Program Overview

English Undergraduate Major (BA, HBA)

The English Undergraduate Major (BA, HBA) at Oregon State University is a comprehensive program that delves into the world of literature, writing, and critical thinking. This major is designed to foster a deep understanding of literary history, cultural contexts, and the power of language.

Overview

The English major encompasses a wide range of subjects, including literary history, film and visual culture, creative and nonfiction writing, rhetoric and literacy, and the digital humanities. Students in this program develop essential skills in close reading, critical analysis, and effective writing, preparing them for a variety of careers and graduate studies.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the English Undergraduate Major, students will be able to:

• Write effective arguments about a variety of literary and cultural texts.
• Use information literacy and new technologies to plan and conduct research appropriate to initial and advanced study in English.
• Recognize and interpret a wide variety of texts and genres, using a range of theoretical and interpretive strategies, including close reading.
• Demonstrate the role of context(s) in production, reception, and transmission of literary and cultural texts.

Requirements

To complete the English Undergraduate Major, students must:

• Attain proficiency in a foreign language, as certified by the School of Language, Culture, and Society, equivalent to that assumed at the end of a second-year language sequence (211/212/213).
• Earn a grade of C or better for all courses used to complete major requirements.
• Not take courses to satisfy major requirements with an S/U grade.
• Complete a total of 180 credits for graduation.

Course List

The program includes a variety of courses at different levels, including:

200-Level (Lower Division)

Students select four courses from the following list:

• ENG 201: *SHAKESPEARE
• ENG 202: *SHAKESPEARE
• ENG 204: *SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE: BEGINNINGS TO 1660
• ENG 205: *SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE: RESTORATION TO ROMANTIC ERA
• ENG 206: *SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE: VICTORIAN ERA TO 20TH CENTURY
• ENG 207: LITERATURE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION: CLASSICAL-RENAISSANCE
• ENG 210: *LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: ASIA
• ENG 211: *LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: AFRICA
• ENG 212: *LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: MESO/SOUTH AMERICA, CARIBBEAN
• ENG 213: *LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: MIDDLE EAST
• ENG 214: *LITERATURE OF THE WORLD: EUROPE
• ENG 220: *TOPICS IN DIFFERENCE, POWER, AND DISCRIMINATION
• ENG 221: *AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE
• ENG 222: CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
• ENG 240: *INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE
• ENG 253: *SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE: COLONIAL TO 1900
• ENG 254: *SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE: 1900 TO PRESENT
• ENG 260: *LITERATURE OF AMERICAN MINORITIES
• ENG 275: *THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE

300-Level (Upper Division)

• ENG 301: WAYS OF READING
• ENG 302: ^WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE
• ENG 345: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY CRITICISM AND THEORY
• ENG 304: CAREER PREPARATION FOR ENGLISH MAJORS
• Select one course from the following list:
  • ENG 317: *THE AMERICAN NOVEL: BEGINNINGS TO CHOPIN
  • ENG 318: *THE AMERICAN NOVEL: MODERNIST PERIOD
  • ENG 319: *THE AMERICAN NOVEL: POST-WORLD WAR II
  • ENG 320: *STUDIES IN PAGE, STAGE, AND SCREEN
  • ENG 321: *STUDIES IN WORD, OBJECT, AND IMAGE
  • ENG 322: *STUDIES IN GLOBALISM, TEXT, AND EVENT
  • ENG 330: *THE HOLOCAUST IN LITERATURE AND FILM
  • ENG 360: *NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
  • ENG 362: *AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS
  • ENG 375: CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
  • ENG 386: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF AMERICAN ART AND LITERATURE: PART I
  • ENG 387: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF AMERICAN ART AND LITERATURE: PART II
  • ENG 388: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF AMERICAN ART AND LITERATURE: PART III
  • FILM 310: *FILM THEORY AND CRITICISM
  • WR 324: SHORT STORY WRITING
  • WR 340: CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING
  • WR 341: POETRY WRITING
  • WR 383: FOOD WRITING

