Bachelor of Arts in English
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English provides experience across the breadth of English studies, with coursework in literature, rhetoric, linguistics, and writing. It prepares students for graduate study in fields such as English and linguistics or professional school in fields such as secondary English education and law, or for work in any career that involves writing and reasoning. Graduates of the program have gone on to further study and jobs in fields as diverse as secondary school teaching, grant writing for nonprofits, journalism, consulting, and more.
Admission RequirementsComplete the Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
Graduation Requirements- Complete the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the following major requirements:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Foundational Courses | ||
Complete 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
ENGL A120 | Critical Thinking | |
ENGL A245 | Alaska Native Literatures | |
ENGL A260 | Introduction to Creative Writing | |
LING A201 | How English Works | |
Introduction to English Studies | ||
Complete this 3 credit course: | 3 | |
ENGL A209 | Introduction to English Studies | |
English Studies Electives | ||
Complete 18 credits from the following, of which at least 12 credits must be upper-division: | 18 | |
ENGL A120 | Critical Thinking | |
ENGL A121 | Introduction to Literature | |
ENGL A200 | Global Literature and Culture | |
ENGL A203 | Literature of Britain I | |
ENGL A205 | Literature of the United States I | |
ENGL A206 | Literature of the United States II | |
ENGL A245 | Alaska Native Literatures | |
ENGL A260 | Introduction to Creative Writing | |
ENGL A309 | Texts of American Cultures and Regions | |
ENGL A311 | Writing and Rhetoric in Public Life | |
ENGL A312 | Advanced Technical Writing | |
ENGL A313 | Professional Writing | |
ENGL A385 | Creative Writing Workshop | |
ENGL A390A | Literature by Period | |
ENGL A390B | Literature by Genre | |
ENGL A414 | Research Writing | |
ENGL A429 | Major Authors | |
ENGL A450 | Linguistics and English Language Teaching | |
ENGL A476 | History of English Language | |
ENGL A478 | Public Science Writing | |
ENGL A479 | Advanced Studies in Literature | |
ENGL A490 | Topics in English Studies | |
ENGL A490A | Topics in Literature | |
ENGL A490B | Language in Use | |
ENGL A490C | Topics in Native Literatures | |
ENGL A495 | Internship in Professional Writing | |
ENGL A499 | English Honors Thesis | |
LING A101 | How Language Works | |
LING A201 | How English Works | |
Advanced Inquiry in English Studies | ||
Complete the following courses: | 9 | |
ENGL A433 | Literacy, Rhetoric and Social Practice | |
ENGL A435 | Critical Theory | |
ENGL A437 | Studies in Style and Stylistics | |
Advanced Writing 1 | ||
Complete 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
ENGL A414 | Research Writing | |
ENGL A499 | English Honors Thesis | |
Integrative Capstone | ||
Complete 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
ENGL A476 | History of English Language | |
ENGL A478 | Public Science Writing | |
ENGL A479 | Advanced Studies in Literature | |
Total | 45 |
1 | Students may petition to satisfy this requirement with 3 credits of ENGL A498 completed with a creative writing project. |
A minimum of 120 credits is required for the degree, of which 42 credits must be upper-division.
Honors in EnglishThe Department of English recognizes exceptional undergraduate students by awarding them departmental honors in English. To graduate with departmental honors, the student must be a declared English major, satisfy all requirements for a BA in English and fulfill the following:
- Meet the requirements for Graduation with Honors.
- Maintain a GPA of 3.50 in all courses in the English major.
- Complete 6 credits of the following 400-level topics courses with a minimum grade of A:
Course List Code Title Credits ENGL A429Major Authors ENGL A440Topics in Comparative Literature ENGL A490Topics in English Studies ENGL A490CTopics in Native Literatures - Complete ENGL A499 with a pass grade on a P/F grading scale.
The honors thesis itself is shaped by these guidelines:
- A student wishing to take ENGL A499 should coordinate the process from the beginning with two faculty members (one considered primary, one secondary), one of whom must be a full-time tenure-track member of the Department of English.
- The secondary faculty member may be from another department with the approval of the primary faculty member. Both faculty members should be involved in the project from early in the process.
- The student is responsible for locating the two faculty members and securing their agreement to become involved in the project.
- The student should meet regularly (about once every couple of weeks) with the primary faculty member guiding the thesis to ensure that the project remains on track.
- The student may well benefit from concurrent enrollment in ENGL A414.
- The process should begin with a proposal of no more than 1,000 words (statement of purpose, preliminary controlling generalization and outline) along with an annotated bibliography of about 10 items. This proposal needs to be approved by both faculty members before the student may proceed to write the honors thesis itself.
- The anticipated length of the project is 7,500-10,000 words (exclusive of reference page[s]).
- The final paper needs to be submitted to the two faculty members by the end of the last week of instruction of the semester during which the student is enrolled in ENGL A499.
- The project should be undertaken in a student’s senior year.
- Successful completion of ENGL A499 (with success defined as a pass for the honors thesis) may be used to count for 3 credits toward the 7 credit requirement of the honors senior project.