English
Overview
Courses in the English department engage students in the close critical study of English-language literature in an international and interdisciplinary context, encompassing works from British, American, and other Anglophone literary traditions. In keeping with Occidental’s mission values of equity and excellence, students in English courses read the work of both long-studied writers and of those previously excluded from traditional literary history. Majors will 1) become proficient in close reading and focused discussion of individual literary works, 2) learn to situate those works in their generative historical, geographic and social contexts, and 3) become skilled in interpreting them through a range of theories and methods that characterize the evolving discipline of literary studies. Non-majors will develop their capacity to engage in close reading, critical thinking, and analytical writing. Most courses in the department are seminars or combinations of lecture and discussion. This pedagogical orientation underscores the department’s strong emphasis on faculty-student interaction and the collaborative production of knowledge. Introductory survey courses (ENGL 287, ENGL 288, ENGL 289) expose students to the breadth and diversity of Anglophone literary history. Upper division courses develop sophisticated skills in literary analysis, interpretive writing, and oral presentation. Methodological and research-oriented seminars in the sophomore, junior and senior years (ENGL 290, ENGL 390, and ENGL 490) direct students in the practice of original independent analysis that places primary textual interpretation in dialogue with secondary critical research.
Major Requirements
A major requires a minimum of eleven courses (44 units).
Major (no concentration)
Historical Surveys
| ENGL 287 | Literary Experiments from Chaucer to Milton | 4 units |
| ENGL 288 | Modern British Literary Traditions | 4 units |
| ENGL 289 | The American Experience in Literature | 4 units |
Seminars
| ENGL 290 | Introduction to Literary Methods | 4 units |
| ENGL 390 | Junior Seminar in English | 4 units |
| ENGL 490 | Senior Seminar: Comprehensive Project | 4 units |
Group 1 - Medieval and Renaissance Literature
Students must select one of the following courses:
| ENGL 220 | Literatures of the Scientific Revolution | 4 units |
| ENGL 222 | The Literature of Revenge | 4 units |
| ENGL 225 | Shakespeare: Beyond Tragedy | 4 units |
| ENGL 311 | The Literature of Error: Romance and Genre | 4 units |
| ENGL 314 | Renaissance Poetry | 4 units |
| ENGL 316 | Literatures of Primitive Accumulation | 4 units |
| ENGL 322 | Renaissance Cultures of Punishment | 4 units |
Group 2 - 18th and 19th Century Literature
Students must select one of the following courses:
| ENGL 241 | The "Deviant" | 4 units |
| ENGL 248 | Money, Gender, and the Nineteenth Century Novel | 4 units |
| ENGL 330 | Colonialism and the Definition of the Human in 18th-Century British Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 332 | Eighteenth Century Literature: 1730-1800 | 4 units |
| ENGL 341 | Race, Law, and Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 345 | On Tyranny in American Literature before 1900 | 4 units |
| ENGL 346/BLST 346 | 19th Century African American Literature | 4 units |
Group 3 - 20th and 21st Century Literature
Students must select one of the following courses:
| ENGL 265 | White Women: Constructing Race and Gender in Multiethnic American Literature | 3 hours of class meeting per week, plus 9 hours of reading, research, preparation and writing for week, for a total of 12 hours per week, with a total of 180 total hours of student work. |
| ENGL 267 | Afro-Surrealism | 4 units |
| ENGL 270 | Asian American Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 273 | Contemporary American Poetry | 4 units |
| ENGL 274 | Women Writers | 4 units |
| ENGL 295 | Topics in English | 4 units |
| ENGL 351 | Modernism and Contemporary British Fiction | 4 units |
| ENGL 353 | Reading the Global 1930s: Depression-era Literature, Philosophy, and Politics | 4 units |
| ENGL 360/BLST 360 | Toni Morrison and U.S. Imaginative Production | 4 units |
| ENGL 365 | Contemporary Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 370 | Literary Criticism | 4 units |
| ENGL 377/BLST 377 | Afrofuturism | 4 units |
Group 4 - Emergent Literature
Students must select one of the following courses that focuses on literature previously excluded from the canon:
| ENGL 241 | The "Deviant" | 4 units |
| ENGL 265 | White Women: Constructing Race and Gender in Multiethnic American Literature | 3 hours of class meeting per week, plus 9 hours of reading, research, preparation and writing for week, for a total of 12 hours per week, with a total of 180 total hours of student work. |
| ENGL 267 | Afro-Surrealism | 4 units |
| ENGL 270 | Asian American Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 273 | Contemporary American Poetry | 4 units |
| ENGL 274 | Women Writers | 4 units |
| ENGL 341 | Race, Law, and Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 346/BLST 346 | 19th Century African American Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 353 | Reading the Global 1930s: Depression-era Literature, Philosophy, and Politics | 4 units |
| ENGL 360/BLST 360 | Toni Morrison and U.S. Imaginative Production | 4 units |
| ENGL 365 | Contemporary Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 370 | Literary Criticism | 4 units |
| ENGL 377/BLST 377 | Afrofuturism | 4 units |
NOTE: "Emergent Literature" courses will typically fall under the Group II or III categories. However, they cannot count for both a period requirement (such as Group II or III) and the Emergent Literature requirement.
