The English Major at UC Berkeley

All students should visit an adviser at the College of L & S, as well as an English Department Major Adviser. The information here refers only to the requirements for the English major. Be sure to consult an L&S Adviser (in 113 Campbell Hall) about fulfilling all College requirements (e.g., Quantitative Reasoning, Foreign Language, Reading & Composition, Seven-Course Breadth, and unit requirements). For information concerning completion of non-College requirements, please contact the offices listed below:

Subject A/College Writing
112 Wheeler Hall (642-5570)

American History & Institutions
110 Sproul Hall (642-3175)

American Cultures
120 Wheeler Hall (642-2264)

Declaration Of Major

To declare a major in English, the student must:

  1. have completed at least 30 units
  2. normally have completed the L & S Reading and Composition requirement
  3. have taken these 2 major requirements: 45A or 45B, and one of the following: Shakespeare, 45A, 45B, or 45C.

English majors should meet periodically with an adviser to monitor their course of study. Students are encouraged to organize their upper-division course work by choosing an area of concentration. (see AREAS OF CONCENTRATION below)

The Major Program

The English Major consists of no fewer than 12 courses, of which at least 7 must be upper division courses.

I. Of these 12, the following 4 courses are required of all majors and must be taken for a letter grade:

English 45A, 45B, 45C, Shakespeare (17,117A, 117B, 117J, or 117S)

II. Of the remaining 8 courses, the following 3 are required and must be taken for a letter grade:

   Two Seminar Courses:

    English 100. Junior Seminar: critical and methodological problems in the study of literature. Topics vary according to instructor.

    English 150. Senior Seminar: intensive study of a special topic, major author, or critical problem. Topics vary according to instructor. Enrollment in English 150 is by application, due the semester before the course is taken. Applications are generally available in the racks outside the English Department office in mid-October of the fall semester and in early April of the spring semester. The due date and other requirements are noted in the departmental Announcement of Classes posted on the web and on the application forms.

   Pre-1800 Course:

    One upper-division course in British, American, or anglophone literature from an historical period before 1800. Standard course offerings that would meet this requirement include English 105, 110, 111, 112, 114A, 114B, 115A, 115B, 118, 119, 120, 125A, 130A. Certain designated sections of English 150 may be used to satisfy the Pre-1800 requirement. English 100, C107, any Shakespeare course, or a course outside the department (such as Dante) that does not include a substantial amount of English literature may not fulfill this requirement.

III. The remaining 5 courses are elective:

    Elective courses are those that you take based on your personal interest in the study of English. Electives will bring variety to your study, but should be focused by the Areas of Concentration.

    With the approval of a major adviser, students may count up to two upper-division courses from departments other than English toward the 12 required for the major.

    Two of the 5 elective courses for the major may be taken P/NP.

    A student may use a total of four (4) units of independent study as one of the 12 courses required for the major. The four units need not be taken in a single course.

Areas of Concentration

It is strongly recommended that at least 3 upper-division courses fall within one of the areas of concentration outlined below or within an area of concentration designed by the student in consultation with a faculty adviser.

Except for Area 1, which includes five concentrations, each numeral designates a single concentration. The English Department's Announcement of Classes , posted on the web, lists upper division course-offerings by area of concentration. Please note that most courses, including English 100 and 150, fall within more than one area. Some students may wish to designate one upper division course from another department as belonging to the area of concentration. This judgment should be made in consultation with a major adviser. Again, the area of concentration is not a requirement for the major, but a recommended way of organizing upper division coursework.

    1. An Historical Period. Literature written in English during a particular era in history. In the five areas specified below, national boundaries are subordinated to historical periods and trends; for example, courses in both 19th c. English and 19th c. American literature will fulfill requirements for area 1D.

    Each of these historical periods constitutes one area of concentration:

    • 1A. Medieval (Literature in English through 1485) Standard course offerings in area 1A include English 105, 110, 111, 112.
    • 1B. Early Modern (Renaissance through Milton) An upper division Shakespeare course may be included in area 1B AND will also satisfy the Shakespeare requirement. Standard course offerings in area 1B include English 114A, 114B, 115A, 115B, 116, 117A, 117B, 117J, 117S, 117T, 118.
    • 1C. Enlightenment (Late 17th c. through early 19th c.) Standard course offerings in area 1C include English 118, 119, 120, 121, 125A, 130A.
    • 1D. Nineteenth Century (through early Modernism) Standard course offerings in area 1D include English 121, 122, 125B, 130B, 130C, 133A, 137A, and frequently 100 and 150.
    • 1E. Twentieth Century (from Modern to Contemporary) Standard course offerings in area 1E include English 125D, 125E, 126, 127, 130D, 133B, 134 ,137B, C143V, and frequently English 100, 133T, 135AC, C136, 137T, 138, 139, 150, courses in the 170-180 series.

    2. Anglophone and Multicultural Studies. African American, Asian American, Native American, and Latino/Chicano literatures, as well as (post-) colonial or "world" literatures written in English. Standard course offerings in area 2 include English 133A, 133B, 133T, 135AC, 137A, 137B, 137T, 138, 139, C143V, 175, Celtic Studies 139. Also check listings in Ethnic Studies and African American Studies.

    3. Genre Studies. Three courses from one literary genre (e.g. narrative, poetry, drama). Many different kinds of courses may fulfill requirements in area 3. For example, in poetry, both 180L (The Lyric) and English 121 (Romantic Period) would be appropriate, as would a course in the theory of genre. Standard course offerings in area 3 include: for poetry, English 121, 127, 131, 180L; for narrative, English 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, 132, 180H, 180N; for drama, English 114A, 114B, 117A, 117B, 117J, 117S, 117T, 128. Students may designate other genres: satire, epic, autobiography, etc.

