Learning Goals for the Major:
Students who major in English will strive to:
- Acquire a knowledge of English literary history, including both the canonical works of the past and works from emerging traditions and multicultural literature;
- Recognize and demonstrate an ability to work with critical methodologies employed in the discipline of literary studies;
- Write with clarity, originality, and style;
- Recognize and construct a lucid and persuasive argument;
- Read literature with deep attention and intensive responsiveness to content, language and form.
Those who major in English and Creative Writing should fulfill all the goals above and in addition should:
- Develop a distinctive literary voice;
- Acquire a knowledge of the history and cross-cultural diversity of the genres, traditions, and styles in which they are working.
Directions for Election of the Major
Information about Courses
Courses at the 100 level are open to all students and presume no previous college experience in literary study. They provide good introductions to such study because of their subject matter or their focus on the skills of critical reading. ENG 120 (Critical Interpretation) is open to all students, but is primarily designed for prospective English majors. The course trains students in the skills of critical reading and writing.
200-level literature courses are open to all students without prerequisite. They treat major writers and historical periods, and provide training in making comparisons and connections among different works, writers, and ideas.
300-level literature courses encourage both students and instructors to pursue their special interests. They presume a greater overall competence, together with some previous experience in the study of major writers, periods, and ideas in English or American literature. They are open to juniors and seniors who have taken two literature courses in the department, at least one of which must be 200 level, and by permission of the instructor or chair to other qualified students.
For independent work (350), students with at least a 3.33 GPA in courses in the department will have first consideration. Students are encouraged to confer with the instructors of courses in which they are interested. Students should consult the more complete descriptions of all courses, composed by their instructors and available from the department administrative assistants.
Creative writing. The Department offers beginning and advanced courses in poetry (ENG 202 and 302), in fiction (ENG 203 and 301), in children’s literature (ENG 205), and in screenwriting (ENG 204/CAMS 204) and writing for television (ENG 208/CAMS 208). A literary non-fiction writing course (ENG 206) covers different genres (for example, reviewing the arts, travel writing, personal essay, and memoir). The Theatre Studies Department offers an introductory playwriting course (THST 221). These courses are open to all Wellesley College students. Students may choose a Creative Writing concentration within the English major. There is no minor in Creative Writing.
Advanced Placement
Students may receive credits toward their Wellesley degree for their performance on AP or IB examinations. Because no high school course is considered the equivalent of a course in the English Department, the English Department does not grant credit toward the major for AP or IB courses. First-year students and other undeclared majors contemplating further study in English are encouraged to consult the department chair or the department pre-major advisor in relation to their course selection. Students majoring in English should discuss their programs with the chair or their major advisors, and should consult with them about any changes they wish to make during their junior and senior years.
Requirements for the English Major
- 10 units total
- 8 of these taken in the English department and in areas other than creative writing
- 7 courses above the 100-level
- 2 300-level courses (not creative writing; not 350s)
- 1 course that focuses on postcolonial, minority, or ethnic writing
- English 120: only if you entered the college before fall 2024
- English 223 or 224 (Shakespeare): only if you entered the college before fall 2022
- Period requirements:
- For students who entered Wellesley before Fall 2022: two courses focused on literature written before 1900. One of these must focus on literature before 1800. Shakespeare courses do not count.
- For students who entered Wellesley in or after Fall 2022: three courses focused on literature written before 1900. Two of these must focus on literature before 1800. Shakespeare courses can fulfill this requirement.
Notes:
First-Year Writing courses do not count toward the major or minor unless they have been designated in the Course Browser's course notes as doing so.
Independent work (ENG 350, ENG 360, or ENG 370) does not count toward the minimum requirement of two 300-level courses for the major or toward the 10 courses required for the major.
300-level courses in creative writing do not count toward the minimum requirement of two 300-level courses for the major.
With the approval of a student’s major advisor, two courses from other departments or programs at Wellesley or from outside the college may be counted toward the major. These may include literature courses taught in translation or in the original language.
Courses taken in other departments at Wellesley may not be used to satisfy any of the above distribution requirements for the major, except the postcolonial/minority/ethnic writing requirement.
With the chair’s permission, summer school courses or courses taken abroad or via the Twelve College Exchange, may satisfy certain distribution requirements. Students planning to study for a full academic year in the United Kingdom should seek the counsel of their advisors or the department chair.
Transfer students may apply to the chair to earn major credit for more than two literature-based courses taken outside the College.
