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Undergraduate Catalog

2010 - 2011

BA in English
(48–65 hours*)

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Program Requirements    |    View MAP

  1. Students must complete the GE Foreign Language option even if the Advanced Mathematics option has already been completed.

  2. The English Department requires a minimum of 21 hours of English major course work to be taken in residency at BYU for this degree program. These hours may also go toward BYU's 30-hour residency requirement for graduation.

  3. Engl 195 is recommended.

  4. Because upper-division English courses require substantial writing, students should complete their Engl 295 before they begin their first upper-division courses, preferably in the second semester of their sophomore year.

  5. No more than three hours of any one R course may apply toward the hours required for the major.

  6. Complete the following core courses:
    • Students are strongly encouraged to take a freshman college-level writing course, regardless of their AP test scores (Wrtg 150 or Phil 150).

    • Fundamentals of language and literature: complete one of the following:
        ENGL 251 : Fundamentals of Literary Interpretation and Criticism. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        ENGL 251 : Fundamentals of Literary Interpretation and Criticism. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        DESCRIPTION: Introduction to concepts and practice of literary analysis; critical theories; and elements of fiction, poetry, and drama.

        ENGL 252 : Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        ENGL 252 : Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        PREREQUISITE: A 5 on the English AP exam, Engl 251, or instructor's consent.
        DESCRIPTION: Selected primary texts representing three different critical approaches; practice in reading and writing applied criticism; library research paper.

        Note: Students must complete Engl 251 or 252 before taking any 300-level courses.

    • British and American literary history:
        ENGL 291 : British Literary History 1. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        ENGL 291 : British Literary History 1. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        OFFERED: Independent Study also.
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        PREREQUISITE: Engl 251 or 252 or concurrent enrollment.
        DESCRIPTION: Development of ideas, movements, genres, and styles in early English literature as illustrated through representative texts.

        ENGL 292 : British Literary History 2. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        ENGL 292 : British Literary History 2. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        OFFERED: Independent Study also.
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        PREREQUISITE: Engl 251 or 252 or concurrent enrollment.
        DESCRIPTION: Development of ideas, movements, genres, and styles in later English literature as illustrated through representative texts.

        ENGL 293 : American Literary History. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        ENGL 293 : American Literary History. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        OFFERED: Independent Study also.
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        PREREQUISITE: Engl 251 or 252 or concurrent enrollment.
        DESCRIPTION: Development of ideas, movements, genres, and styles in American literature as illustrated through representative texts.

        Note: Students must complete the literary history course in a period before taking any 300-level courses in that period.

    • Complete the following core course:
        ENGL 295 : Writing Literary Criticism. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        ENGL 295 : Writing Literary Criticism. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        PREREQUISITE: English major status.
        DESCRIPTION: How to address an academic audience, support arguments, and engage effectively in critical conversations about literature.

        Note: Students must complete Engl 295 before taking most 300- and 400-level courses for majors.

  7. Complete one major authors course from the following:

  8. Complete one course from each of the following three areas:

  9. Rhetoric and Theory: complete one course from the following:

  10. Diverse Traditions and Methods: complete one course from the following:

  11. Complete the following:

    Note: Students will take this course their senior year.

  12. Complete 9 elective hours from any 300- or 400-level English courses, except:
    • English education courses (Engl 329, 377, 378, 379, 423, 479).
    • Engl 399R.

    The following may also be counted toward the elective hours:

Note 1: Some English majors choose to minor in editing, which is offered by the Department of Linguistics and English Language.

Note 2: Some English majors choose to focus on special areas of concentration within the major itself, such as:

Creative Writing

    Engl 218R, 317R, 318R, 319R, 320R, 419R, 518R.

Folklore, Ethnic, and Regional Literature

    Engl 356, 358R, 364, 368, 391, 392, 393R.

Rhetoric and Academic Writing

    Engl 322, 323, 325, 326, 328R.

Preparation for Graduate Studies in English

    Engl 451 or 452.

*Hours include courses that may fulfill university core requirements.



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