Undergraduate Programs

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Professor Lyna Lee Montgomery

English is one of the most popular majors in the University. Last year, over 320 students had declared a major in English, approximately 10% of the enrollment of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the largest College in the University.

The reasons are not hard to discover: a faculty of excellent teachers and productive scholars and writers, a diverse curriculum that can be tailored to suit many purposes, superior library resources, and an award-winning advising system.

Student Achievement

One way to judge the effectiveness of a program is by its students' accomplishments. Recently, a representative group of graduating seniors took the Educational Testing Service's Major Field Exam, a standardized test of students' knowledge of literary history, interpretive skills, and critical terminology. They scored just above the 89th percentile nationally. One of our students received the highest score possible.

In the past few years, our majors have won some of the most prestigious undergraduate awards offered nationally, including the Jacob Javits Award ($60,000), the Coca-Cola Scholarship ($20,000), and the Phi Kappa Phi National Graduate Award. One of our majors was a semi-finalist in the competition for a Rhodes Scholarship.

Each year, Fulbright College offers a small group of entering students the highly competitive Sturgis Fellowship. This award currently gives each Fellow $12,000 per year for four years, with most fees waived. In one recent year, 6 out of 7 entering Sturgis Fellows were English majors.

Major Requirements

There are two kinds of English major available: the "standard" major and a major with an emphasis in creative writing.

The Standard Major: at least 36 hours including:

1. ENGL 2303, English Literature from Beginnings through the 17th Century

2. One of the following courses:

ENGL 2313, English Literature from 1700-1900
or
ENGL 2323, Modern British, Irish, and Postcolonial Literature

3. One of the following courses:

ENGL 2343, American Literature from Colonial Period through Naturalism
or
ENGL 2353, Modern American Literature

4. One additional survey course chosen from the above 5.

5. ENGL 4303, Shakespeare

6. One of the following courses:

ENGL 3713, Topics in Medieval Literature and Culture
ENGL 3723, Topics in Renaissance Literature and Culture
ENGL 3733, Topics in English Restoration and 18th Century Literature and Culture

7. One of the following courses:

ENGL 3743, Topics in 19th Century British Literature and Culture
or
ENGL 3753, Topics in Modern British Literature and Culture

8. One of the following couses:

ENGL 3833, Topics in American Literature and Culture to 1900
ENGL 3843, Topics in Modern American Literature and Culture
ENGL 3853, Topics in African American Literature and Culture
ENGL 3863, Topics in Literature and Culture of the American South

9. Twelve additional hours of English courses numbered above 3000, at least 6 hours of which must be in courses numbered above 4000.

A major with an Emphasis on Creative Writing requires at least 36 hours including:

1. ENGL 2303, English Literature from Beginnings through the 17th Century

2. One of the following courses:

ENGL 2313, English Literature from 1700-1900
or
ENGL 2323, Modern British, Irish, and Postcolonial Literature

3. One of the following courses:

ENGL 2343, American Literature from Colonial Period through Naturalism
or
ENGL 2353, Modern American Literature

4. One additional survey course chosen from the above

5. ENGL 3203, Poetry

6. ENGL 3213, Fiction

7. ENGL 4303, Shakespeare

8. ENGL 2023, Creative Writing I

9. ENGL 3013, Creative Writing II

10. ENGL 4013, Poetry Workshop, or ENGL 4023 Fiction Workshop

11. 6 additional hours chosen from ENGL or WLIT courses above 3000.

Honors Curriculum

The Departmental Honors Program in English allows upper-division undergraduates to strengthen their study of English and adapt it to their interests. Honors candidates enroll in special courses and do directed independent study and research. In addition to the college and departmental requirements for the major in English and the general college requirements for the B.A. degree, honors candidates in English must (1) be accepted as honors candidates by the department; (2) complete at least nine hours of honors course work, at least three hours of which must be in English; (3) enroll in at least three hours of Senior Thesis (498V) and write an honors thesis, either a critical study or a creative writing project; and (4) defend the candidate's entire honors program in an oral examination. Candidates may petition to enroll in a departmental graduate seminar. Candidates who complete the honors program with merit will graduate with the distinction "English Scholar Cum Laude." The distinctions of Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude will be awarded only for exceptional work and will be based on the candidate's entire honors program.

About 10% of English majors are enrolled in the departmental honors program.

Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences administers a separate but related Honors Program

Combined Major in English and Journalism

The English requirements for this combined major are as follows: 24 hours of English courses (not counting ENGL 0003, ENGL 1013, ENGL 1023, and ENGL 2003) to include any nine hours of survey courses (chosen from ENGL 2303, ENGL 2313, ENGL 2323, ENGL 2343, and ENGL 2353) and 15 additional hours chosen from English courses numbered above 3000 and WLIT courses above 2333.

International Programs

English majors are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities offered by the department's two summer programs overseas.

Our London Summer is a six-hour course team-taught by an English professor and a professor from the Department of Drama. The students hear lectures in dramatic history, particularly of the English Renaissance, and attend a wide variety of dramatic performances in London and Stratford. The program usually involves travel to other English cities of interest, such as Canterbury, Bath, and Oxford.

Now fifteen years old, the Galway Creative Writing Program in Ireland is a great success. Students develop their writing skills under the direction of a member of the department's creative writing staff while attending classes in Irish literature and culture taught by the host faculty at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Further information about these programs is available by e-mail.

Scholarships

English majors are eligible for a wide variety of College and University scholarships. Information about these is available from the Office of Financial Aid.

Placement

Our graduates go on to pursue a wide range of careers. Many in the past few years have entered programs of advanced study in English and creative writing, law, medicine, theology, business, education, journalism, history, comparative literature, philosophy, library science, computer science, environmental science, and many others.

Many other recent graduates have assumed positions of real responsibility with good pay. Here is a sampling: Associate Director of Executive Office Services for the National Association of Secondary School Principals; Vice President of Development of Walton Arts Center; and, in the University of Arkansas, Vice Provost for Planning in Institutional Research, Associate Dean of the Honors College, and Managing Director of the Informational Technology Research Center in the Walton College of Business.