Program Overview

English, BA

The Bachelor of Arts in English offers students the opportunity to study literature, creative writing, screen cultures, writing and rhetoric, linguistics, folklore and mythology, and cultural studies. Of these seven concentrations, students pursue one or two that best match their interests and career objectives.

Overview

• Total credits: minimum 120
• Students must complete 36 credits in English/Linguistics/Folklore with at least 33 of those credits beyond ENGH 300 (not including ENGH 302) with a minimum GPA of 2.00.
• At least 9 credits (including the capstone requirement) must be from courses in English/Linguistics/Folklore at the 400 level or above (i.e., 500 and 600 level courses taken for undergraduate credit).

Core Courses in the Major

Required Courses

• ENGH 305: Dimensions of Writing and Literature (Mason Core) (3 credits)
• Select 3 credits from the following:
  • LING 306: Introduction to Linguistic Analysis (Mason Core)
  • ENGH 315: Folklore and Folklife (Mason Core)
  • ENGH 318: Introduction to Cultural Studies
  • ENGH 372: Introduction to Film (Mason Core)
  • ENGH 380: Introduction to Writing and Rhetoric
  • ENGH 396: Introduction to Creative Writing (Mason Core)
• Theory Course:
  • ENGH 308: Theory and Inquiry (3 credits)
• Apex Course:
  • Select 3 credits from the following:
    • ENGH 401: RS: Honors Thesis Writing Seminar (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 417: RS: Topics in Folklore Research (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 458: RS: Topics in Literary Research (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 470: RS: Topics in Screen Cultures Research (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 484: RS: Writing Ethnography (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 486: RS: Writing Nonfiction for the Public (Mason Core)
    • LING 497: Linguistics Apex Research (Mason Core)

English Department Requirements

• Literature before 1800:
  • Select 3 credits from the following:
    • ENGH 320: Literature of the Middle Ages
    • ENGH 321: English Poetry and Prose of the 16th Century
    • ENGH 322: Introduction to Shakespeare
    • ENGH 323: Studies in Shakespeare
    • ENGH 324: English Renaissance Drama
    • ENGH 325: English Poetry and Prose of the 17th Century
    • ENGH 330: Augustan Age:
    • ENGH 331: Age of Sensibility:
    • ENGH 332: Restoration and 18th Century Drama
    • ENGH 333: British Novel of the 18th Century
    • ENGH 340: Early American Literature
    • ENGH 421: Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Literature
    • ENGH 422: Chaucer
    • ENGH 428: Milton
• Literature before 1915:
  • Select 3 credits from courses listed above and the following:
    • ENGH 334: British Poetry of the Romantic Period
    • ENGH 335: Prose and Poetry of the Victorian Period
    • ENGH 336: British Novel of the 19th Century
    • ENGH 341: Literature of the American Renaissance
    • ENGH 342: Post-Civil War American Literature,
    • ENGH 343: Development of the American Novel to 1914
    • ENGH 348: Beginnings of African American Literature Through 1865
    • ENGH 349: African American Literature: Reconstruction to 1903
    • ENGH 360: Continental Fiction,
    • ENGH 361: Continental Fiction,
    • A second course from literature before 1800 list above
• Literature after 1915:
  • Select 3 credits from the following:
    • ENGH 350: African American Literature Through 1946
    • ENGH 351: Contemporary African American Literature
    • ENGH 352: Topics in Ethnic American Literature
    • ENGH 353: Twentieth-Century Poetry
    • ENGH 354: Twentieth-Century Fiction
    • ENGH 355: Contemporary Fiction
    • ENGH 356: Contemporary Poetry
    • ENGH 368: Modern Drama
    • ENGH 370: Documentary and Non-Fiction Film/Media (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 371: Global TV (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 372: Introduction to Film (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 374: Screening the Global City (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 470: RS: Topics in Screen Cultures Research (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 472: Topics in Film/Media Theory
    • ENGH 474: Topics in Screen Cultures
• Minority, Folkloric, or Popular Literary and Cultural Traditions:
  • Select 3 credits from the following:
    • ENGH 310: Topics: Women and Literature
    • ENGH 315: Folklore and Folklife (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 319: Popular Culture
    • ENGH 348: Beginnings of African American Literature Through 1865
    • ENGH 349: African American Literature: Reconstruction to 1903
    • ENGH 350: African American Literature Through 1946
    • ENGH 351: Contemporary African American Literature
    • ENGH 352: Topics in Ethnic American Literature
    • ENGH 362: Global Voices (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 366: The Idea of a World Literature (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 367: World Literatures in English
    • ENGH 412: Topics in Folklore Studies
    • ENGH 414: Folklore and the Supernatural
    • ENGH 415: Folk Art and Folk Artists
    • ENGH 416: Folklore and Migration
    • ENGH 417: RS: Topics in Folklore Research (Mason Core)
    • ENGH 419: Topics in Popular Literature
    • ENGH 451: Science Fiction
    • ENGH 452: Critical Study of Children's Literature
    • ENGH 484: RS: Writing Ethnography (Mason Core)

Concentrations in the Major

• Concentration in Creative Writing (CW)
• Concentration in Cultural Studies (CULT)
• Concentration in Folklore and Mythology (FOLK)
• Concentration in Linguistics (LING)
• Concentration in Literature (LIT)
• Concentration in Screen Cultures (SCRC)
• Concentration in Writing and Rhetoric (WRTR)

Writing Intensive Requirement

• ENGH 305: Dimensions of Writing and Literature (Mason Core) (3 credits)

Upper Level Courses

• Students seeking a bachelor's degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.

Additional Electives

• Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.

College Level Requirements for the BA Degree

• Philosophy or Religious Studies:
  • Select 3 credits from the following:
    • PHIL
    • RELI
• Social and Behavioral Sciences:
  • Select 3 credits of social and behavioral sciences from the following (additional to the Mason Core social and behavioral sciences requirement):
    • ANTH
    • CRIM
    • ECON
    • GOVT
    • HIST
    • LING
    • PSYC
    • SOCI
    • GGS
• Foreign Language:
  • Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language, fulfilled by:
    • Completing 3 credits in a foreign language (including American Sign Language) numbered 202 or higher taught in the language
    • Or achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test
• Non-Western Culture:
  • Select 3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture (additional to the Mason Core requirement in global contexts)

Mason Core

• Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above.
• Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.

Program Outcomes

• Write effectively in a variety of genres, demonstrating understanding of audience, generic conventions, and the writing process
• Write logically, clearly, concisely, and correctly
• Analyze and interpret a range of cultural texts, including but not limited to literature, film, and folklore
• Develop, design, and create a range of products, including artistic contributions
• Conduct research, including finding and evaluating the reliability of sources

Accelerated Master's Programs

• Bachelor's Degree (any)/English, Accelerated MA (Folklore Studies Concentration)
• Bachelor's Degree (any)/English, Accelerated MA (Linguistics Concentration)
• English, BA or Creative Writing, BFA/Secondary Education, Accelerated MEd (Secondary Education - English Concentration)