English
Faculty
Jacqueline Padgett, Associate Professor of English (Program Chair)
William Beverly, Assistant Professor of English
Elizabeth Child, Associate Professor of English
Schuyler Esprit, Assistant Professor of English
Wendy Bilen Thorbjornsen, Assistant Professor of English
Description
The English Program provides all students with the opportunity to become familiar with English as an effective tool in speaking and writing, to explore the range of literature in English from the earliest periods to the present, and to develop facility in original writing in various genres. Embracing the interdisciplinarity of Trinity’s curriculum and its focus on gender, race, and ethnicity, the courses offered by the English Program invite students to study the rich traditions of and the current challenges to the standard canon of literary works. Thus, the Program encourages students to focus on: texts, whether printed, filmed, electronically published, or performed; gender issues in literature; and literary treatments of social concerns. The Program proposes to students the study of literary traditions, of literature by and about women, and of literature written in English by members of diverse cultures in the United States and internationally.
Requirements for the major are carefully selected to ensure that each student is able to construct a dynamic program of study built on a core of courses that provide an understanding of literary genres, of themes and movements, and of major figures. Consistent with the mission of Trinity, the English Program stresses the development of the ability to analyze, criticize, and synthesize the structures and ideas encountered in texts; the viewing of literature as the reflection of diverse cultures; and the understanding of literature as a sociological and political event and as a commentary on human values, particularly values related to justice, gender, and race.
Through research projects and participation in seminars and class discussions, students develop the ability to reason, write, and speak persuasively. In their capstone experience in the senior year, the Program’s faculty members encourage English majors to view themselves as independent researchers. The English Program supports both a major and a minor in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Major Requirements
To fulfill the requirements of the B.A. in English, students must complete 39 hours of required coursework in the following areas:
Writing about Literature |
3 credits |
Major British or U.S. Authors Requirement |
6 credits |
Major Figures Requirement |
6 credits |
Major Genres and Movements Study |
3 credits |
Global Literature in English Study |
3 credits |
Literary and Critical Theory |
3 credits |
English Electives |
12 credits |
Senior Colloquium |
3 credits |
Writing about Literature (3 credits)
ENGL 150 Writing about LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of literature. Students will engage in critical reading, analysis and discussion, founding argument on close textual reading, and the development and writing of thesis-centered essays about literature. Literary criticism and theory, research methods, and documentation techniques will also be covered.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
Major British or U.S. Authors Requirement (6 credits)
TWO of the following courses, which examine the work of writers whose ideas and achievements have shaped and are shaping literature in English. The program recommends that students pursue one of the two sequences, either ENGL 211/212 or ENGL 214/215:
ENGL 211 Major British Writers IStudies varied authors and movements from the early periods of English literature to the 18th century to provide students with the necessary tools for literary analysis and with a sense of the literary history of Britain and its colonies. Formerly ENG 215 Major Authors I.
3 credits
ENGL 212 Major British Writers IIStudies varied British and Anglophone authors, texts, and films from 1800 to the 20th century in order to promote students' skills in literary analysis and their knowledge of the history of literature in English, including such important literary movements as modernism and post-colonialism. Formerly ENG 216 Major Authors II.
3 credits
ENGL 214 Major United States Writers IStudies varied major works and authors from the earliest US writing through the late nineteenth century. Formerly ENG 251 American Literature I.
3 credits
ENGL 215 Major United States Writers IIStudies major US literary works in a variety of genres from the late 1800s to the present, including poetry, fiction, and drama. Formerly ENG 252 American Literature II.
3 credits
Major Figures Study (6 credits)
TWO courses at the 300-level or above specifically devoted to the work of one author or a limited set of authors. Please note that ENGL 389 is a pre-requisite for course at the 300-level and above. Sample courses include:
ENGL 325 Works of ShakespeareStudies selected plays of Shakespeare in all the major genres, including comedy, tragedy, history, and romance, as well as introduces students to Shakespearean poetry.
3 credits
ENGL 374 The Films of Spike LeeExamines the major films of African American director Spike Lee, concentrating on the political and social issues raised in his work and the tecniques he uses, including music, camera angles, and episodic storytelling, to support his narrative structures. This course fulfills the major figure requirement for English majors.
