students electing the major in English should bear in mind the following:

  1. Transfer credits normally cannot be used in the major. Students wishing to be granted an exception must petition the CDC (Committee on Departmental Curriculum). If approval is granted, transfer courses are subject to the rules that apply to substitute courses.
  2. Two substitute courses (appropriate major courses from other departments at Dartmouth) are permitted within the major. Normally, substitute courses cannot satisfy the Course Group requirements.
  3. No substitute courses may satisfy the Culminating Experience requirement.