Program Overview

Program Overview

The Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies at the National University of Singapore offers a Single Major B.A. (Honours) in English Literature program. This program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of English literature and its various aspects.

Program Requirements

To major in English Literature, students need to fulfill the following requirements:

• Pass EN1101E An Introduction to Literary Studies, which will be counted towards the Faculty Core or UE requirements.
• Pass at least 60 units of EN or EN-recognised courses for Cohort 2021 onwards, or 84 units for Cohort 2020 and earlier.
• For Cohort 2021 onwards:
  • A minimum of 4 units at EN level-2000.
  • A minimum of 8 units from literature before 1800.
  • A minimum of 36 units at level-3000 or higher, with:
    • A minimum of 20 units at level-4000 or higher.
    • A maximum of 4 units at EN level-5000 (subject to the Department’s approval).
• For Cohort 2020:
  • A minimum of 4 units at EN level-2000.
  • A minimum of 8 units from literature before 1800.
  • A minimum of 64 units at level 3000 or higher, with:
    • A minimum of 40 units at level 4000 or higher.
    • A maximum of 1 level 5000 EN course (subject to department's approval).
• For Cohort 2016 to Cohort 2019:
  • A minimum of 4 units from the specified list of courses.
  • A minimum of 16 units British Literature courses, with at least 8 units from British Literature (before 1800).
  • A minimum of 64 units at level 3000 or higher, with:
    • A minimum of 40 units at level 4000 or higher.
    • A maximum of 1 level 5000 EN course (subject to department's approval).

Literature Before 1800 Courses

The following courses are considered literature before 1800:

• EN2201 Backgrounds to Western Literature and Culture
• EN2205 Late Medieval Literature and Culture
• EN2209 Literature and Culture in Ancient Rome
• EN2214 The Marvelous World of Journey to the West (in English)
• EN3218 Secrets of the Renaissance Library
• EN3220 From the "Age of Epic" to the "Age of TV"
• EN3221 The English Renaissance
• EN3222 The Eighteenth Century
• EN3226 Shakespeare
• EN3227 Romanticism
• EN3228 Women Novelists: 1750 - 1800
• EN3229 Shakespeare in His Time and Ours
• EN4221 Topics in the Seventeenth Century
• EN4222 Topics in the Eighteenth Century
• EN4227 Five Years in the Eighteenth Century
• EN4251 Jonathan Swift
• EN4269 Ovid the Innovator: Advanced Ancient Roman Poetry
• EN4880A Usurpation and Authority

EN-Recognised Courses

The following courses are recognised by the English department:

• EL3222 Cinematic Discourse and Language
• EL3258 The Sociolinguistics of Humour: Jokes and Comedies
• EL4221 Narrative Structures
• EL4253 Language, Gender and Sexual Identities
• PH2209 Philosophy of Art
• PH2219 Critical Theory and Hermeneutics
• PH2224 Philosophy and Film
• PH3214 Philosophy and Literature
• PS4220 Rhetoric and Politics
• TS2239 Major Playwrights of the 20th Century
• TS2241 Writing the Short Film
• TS3246 Shakespeare and Asian Performances
• TS4220 Shakespeare and Film

Department and Faculty Information

The Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies is part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore. The department is located at Block AS5, 7 Arts Link, Singapore.