400-Level (Upper Division)

• Literature Pre-1700: Select one course from the following list:
  • ENG 425: STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
  • ENG 430: STUDIES IN PRE-1700 LITERATURE
  • ENG 435: STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE
  • ENG 490: HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
• Literature: Select one course from the following list:
  • ENG 418: THE ENGLISH NOVEL: VICTORIAN PERIOD
  • ENG 434: STUDIES IN ROMANTICISM
• Literature Post-1900:
  • ENG 438: STUDIES IN MODERNISM
  • or ENG 440: STUDIES IN MODERN IRISH LITERATURE
• Select two courses from the following list, including one projects-based course:
  • ENG 403: THESIS
  • ENG 406: PROJECTS
  • ENG 416: POWER AND REPRESENTATION
  • ENG 445: ^STUDIES IN NONFICTION
  • ENG 454: MAJOR AUTHORS
  • ENG 460: STUDIES IN DRAMA
  • ENG 465: STUDIES IN THE NOVEL
  • ENG 470: ^STUDIES IN POETRY
  • ENG 480: STUDIES IN LITERATURE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY
  • ENG 482: STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
  • ENG 485: ^STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE
  • ENG 488: LITERATURE AND PEDAGOGY
  • ENG 489: WRITING, LITERATURE AND MEDICINE
  • ENG 497: *INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S VOICES
  • ENG 499: SELECTED TOPICS
  • FILM 445: DOCUMENTARY FILM STUDIES
  • FILM 452: ^STUDIES IN FILM
  • FILM 480: STUDIES IN FILM, CULTURE AND SOCIETY
  • WR 411: ^THE TEACHING OF WRITING
  • WR 414: ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING
  • WR 420: STUDIES IN WRITING
  • WR 424: ADVANCED FICTION WRITING
  • WR 440: ADVANCED CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING
  • WR 441: ADVANCED POETRY WRITING
  • WR 448: MAGAZINE ARTICLE WRITING
  • WR 449: CRITICAL REVIEWING
  • WR 462: ^ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING
  • WR 466: ^ADVANCED TECHNICAL WRITING
  • WR 475: RHETORICS OF RACE
  • WR 495: ^INTRODUCTION TO LITERACY STUDIES
  • WR 497: DIGITAL LITERACY AND CULTURE

Sample Plan of Study

A sample plan of study for the English Undergraduate Major is provided, outlining a possible four-year course sequence. This plan includes:

• First Year:
  • Fall: ENG 254, WR 121, Language 111, Bacc Core: PAC
  • Winter: ENG 205, COMM 111 or COMM 114, Language 112, Bacc Core: Western Culture
  • Spring: ENG 211, MTH Course, Language 113, Bacc Core: Difference, Power & Discrimination
• Second Year:
  • Fall: ENG 201, Language 211, Bacc Core: Cultural Diversity, Bacc Core: Physical Science with Lab
  • Winter: Language 212, Bacc Core: Literature & The Arts, Bacc Core: Social Processes & Institutions, Bacc Core: Biological Science with Lab
  • Spring: HHS 231, Language 213, CLA Core: Non-Western Culture, Bacc Core: WR II, Bacc Core: Difference, Power & Discrimination
• Third Year:
  • Fall: ENG 301, ENG 362, ENG 304, CLA Core: Social Science, Third Lab Science
  • Winter: ENG 302, CLA Core: Fine Arts, CLA Core: Additional Course, Elective
  • Spring: ENG 345, ENG 470, CLA Core: Humanities, Bacc Core: Science, Technology & Society, Bacc Core: PAC
• Fourth Year:
  • Fall: ENG 490, Bacc Core: Contemporary Global Issues, Electives
  • Winter: 400-level ENG course from Literature list, ENG 4XX Projects Course, Electives
  • Spring: ENG 438, Electives

Major Code

The Major Code for the English Undergraduate Major is 890.