English

College of Letters and Science
Department Office: 322 Wheeler Hall, (510) 642-3467

Department Chair: Katherine O'Brien O'Keefe, PhD
Department Website: English

Overview

The Department of English offers courses in literature, in language, and in writing. Our courses in literature have many different focuses: major authors, historical periods, genres, critical theories and methods, as well as cultural and multicultural studies. Courses in language offer instruction in both the history and the structure of the English language. Writing courses offer training in both expository and creative writing.

The major in English is designed to introduce students to the history of literature written in English, to acquaint them with a variety of historical periods and geographical and cultural regions of English language and writing, to create an awareness of methods and theories of literary and cultural analysis, and to provide continued training in critical writing. Before declaring the major, students must have completed the Reading and Composition requirement of the college.

The core of the major consists of six courses: English 45A-45B-45C, a course in Shakespeare, an upper division course in literature before 1800, and one upper division seminar: English 190 or English H195A/B. English courses 45A-45B-45C are an intensive survey of literature in English from Chaucer through the 20th century, including British, American, and Anglophone writing. Together with the required course in Shakespeare, this sequence provides a foundation on which to build more specialized upper division coursework. Prerequisites, as well as a detailed description of major requirements, may be found under "Major Program" below.

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Entry Level Writing Requirement

Students must have fulfilled the Entry Level Writing Requirement before taking any course in the Department of English. For further information, see the College Writing Programs section of this bulletin , or the information contained in the Undergraduate Education section of this bulletin .

Note: Specific topics in the following staff courses vary from semester to semester: English 24, 31AC, 39, 84, 102, 133T, 135AC, C136, 137T, 138, 139, 152, 165, 165AC, 166, 166AC, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 176, 177, 180N, 180R, 180Z, 190, 201A, 201B, 203, and 250.

Many of the courses listed below have limited enrollments.

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Major Requirements

The English major consists of no fewer than 12 courses (not including R1A-R1B), of which at least seven must be upper division courses. Six of these must be the core courses noted above; the remaining courses are electives.

Foundational Courses

All majors must take English 45A-45B-45C (or upper division paired equivalents, when approved by a major adviser) plus one of the following Shakespeare courses: English 17, 117A, 117B, 117J, or 117S. All these required courses must be taken for a letter grade.

Students may declare the major once they have taken 30 units, satisfied the L&S Reading and Composition requirement, and completed these two major requirements:

1. 45A or 45B; and

2. One of the following: Shakespeare (see list above), 45A, 45B, or 45C

Upper Division Courses

Of the 12 courses required for the major, at least seven must be upper division.

Pre-1800 Course

One upper division course in British, American, or Anglophone literature from an historical period before 1800 is required and must be taken for a letter grade. Standard course offerings that meet this requirement include English 104, 105, 110, 111, 112, 114A, 114B, 115A, 115B, 118, 119, 120, 125A, and 130A; this requirement may not be fulfilled by English C107 or any Shakespeare course. (Note: Certain designated sections of English 190 can be used to satisfy the pre-1800 requirement.)

Seminar

One upper division seminar-English 190 (Research Seminar)-is required and must be taken for a letter grade.

Note: With the approval of a major adviser, students may count up to two upper division courses in departments other than English toward the major. The request for course approval should be grounded in a compelling intellectual rationale, one that explains how the student's work for the English major will be enriched through the inclusion of the particular outside course the student wishes to take. There is no pre-approved list of courses. For appropriate courses outside English, consult the listings for Comparative Literature, Ethnic Studies, foreign language departments, History, History of Art, Linguistics, Philosophy, Rhetoric, Women's Studies, etc. Students gaining 8 units or more of credit toward the English major from education abroad programs normally will not be permitted to count additional upper division coursework from other Berkeley departments.

Meeting with Major Adviser

English majors should meet with a faculty adviser no later than the beginning of the semester following declaration to plan their courses of study.

Pass/Not Pass

English majors are permitted to take no more than two of the 12 required courses on a pass/not pass basis. These two courses may not include any of the specifically required courses, i.e., 45A-45B-45C (or their upper division equivalents), Shakespeare, the pre-1800 course, English 190.

Summer Session Courses

Two 3-unit summer session courses taken at Berkeley may be counted toward the major, one of which must be taken through the Department of English. One of these courses may be taken at another institution, with approval. Courses taken through the Department of English at Berkeley during summer session do not require major adviser approval. For courses taken elsewhere (or outside the major), students must petition for approval by providing documentation, including a course syllabus and a transcript showing the completion of the course.