3 credits
ENGL 434 Novels of Jane AustenAnalyzes the novels of Jane Austen and selected filmed adaptations to evaluate the ways in which the novels comment on gender and ideology and contribute to the evolution of the novel as a genre. Formerly ENG 347 Novels of Jane Austen.
3 credits
ENGL 435 The Bronte Sisters
ENGL 451 Writers of the American SouthInquires into the effect of Southern life, history, and culture on the development of American authorship, focusing on the work of two or three authors. Writers to be considered may include Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and others.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
ENGL 470 Wright, Ellison, and BaldwinExamines the novels, short stories, and essays of Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin. Themes addressed may include racial and ethnic politics and literature, world conflict, Paul Gilroy's theory of ""the Black Atlantic
ENGL 476 Seminar on Toni MorrisonExamines the novels and selected shorter writings of Toni Morrison, with special interest in the literary commentary on race, gender, and oppression. Formerly ENG 303 Seminar on Toni Morrison.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
Major Genres and Movements Study (3 credits)
ONE course that uses genre or literary period as a category of analysis. Please note that ENGL 389 is a pre-requisite for courses at the 300-level and above. Sample courses include:
ENGL 273 African American PoetryExplores traditional and experimental poetry by African American writers. Formerly ENG 203 African American Poetry.
3 credits
ENGL 275 21st Century TextsExamines texts that have emerged as part of the electronic revolution and the combination of art forms. The course will consider blogs, independent films, ""fan fiction
ENGL 283 Stories and Their WritersIntroduces the study of prose fiction, both classic and contemporary, in its multicultural contexts, with attention to form, theme, major figures, and historical contexts and influences. Formerly ENG 205 Stories and Their Writers.
3 credits
FLC Area II - Literature Cluster
ENGL 285 Plays and PlaywrightsIntroduces students to the study of drama as a genre with its origins in Greek tragedy; students will read and analyze plays from classical Greece, the medieval period, the 19th and 20th centuries, and today's theater in order to understand the development of drama; plays currently in production in Washington, DC, will be reviewed. Formerly ENG 206 Plays and Playwrights.
3 credits
FLC Area II - Literature Cluster
ENGL 287 Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction and FilmIntroduces students to major works in the Gothic genre from the 18th century to the present; emphasizes characteristics and evolution of horror as a topic for narrative.
3 credits
FLC Area II - Literature Cluster
ENGL 363 American Short Fiction Analyzes selected short fiction by US writers and the history, traditions, and revisions of short fiction genres in texts ranging from the early 19th century through contemporary fiction. Formerly ENG 355 American Short Fiction.
3 credits
ENGL 365 Contemporary United States FictionConsiders the issues explored by contemporary US writers and the challenges they make to traditional fictional genres, including the novel. Formerly ENG 361 Contemporary American Fiction.
3 credits
Global Literature in English Study (3 credits)
ONE course that addresses literature written in English by writers of diverse cultures in the US and globally. Please note that ENGL 389 is a pre-requisite for courses at the 300-level and above. Sample courses include:
ENGL 220 African American LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of African American literature, including the vernacular tradition, the New Negro Renaissance of the early twentieth century, periods of realism and modernism in the late 1940s and early 1960s, the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, and newer voices at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Students will practice literary analysis and study the literary techniques and genres belonging to this literature, as well as the ways in which the texts attempt to reinvent, disrupt, or challenge traditional European/North American literary traditions and criticisms. Many of the texts will engage the meaning of race, the forced migration of Africans to the Americas, racism and black resistance to it, institutionalized enslavement and strategies for survival, economic oppression, the celebration of blackness, and the literary achievements of black authors. Biographical, historical, and political contexts will be examined as ways to enrich the reading of the texts.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 267 Multicultural United States LiteratureExamines largely contemporary writings by writers representing the diverse cultures in the US with a consideration of the ways in which difference or ""the other"" may be constructed. Formerly ENG 200 Multicultural US Literature.
3 credits
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
ENGL 271 Literature of the African DiasporaIntroduces students to the study of literature written by authors of African descent in Europe and the Americas and explores the development of an international and multicultural consciousness with Africa and the Diaspora as its referents. Formerly ENG 204 Literature of the African Diaspora.