    4. Sexual Identities/Gender Studies. Literature as a cultural site on which gender identity and the discourse of sexuality is produced. Standard course offerings in area 4 include English 152, 171, often 100 and 150. Also check listings in Women's Studies, Comparative Literature, Film, etc.

    5. Literary Theory. Theoretical models of literary interpretation. Standard course offerings in area 5 include English 161, 177, H195A, often 100 and 150. Also check listings in Rhetoric, Philosophy, Comparative Literature, etc.

    6. Folklore, Popular Culture, and Cultural Theory. Folk cultures, popular culture (including film) and cultural studies generally in relation to literary study. Standard course offerings in area 6 include English C107, C136, 173, 176, 178, often 100 and 150. Also check listings in Film, History, Rhetoric, Comparative Literature, Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, African American Studies, etc.

    7. Linguistics/The English Language. Structure and history of the English language. Standard course offerings include English 101, 102, 105, and 179. Also check listings for Linguistics, Anthropology.

Additional Information

Grades required for graduation. To graduate with an A.B. degree in English, a student must achieve at least a 2.0 or C average in: a) all work undertaken at the University of California (all campuses), b) all courses required for the English major, and c) all upper division courses in the English major.

Pass/Not Pass. Two of the 12 required courses for the major may be taken P/NP (including 98, 99, 198, 199), but not 45A/45B/45C (or their upper-division equivalents), Shakespeare, 100, 150, or the Pre-1800 course, all of which must be taken for a letter grade. The P/NP option in English is subject to the regulations set forth in the L&S Announcement.

Supervised Independent Study (English 98, 99, 198, 199). A student may use a total of four (4) units of independent study as one of the 12 courses required for the major. The four units need not be taken in a single course. Independent Study coures may be taken on a P/NP basis only. Applications are available in the English Department Office. Independent study courses are subject to the regulations set forth in the L&S Announcement.

Internships. Students may apply to a faculty adviser to receive course credit (either as a 99 or 199) for an internship. No more than two units will be awarded on a Pass/Not Pass basis. Students must provide official documentation about the internship and, upon completion of this program, a statement from the person directing the internship which describes duties performed by the student. In addition, students must produce critical or creative writing on a topic related to the internship. An English Department faculty member who has agreed in advance of the internship to supervise the student will assess this writing. This faculty member will be the instructor of record for the 99/199.

Summer Session Courses. Only one Summer Session course normally may be counted toward the major.

Courses taken outside the department. With the approval of a major adviser, students may count up to two upper-division courses in departments other than English toward the 12 required for the major. The request for course approval should be grounded in a compelling intellectual rationale, one that explains how the student's work for the English major will be enriched through the inclusion of the particular outside course the student wishes to take. For appropriate courses outside English, consult the listings for Comparative Literature, Ethnic Studies, foreign language departments, History, History of Art, Linguistics, Philosophy, Rhetoric, Women's Studies, etc. Students gaining 8 units of credit or more toward the English major from education abroad programs will not normally be permitted to count additional upper-division course work from other UCB departments.

Education Abroad Programs. A faculty major adviser determines credit toward the major for coursework completed through an education abroad program on a case-by-case basis. Students should submit documentation (e.g. course descriptions, syllabi, completed exams, papers, and other written work) to demonstrate that the education abroad course is comparable in coverage, rigor, and substance to a UCB upper- division course. Students gaining 8 units of credit or more toward the English major for education abroad courses will not normally be permitted to count additional upper-division coursework from other UCB departments toward the major. Two literature courses in a foreign language will be routinely counted toward the major, if the major adviser determines that the courses meet UCB academic standards. Although there is no official limit on the number of units transferred from education abroad programs, generally two courses/8 units will be counted easily. Although the major adviser recommends unit credit based upon his/her academic judgment, the College of Letters & Science makes the final determination of unit credit for any and all courses taken abroad.

On-line and Extension Courses . Only one UC Berkeley Extension on-line course normally may be counted toward the major. No UC Berkeley Extension on-line course may be used to satisfy the core requirements for the major: 45A/45B/45C (or their upper-division equivalents); Shakespeare; 100; 150; or the pre-1800 requirement. To count toward the major, UC Berkeley Extension on-line courses must be comparable in coverage, rigor and substance to department courses. Students seeking to count a UC Extension on-line course toward the major should submit on-line course materials and other relevant documentation to an English department major advisor or to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Honors Course. English H195 A/B, Fall-Spring sequence only. Admission requires a 3.669 GPA in the major (averaging only UC grades in courses for the English major) and a 3.51 overall UC GPA. Students enrolled in H195 A/B may have the English 150 requirement waived. Honors in English cannot be granted without the successful completion of the Honors Course. Enrollment in English H195 A/B is by application, due the spring semester before the course is to be taken. Applications are generally available in the racks outside the English Department office in early April of the spring semester. The due date and other requirements are noted in the departmental Announcement of Classes posted on the web, as well as on the application forms.

Course Equivalents for 45A, 45B, & 45C. The 45A-B-C requirement may be satisfied by substituting for each course two appropriate upper-division courses. To meet the 45B and 45C requirement, one course equivalent must be in American literature and one must be in British in the appropriate historical periods. Any and all courses used to satisfy the 45A, B & C requirements must be taken for a letter grade. Advisers must approve alternate courses used to fulfill any of the 45 series.

Commencement. The English Department has one Commencement Ceremony a year in the Spring Semester. Students who complete their major and university requirements are eligible to participate in this ceremony. Students who complete their degrees in the summer or fall may participate either the spring semester before after completing their degree. There is a smaller University Convocation Ceremony in the fall should students wish to attend it.

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Last modified: January 14, 2008