If you are a transfer student or Davis Scholar who entered before fall 2024 and who has done work equivalent to ENG 120 elsewhere, you may apply to the chair for exemption from this requirement.
Requirements for the English Minor
The English Minor requires 5 units total:
- 4 of these taken in the English department
- 1 300-level course (excluding any creative writing courses, and 350s)
- ENG 120: only for students who entered Wellesley before Fall 2024
- At least one pre-1900 literature course:
- For students who entered Wellesley before Fall 2022, Shakespeare courses do not count.
- For students who entered Wellesley in or after Fall 2022, Shakespeare courses do count.
One course taught within language and literature departments and related interdepartmental programs at Wellesley and other approved schools may be offered for minor credit; these may include literature courses taught in translation or language courses at the third-year level or higher. A maximum of two creative writing units may be included. First-Year Writing courses do not count toward the major or minor unless they have been designated in the Course Browser's course notes as doing so.
Requirements for the English and Creative Writing Major
- 12 units total
- 8 of these taken in the English department and in areas other than creative writing
- 4 creative writing courses (most creative writing courses can be taken twice and receive credit twice; 350 is an option but not encouraged)
- 9 courses above the 100-level
- 2 300-level courses (not 350s, not creative writing)
- 1 course that focuses on postcolonial, minority, or ethnic writing
- English 120: only if you entered the college before fall 2024
- English 223 or 224 (Shakespeare): only if you entered the college before fall 2022
- Period requirements:
- For students who entered Wellesley before Fall 2022: at least two courses focused on literature written before 1900. At least one of these must focus on literature before1800. Shakespeare courses do not count.
- For students who entered Wellesley in or after Fall 2022: at least three courses focused on literature written before 1900. At least two of these must focus on literature before1800. Courses on Shakespeare do fulfill this requirement.
Please see Notes for the English Major above.
A student who is extremely motivated and capable of independent work and who has the permission of a faculty advisor may take an independent study (ENG 350); however, it is recommended that students take full advantage of the workshop experience provided by the creative writing courses. A student qualifying for honors in English and whose proposal has been approved by the Creative Writing Committee may pursue a creative writing thesis; the thesis option, although it includes two course units (ENG 360 and ENG 370), can only count as one of the four creative writing courses required by the concentration. Creative writing faculty generally direct creative theses; however, other English department faculty may direct creative theses.
Students interested in the creative writing concentration are urged to begin planning their programs early in their careers at Wellesley. It is expected that they will have taken at least one writing workshop by the time of election of the major (spring semester sophomore year or fall semester sophomore year, for students studying internationally), and have been in touch with a member of the creative writing faculty to plan the major. Creative writing concentration majors must choose a member of the creative writing faculty as their advisor. Students who are interested in the creative writing concentration but who do not feel confident that they have had sufficient experience in writing to choose the concentration at the time of the election of the major should elect the English major; they may add the creative writing concentration later.
Directions for Sophomores Planning to Major in English or English and Creative Writing
1. Visit the department office and Common Room on the first floor of Founders (F106). All students taking English courses—not only majors—are cordially invited to use our Common Room, which contains a small library.
2. Select an advisor. Every member of the English Department serves as an advisor. A student may choose her own advisor. In order to aid students in making a useful match, brief descriptions of faculty members' areas of interest and scholarly work appear on the Faculty page.
3. Read through the catalogue and this website. Work out a tentative plan for your major, or just think about what you are most interested in, and how you can most effectively combine your own interests with the department’s requirements. Try to see your advisor as soon as possible. The advisor’s signature must be on the Declaration of Major.
4. Remember that courses taken at other institutions (including summer school courses) must be approved by the Chair if credit towards the major is to be awarded. Major advisors cannot grant this approval.
5. Your advisor is there to help you develop a plan for the major. Let your advisor do well what he or she knows how to do—think with you about the course of your education.
6. Reminder for Junior English Majors: Confirmation of Major forms must be completed and signed by your advisor in the Spring of your Junior year (or the very beginning of your Senior year if you were away).
Graduate Study in English
Students expecting to do graduate work in English should ordinarily plan to acquire a reading knowledge of one and, if possible, two foreign languages. They should take ENG 382 (Criticism) or an equivalent course in literary theory. They should also consult with the department’s graduate school advisor, and with their major advisor, about courses that are appropriate for those considering graduate work in English.
Teacher Certification
Students interested in obtaining certification to teach English in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts should consult with the chair of the Education Department and the English Department liaison to the Education Department