Electives
| ENGL | One additional ENGL course |
Students considering graduate work in literature are strongly encouraged to take additional English courses beyond the minimum of eleven in order to broaden and deepen their knowledge of literary history and their practice of literary interpretation. Most graduate programs require proficiency in at least one foreign language.
Major with a concentration in Creative Writing
Students majoring in English may elect to take additional courses in order to complete a concentration in Creative Writing, a special track that provides a strong background in both literary history and creative writing skills. Students choosing this concentration will take a total of 13 courses.
Historical Surveys
| ENGL 287 | Literary Experiments from Chaucer to Milton | 4 units |
| ENGL 288 | Modern British Literary Traditions | 4 units |
| ENGL 289 | The American Experience in Literature | 4 units |
Seminars
Students must complete the courses listed below:
| ENGL 290 | Introduction to Literary Methods | 4 units |
| ENGL 390 | Junior Seminar in English | 4 units |
| ENGL 490 | Senior Seminar: Comprehensive Project | 4 units |
Three Upper Division Electives
Choose from categories noted above as Groups I, II, III and IV (only one of these may be a 200-level course).
Creative Writing Electives
Students must complete four creative writing electives. At least two of these must be from the English department. Other departments and programs that have offered writing courses include French, Media Arts and Culture, Theater, and Writing and Rhetoric. Students interested in pursuing concentration in creative writing must work out a careful program in consultation with their adviser and the department chair.
| CWP 285 | Principles of Journalism I: Covering News Across Media | 4 units |
| CWP 286 | Principles of Journalism II: Narrative Nonfiction: True Stories Told Well | 4 units |
| CWP 301 | Creative Nonfiction | 4 units |
| ENGL 280 | Creative Writing: Introduction to Fiction Writing | 4 units |
| ENGL 281 | Creative Writing: Poetry | 4 units |
| ENGL 380 | Creative Writing: Advance Fiction Writing | 4 units |
| ENGL 382 | Advanced Creative Writing | 4 units |
| MAC 222 | Creating and Writing Television/Streaming Series | 4 units |
| THEA 380 | Playwriting | 4 units |
Honors in the Major
Honors may be awarded to graduating seniors who demonstrate excellence in course work and who successfully develop their comps project into an honors thesis. To be eligible, students must have a 3.65 grade point average in courses taken toward the major and an overall 3.5 grade point average. Qualified students will be invited to apply for permission to proceed to honors by the department prior to the beginning of the spring semester. Upon review by department faculty, students whose applications are accepted will register for ENGL 499 (Independent Study), for two units in the spring semester. They will complete a thesis to be orally defended before a faculty committee during the spring semester. For further details, consult with your department advisor.
Minor
Five courses or 20 units.
Historical Surveys
Students must select two courses from the list below:
| ENGL 287 | Literary Experiments from Chaucer to Milton | 4 units |
| ENGL 288 | Modern British Literary Traditions | 4 units |
| ENGL 289 | The American Experience in Literature | 4 units |
| ENGL 290 | Introduction to Literary Methods | 4 units |
Electives
Any three ENGL courses, two of which must be taken at the 300-level.
Second-Stage Writing
Students majoring in English satisfy the Second-Stage Writing requirement by successfully completing ENGL 390 in the junior year and receiving a notation of "Satisfactory" for its writing component.
Comprehensive Requirement
All majors must take ENGL 490 (Senior Seminar) in the fall of the senior year, where they will design, develop, and complete a significant project involving literary research and analysis. The project will result in a substantial essay of original interpretation and pertinent secondary research, and a formal conference-style oral presentation at the Senior Symposium held during the spring semester. See the department website for more details.
Transfer Credit Policies
The English Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for details. English majors who have completed the AP examination in English with a score of 4 or 5 may petition the department chair to be allowed to complete the major with 10 courses (including all required courses and Group I-IV categories) rather than the 11 specified above.