Mar 28, 2024  
Course Catalog 2006-2007 
    
Course Catalog 2006-2007 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

English


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: College of Arts and Sciences


Major


The English major is designed to meet the needs of students with various goals, including those seeking a foundation for postgraduate work or study in fields related to English (e.g., education, communications, editing and publishing, law, theater); those who want a humanistic base in reading, thinking, and writing for a liberal arts education; and those who desire training in English in preparation for graduate study in the field.

Students interested in graduate work in English should be aware that their candidacy will be strengthened by the following: readiness to define a likely direction or area of ongoing scholarly interest; evidence of the ability to conduct successful independent research and extended critical writing; reading knowledge of at least one foreign language; and a more ample distribution of historical period courses than that minimally required by the major. Students should consult with their advisors about the decision to go on for graduate work in English.

The English major was substantially revised in 2003. Students who declared the English major before that time have the choice to finish under the old rules or to change to the new. It will be assumed that such students are finishing under the old rules unless the student’s advisor notifies the chair of a change. English majors continuing under the old rules are encouraged, but not required, to take the Senior Tutorial or a Senior Seminar.

Before declaring the major in English, students must complete the following, in consultation with an advisor (a faculty member in the department): a Majors Checklist (available from the department office and web site);  a one-page Plan for the Major; and the Declaration of Major form (available from the Office of the Registrar). Although the format of the Plan for the Major is flexible, it should describe the student’s intentions and goals for the major, as well as a strategy for achieving those goals. The student and advisor should re-visit the Plan for the Major several times during the student’s work in the department and revise it as appropriate.

The Department offers two types of majors, regular and concentration majors, described in detail below. The regular major is primarily a course of study within the discipline of English; the concentration majors are interdisciplinary.

Students may count toward the English major (at the 200 level) one college course (up to three credit hours) in non-English-language literature, whether read in the original or in translation. Such a course will not satisfy the distribution requirements for the major (see below).

Students earning lower than a C– in a course may not count that course toward the major or the minor in English.

The regular major in English consists of at least 27 hours, including:

  • two Gateway courses,
  • four courses at the 300 level, and
  • a 400-level course—the Senior Tutorial, a Senior Seminar, or Honors in English.

Distribution Requirements


In order to assure cultural breadth, English majors must take at least one course designated as American, one as British, and one as Diversity – a category that encompasses areas of traditionally under-represented cultures. Furthermore, English majors must take at least one course in each of the following historical periods: Pre-1700, 1700-1900, and Post-1900. An individual course may satisfy several requirements. The Senior Tutorial does not satisfy distribution requirements.

Distribution category designations for individual courses may be found on the department web site and in descriptions below for Introductory and Advanced courses. Distribution designations for the old major are available online but are no longer printed in the catalog.

English majors are urged, but not required, to take at least one course in poetry and one in drama, as well as one course in a non-English language literature, whether read in the original or in translation.  Please note, however, that such courses do not satisfy distribution requirements.

Concentration Majors


There are six interdisciplinary concentration major alternatives to the regular major. Based in English, these concentrations allow students to bring studies in other disciplines to bear on their work in English.

All concentration majors consist of at least 21 hours in English and 15 hours outside of English.

For all concentration majors, courses in English must include:

  • two Gateway courses,
  • three courses (four for the concentrations in American Literature and Culture, and Modern Culture and Media) at the 300 level, and
  • a 400-level course – the Senior Tutorial, a Senior Seminar, or Honors in English.

Concentration majors must satisfy the same distribution requirements as for the regular major in English (see above).

Specific requirements for concentration majors, in addition to the general requirements above:

  • African American Studies: in English: three courses with strong focus on African American or Third World literature with a significant treatment of the literature of Africa and/or the African diaspora; outside English: 15 hours in African American/Third World Studies courses, including no more than one literature course.
  • American Literature and Culture: in English: four courses in American literature and culture; outside English: 15 hours in courses dealing with American culture in History, Art History, African American Studies, etc.
  • Creative Writing: in English: three courses in 20 th-century literature, including one in post-1945 literature; outside English: 15 hours in the Creative Writing Program, a minimum of 10 hours of which must be in the form of coursework offered for Creative Writing credit by Creative Writing faculty.
  • Gender and Women’s Studies: in English: three courses with a strong feminist or Women’s Studies component; outside English: 15 hours from courses listed in the catalog under Gender and Women’s Studies; one of these courses must be Gender and Women’s Studies 100; the remainder must be selected from courses listed as “Program Courses” or “Discipline-Focused Courses” in Gender and Women’s Studies, and no more than three hours in courses listed as “Related Courses.”
  • Modern Culture and Media: in English: four courses dealing with issues in modern culture and media; outside English: 15 hours in courses dealing with modern culture and media.
  • Theater and Drama: in English: three courses in dramatic literature, playwriting, or other drama or film topic; outside English: 15 hours (total) in at least two other areas (dramatic literature, theater, film) to be chosen from among courses such as these: courses in theater and design/technical areas; film courses; other literature courses in translation or in the original language of which the substance is drama.

