Requirements for the Major and Minor – Prior to Fall 2010
Requirements for the Major:
At least 9 credits
Literature Track
- Classics of Literature Sequence (to be taken in chronological order):
- English 210: Ancient and Medieval Literature
- English 211: English Literature I: The Renaissance and Eighteenth Century
- English 212: English Literature II: The Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
- 2 period courses chosen from:
- English 300: Medieval Studies: The Chaucerian and Arthurian Traditions
- English 301: The Renaissance
- English 302: John Donne and His Contemporaries
- English 304: The Romantic Period
- English 305: Victorian Literature
- English 306: The English Novel
- English 308: Renaissance Drama
- English 316: Voices of Reform: Nineteenth-Century African American Writings
- English 331: The Enlightenment
- English 341: Romanticism: Revolutions in Self and Society
- English 345: Nineteenth-Century American Novels
- English 400: Herman Melville
- English 401: John Milton
- English 402: Geoffrey Chaucer
- English 403: Emily Dickinson
- 1 course chosen from:
- English 203: Early American Literature
- English 204: Nineteenth-Century American Literature
- English 216: African American Literature I
- English 220: Shakespeare
- English / Theater 255: Dramaturgy
- or an additional period course from the list above
- 1 of the following to complete the Senior Studies Requirement
- English 450: Theory of Literature
- Senior Thesis
- at least 2 additional courses
Majors in the literature track who plan to do graduate work in literary studies should consult with their advisors and orient their programs toward the period courses and have a reading knowledge of at least one modern foreign language, preferably French or German.
Writing Track
- Classics of Literature Sequence (to be taken in chronological order):
- English 210: Ancient and Medieval Literature
- English 211: English Literature I: The Renaissance and Eighteenth Century
- English 212: English Literature II: The Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
- 2 courses chosen from:
- English 203: Early American Literature
- English 204: Nineteenth-Century American Literature
- English 216: African American Literature I
- English 217: African American Literature II
- English 218: Blues Women in African American Literature
- English 220: Shakespeare
- English 230 / Theater 257: Theater History I: Greeks to Shakespeare
- English 253: Modern Irish Writers
- English / Theater 255: Dramaturgy
- English 300: Medieval Studies: The Chaucerian and Arthurian Traditions
- English 301: The Renaissance
- English 302: John Donne and His Contemporaries
- English 304: The Romantic Period
- English 305: Victorian Literature
- English 306: The English Novel
- English 308: Renaissance Drama
- English 316: Voices of Reform: Nineteenth-Century African American Writings
- English 322: Modern Poetry
- English 323: Lake Forest College Press I: Book Editing
- English 324: Lake Forest College Press II: Book Production
- English 325: Black Literature of the 1960s
- English 331: The Enlightenment
- English 341: Romanticism: Revolutions in Self and Society
- English 345: Nineteenth-Century American Novels
- English 400: Herman Melville
- English 401: John Milton
- English 402: Geoffrey Chaucer
- English 403: Emily Dickinson
- English 235: Introduction to Creative Writing
- 1 of the following (after completing English 235)
- English 330: Advanced Nonfiction Writing
- English 332: Environmental Writing
- English 360: Creative Writing: Fiction
- English 361: Creative Writing: Poetry
- English 363: Writing Children’s Literature
- English 242 / Theater 270: Playwriting
- 1 of the following to complete the Senior Studies Requirement:
- English 440: Advanced Writing Seminar/Tutorial: Re-Writing Chicago
- Senior Thesis
- at least 1 additional course
For either track: Special studies courses in which topics may vary from year to year may be taken more than once, but majors may count them only once toward the nine-course minimum for the major.
Qualifying Examination for Majors
Students declaring the English major will be required to pass a qualifying examination within two semesters of declaring. The examination will involve defining 25 terms descriptive of literary form. These 25 will be drawn from a list of 75 that the department distributes in all its courses. All required 200-level courses in writing and literature will involve discussion of these formal terms. Except in extraordinary circumstances, students will have two chances to pass the exam.
Requirements for the Minor:
At least 6 credits
- Classics of Literature Sequence (to be taken in chronological order):
- English 210: Ancient and Medieval Literature
- English 211: English Literature I: The Renaissance and Eighteenth Century
- English 212: English Literature II: The Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
- 2 period courses chosen from:
- English 300: Medieval Studies: The Chaucerian and Arthurian Traditions
- English 301: The Renaissance
- English 302: John Donne and His Contemporaries
- English 304: The Romantic Period
- English 305: Victorian Literature
- English 306: The English Novel
- English 308: Renaissance Drama
- English 316: Voices of Reform: Nineteenth-Century African American Writings
- English 322: Modern Poetry
- English 323: Lake Forest College Press I: Book Editing
- English 324: Lake Forest College Press II: Book Production
- English 325: Black Literature of the 1960s
- English 330: Advanced Nonfiction Writing
- English 331: The Enlightenment
- English 332: Environmental Writing
- English 341: Romanticism: Revolutions in Self and Society
- English 345: Nineteenth-Century American Novels
- English 360: Creative Writing: Fiction
- English 361: Creative Writing: Poetry
- English 400: Herman Melville
- English 401: John Milton
- English 402: Geoffrey Chaucer
- English 403: Emily Dickinson
- At least 1 additional course at 200-level or above
Senior Rule
The following rule applies to all seniors majoring or minoring in English: No written work submitted for any course offered within the English department shall be considered acceptable unless it is free of errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage.