Education Abroad Programs

Credit toward the major for coursework completed through an education abroad program is determined by a major adviser on a case-by-case basis. Students should submit documentation (e.g., course descriptions, syllabi, completed exams, papers, and other written work) to demonstrate that the education abroad course is comparable in coverage, rigor, and substance to a Berkeley upper division course. Students gaining 8 units of credit or more toward the English major for EAP courses normally will not be permitted to count additional upper division coursework from other Berkeley departments toward the major. Two literature courses in a foreign language will be routinely counted toward the major, if the major adviser determines that the courses meet Berkeley academic standards.

Internships

Students may apply to a faculty adviser to receive course credit (either as a 99 or 199) for an internship. No more than 2 units will be awarded on a pass/not pass basis. Students must provide official documentation about the internship and, upon completion of this program, a statement from the internship director that describes duties that the student performed. In addition, students must produce critical or creative writing on a topic related to the internship. This writing will be assessed by a Department of English faculty member who has agreed in advance of the internship to supervise the student. This faculty member will be the instructor of record for the 99/199. Note: Students must register for Summer School Session C for summer internships.

Extension and Online Courses

Only one UC Berkeley Extension or Online course may be counted toward the major. No UC Berkeley Extension or Online course may be used to satisfy the core requirements for the major: 45A/45B/45C (or their upper division equivalents); Shakespeare; 190; or the pre-1800 requirement. To count toward the major, UC Berkeley Extension or Online courses must be comparable in coverage, rigor, and substance to department courses. Students seeking to count a UC Extension or Online course toward the major should submit course materials and other relevant documentation to a Department of English major adviser or to the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies for assessment.

Honors Program

H195A-H195B is a two-semester course, graded IP at the end of the first semester. Honors in English cannot be granted without the successful completion of this course. Students who take H195A-H195B may choose to waive their English 190 requirement. H195A is organized as a course in literary criticism working toward the formation of a thesis topic. H195B will include regular meetings with the thesis adviser plus small group meetings with the H195 instructor. During the second semester each student will write an honors thesis of 40-60 pages. Completion of the thesis is required for a passing grade in the course. Students with an overall GPA of 3.51 or higher and a GPA of 3.65 or higher in courses taken at Berkeley in the major are eligible to apply. Those accepted must enroll in H195A for the fall semester of their senior year. There may be more than one section offered per semester.

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Minor Requirements

Students in the College of Letters and Science may complete one or more minors of their choice, normally in a field both academically and administratively distinct from their major. English majors may not complete a minor in the Department of English.

The minor in English requires the completion of at least five upper division courses taken for a letter grade, of which at least three must be taken at Berkeley, with a GPA of at least 2.0.

Students may register for the English minor once they have declared another major and completed one upper division course in the Department of English. At that time, students should fill out a Minor Registration Card, to be kept on file in the Department of English. After completing the five courses or during their final semester at Berkeley, students should meet with a minor adviser to complete the Minor Completion Petition.

Please see the Department of English website for additional details regarding the English minor.

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Graduate Program

Students are admitted to graduate studies only in the fall semester. The GRE General Test and Subject Area Test in Literature are required.

MA Degree

The Department of English does not offer a separate MA program. Students working toward the PhD may, however, receive an MA degree after fulfilling the appropriate requirements.

PhD Program

The PhD program requires successful completion of 13 courses undertaken in graduate status at Berkeley. These include English 200 (an introductory course in literary scholarship, normally taken in the first semester of graduate study); one course at the graduate level in each of four historical fields: Medieval through 16^th Century; 17^th through 18^th Century; 19^th Century; and 20^th Century; one course organized in terms other than chronological coverage (e.g., special problems, theory, minority discourse). At least one of these courses must be an English 250 seminar, requiring a substantial piece of writing. In addition, students must take English 375 (The Teaching of Composition and Literature). See the department’s website regarding satisfaction of the Shakespeare requirement. The foreign language requirement must be met, through coursework or examination, by demonstrating advanced knowledge in one, or proficiency in two, approved language(s). The balance of the PhD program includes passing a two-hour oral examination, a prospectus conference, and writing a dissertation. The normative time for completing the doctoral program is six years. Additional details regarding the PhD program are available on the department’s website.

Prospective students are urged to undertake substantial coursework in English and American literature, as well as to gain a solid background in foreign languages. Prospective applicants should request additional information about program requirements and application procedures from the English Graduate Office, 319 Wheeler Hall.