In consultation with the department chair, majors may devise other concentrations to meet their particular interests. Because concentration majors require more advance planning than the standard English major, they may not be declared after the end of the student’s junior year. Students who choose a concentration major have no guaranteed access to courses outside the English Department required for that major.

Minor


An English minor consists of at least 15 hours in the English Department including at least:

  • one Gateway course and
  • two courses at the 300 level.

Distribution requirements: at least one course in Diversity and at least one course in either Pre-1700 or 1700-1900.

Honors


The Honors Program has been revised, beginning with the academic year 2005-06. Honors in English is now an intensive year-long program that will also fulfill the requirement for a 400-level course for the major. The two-semester program will include supervised research with a faculty member, submission of a 35-page essay (or equivalent project), and an oral examination on that project. Successful work in the Honors Program will render a student eligible for consideration for Honors at graduation, but it does not guarantee such Honors.

Students hoping to do Honors are advised to complete the majority of their major requirements, including distribution requirements and any specific requirements for a concentration major, and to have done significant work at the advanced level (in 300-level courses) by the end of their junior year.

Qualified students may apply for the Honors program during the second semester of their junior year on the basis of their previous record in English. Students should confer with potential faculty supervisors to design a project proposal. Acceptance into the Honors program will be based on a minimum major GPA of at least 3.33, the availability of faculty supervisors, and the coherence and feasibility of the proposal.

London Program


Frequently an English Department faculty member serves as co-director of the Danenberg Oberlin-in-London Program, thereby facilitating applications for English majors interested in that semester’s program. For further information, see the section of the catalog entitled “London Program.”

Transfer of Credit


No more than 14 hours of transfer credit in English literature may be applied to the Oberlin English major. (Note: “English Literature” generally excludes basic composition, introductory creative writing, and more than one course in literature not written in English.) To have transfer credit approval toward the major and/or toward meeting prerequisites for upper-level courses, students should consult the faculty member in charge of Transfer of Credit (inquire at the department office), with relevant materials in hand.

Winter Term


Winter Term projects sponsored by English faculty will be offered according to the interests and availability of staff.

Composition Courses


Students interested in taking introductory-level courses in expository writing should see the “Rhetoric and Composition” section of this catalog. Descriptions of writing-oriented courses and procedures to be followed in order to meet the college-wide writing requirements may be found there.

First-Year Seminars


Although First-year seminars do not count toward the English major (which begins with classes at the 200 level), they are an excellent preparation for introductory literary study. For descriptions, please see “First-Year Seminar Program.”

Courses Primarily for Non-Majors


The English Department offers several 100-level courses intended to serve a general audience interested in learning about literature from topical approaches.  Such courses do not normally qualify as Writing Intensive classes and do not count toward the English major.

Introductory Courses to the Study of English


Courses at the 200 level are designed to introduce students to the discipline of literary study in English through attention to fundamental issues and methods of interpretation in critical reading and writing, substantial coverage of texts, and instruction in the conventions of genre, period, and region as appropriate.

Prerequisites: These courses are open to students who have completed any Writing Intensive course, or have gained Writing Certification in any course in the Humanities. They are also open to those who have achieved a 5 on the AP exam in English Language/Composition or English Literature/Composition, or a score of 710 or better on the SAT II Writing test. Other students may be admitted by consent of the instructor, with the understanding that students should be able to demonstrate skills typically taught in Writing Intensive classes (e.g. writing, discussion, and textual analysis).

Introductory Gateway Courses


Courses designated as Gateway will introduce students to the discipline through theoretical and methodological attention to the processes of reading and writing about texts. For further information regarding the particular focus of each individual Gateway course, please consult course descriptions. English majors must take two Gateway courses, in preparation for advanced work.

Introductory Elective Courses


Courses in this category do not serve the “Gateway” function for the English major; they do, however, introduce students to literary or linguistic study, and prepare them for advanced work in English.

Advanced Courses


Courses at the 300 level are designed to broaden students’ experience of literature in English while also deepening the study of the discipline through focused reading of texts, criticism, literary history and theory.

Prerequisites: Two 200-level courses, including at least one Gateway course; or three 200-level courses.

Senior Tutorials and Seminars


Senior Tutorials and Senior Seminars are designed primarily for English majors, and fulfill the 400-level requirement for the English major. Rising senior English majors should apply for tutorials and seminars through a common application available at the department office, not through individual instructors. Some places in seminars may be available for other qualified students after all English majors have been accommodated, by application to the department.

Prerequisite: Admission based on a completed application form (available at the department office).

Honors and Private Readings


Honors in English is only open to students who have been admitted through the application process.  Private Readings are available to students who have completed introductory coursework in the department.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: College of Arts and Sciences