3 credits
FLC Area II - Literature Cluster
ENGL 370 Ethics and Social Change in Global LiteratureThis course combines the reading of literary texts, film, and critical essays to examine how African Diaspora writers imagine social and political agency in a global context. By tracing major events, movements and theories that have affected peoples of African descent around the world, this course seeks to examine the way authors present the ethical causes and implications of the exercise of choice, the uses of power, and the movement toward freedom. Major terms and concepts to be studied include: colonialism, modernization, globalization, imperialism, capitalism, post-colonialism, and theories of the body. We will study the effects of these major concepts on African Diaspora cultures. What are their effects on identity formation, education, religion, political structures, the natural environment, concepts of family or community, and health and health services? How do African-descended people respond to issues that gravely affect the course of their lives, for better or worse? How do writers represent these responses?
3 Credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
Gen. Ed Area: Knowledge & Inquiry
Literary and Critical Theory (3 credits)
ENGL 389
Students must take this course before progressing to 300- and 400-level courses in English.
English Electives (12 credits)
FOUR additional English courses at the 200-level or higher, two of which must be at the 300-level or higher.
Senior Colloquium (3 credits)
ENGL 499 Senior ColloquiumEncourages the English majors to synthesize their studies in English and other fields; directs students in the writing of an original and scholarly research paper. Offered in the Fall semester. Formerly ENG 497 Senior Colloquium.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Senior status
In the Senior Colloquium, English majors write the senior comprehensive paper. Pre-requisite: senior status.
Minor Requirements
Writing about Literature (3 credits)
ENGL 150 Writing about LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of literature. Students will engage in critical reading, analysis and discussion, founding argument on close textual reading, and the development and writing of thesis-centered essays about literature. Literary criticism and theory, research methods, and documentation techniques will also be covered.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
Major British or U.S. Authors Requirement (6 credits)
TWO of the following courses that examine the work of writers whose ideas and achievements have shaped and are shaping literature in English. The program recommends that students pursue one of the two sequences, either ENGL 211/212 or ENGL 214/215.
ENGL 211 Major British Writers IStudies varied authors and movements from the early periods of English literature to the 18th century to provide students with the necessary tools for literary analysis and with a sense of the literary history of Britain and its colonies. Formerly ENG 215 Major Authors I.
3 credits
ENGL 212 Major British Writers IIStudies varied British and Anglophone authors, texts, and films from 1800 to the 20th century in order to promote students' skills in literary analysis and their knowledge of the history of literature in English, including such important literary movements as modernism and post-colonialism. Formerly ENG 216 Major Authors II.
3 credits
ENGL 215 Major United States Writers IIStudies major US literary works in a variety of genres from the late 1800s to the present, including poetry, fiction, and drama. Formerly ENG 252 American Literature II.
3 credits
ENGL 215 Major United States Writers IIStudies major US literary works in a variety of genres from the late 1800s to the present, including poetry, fiction, and drama. Formerly ENG 252 American Literature II.
3 credits
Major Figures Requirement (3 credits)
ONE course at the 300-level or above specifically devoted to the work of one author or a limited set of authors (see above).
Electives (6 credits)
TWO additional courses in the English Program at the 200-level or above.
Program Policies
Advanced Placement:
The English Program accepts AP credit for major and minor requirements and in lieu of certain English courses.
CLEP Policy:
Students interested in receiving credit for CLEP examinations should contact the Program Chair.
Grades in Major and Minor Courses:
Students are required to earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in all courses counted to fulfill requirements for the major or minor in English.
Pass/No Pass:
The pass/no pass grading option is not accepted in courses to be applied for the major or minor in English.
Senior Assessment:
All majors are required to take ENGL 499 for which students write an independent supervised comprehensive and scholarly research paper.
Study Abroad:
Students are encouraged to plan their studies to allow for the possibility of study abroad.
TELL Policy:
Students with substantial experiential learning are encouraged to apply for TELL credit in English.
Transfer Credits:
Students may apply transfer credit in English toward the major and minor in English if the transferred courses parallel courses required for the major or minor. Transfer students who elect an English major must complete a minimum of 12 credits in English major courses at Trinity, of which three must be in ENGL 499. Similarly, transfer students who elect an English minor must complete a minimum of 6 credits in English courses at Trinity.
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