English

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

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.

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 information contained in the Undergraduate Education section of this bulletin .

Declaring the Major

Before declaring the major, students must have completed the Reading and Composition requirement of the College of Letters and Science, 2 major requirements, and have completed at least 30 units. For further information on major requirements, please see the Major Requirements tab on this page.

Honors Program

ENGLISH H195A-ENGLISH 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 ENGLISH H195A-ENGLISH H195B may choose to waive their English 190 requirement. ENGLISH H195A is organized as a course in literary criticism working toward the formation of a thesis topic. ENGLISH 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 for the English major are eligible to apply. Those accepted must enroll in ENGLISH H195A for the fall semester of their senior year. There may be more than one section offered per semester.

Minor Program

Students may register for the English Minor once they have declared another major and completed one upper-division course in the English Department.  At that time, students should fill out a Minor Registration Card to be kept on file in the English Department Office. After completing the 5 courses or during their final semester at UC Berkeley, students should complete the Completion of L&S Minor petition, have it reviewed by their major adviser and turn it in the English Department.

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Major Requirements

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
  2. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters and Science.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper- and lower-division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Major Requirements

Foundational Courses
ENGLISH 45ALiterature in English: Through Milton 14
ENGLISH 45BLiterature in English: The Late-17th through the Mid-19th Century 14
ENGLISH 45CLiterature in English: The Mid-19th through the 20th Century 14
Select one Course in Shakespeare: 2
Shakespeare
Shakespeare
Shakespeare
Shakespeare
Shakespeare
Pre-1800 Course 3, 4
Select one upper-division course in British, American, or Anglophone literature from an historical period before 1800; standard course offerings that meet this requirement include the following:
Introduction to Old English
Anglo-Saxon England
Medieval Literature
Chaucer
Middle English Literature
English Drama
English Drama
The English Renaissance
The English Renaissance
Milton
Literature of the Restoration and Early Eighteenth Century
Literature of the Later 18th Century
The English Novel
American Literature: Before 1800
Seminar Course
Select one of the following:
Research Seminar
Honors Course
   and Honors Course
Elective courses
Select six courses from the offerings of the English department 5
1

With approval and in consultation with a Major Adviser, the 45A/B/C requirements may be satisfied by substituting for each course two appropriate upper-division courses. To meet the 45B and 45C requirements, one course equivalent must be in American literature and one must be in British literature in the appropriate historical periods. Any and all courses used to satisfy the 45A/B/C requirements must betaken for a letter grade.

2

Students may not use ENGLISH 117T to satisfy this requirement.

3

ENGLISH C107 The English Bible As Literature, any Shakespeare course, or a course outside of the department that does not include a substantial amount of literature in English may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

4

 Certain designated sections of ENGLISH 190 Research Seminar or other courses may satisfy this requirement if designated as such by the instructor. Please consult the department's announcement of classes for current offerings.

5

 Two of the six elective courses may be taken Pass/No Pass. This includes ENGLISH 98, ENGLISH 99, ENGLISH 198, and ENGLISH 199. Students may use up to 4 units of these independent study courses to satisfy the elective requirements.

Additional Information

  1. Internships: Students wishing to receive academic credit for an internship  must coordinate with an English Department faculty member who agrees to sponsor an Independent Study course (99/199) based on the internship. Students should provide the faculty member with official documentation from their internship employers. Credit is based on completion of a critical or creative work on a topic related to the internship. No more than two units will be awarded per internship. Please note that students must register for Summer Session, session C, for summer internships.
  2. Extra-Departmental Course Work: The options below are provided for enrichment and flexibility, not to replace regular semester courses within the department. Students approved to use two or more courses toward the English major from Education Abroad Programs (EAP) will not be permitted to count additional upper-division course work from other UC Berkeley departments. With the exception of two UC Berkeley English Department summer courses, all of the following must be approved by a Major Adviser and recorded on the student's major record card.
  • Summer Session Courses: Two 3-unit Summer Session  courses taken at UC Berkeley may be counted toward the major, one of which must be taken through the English Department. One of these courses may be taken at another institution with approval. This includes courses taken through Education Abroad Programs. Courses taken through the English Department at UC Berkeley during summer session do not require Major Adviser approval. For courses taken elsewhere (or outside the major, see below), students must petition for approval by providing documentation, including a course syllabus and a transcript showing the completion of the course. A course taken elsewhere during the summer may only satisfy an elective for the major.
  • Courses taken outside the department: With the approval of a Major Adviser, students may count up to two upper-division courses in departments other than English for the major. Only one such course may be taken during the summer. Students will submit a Petition for Approval of a Course Taken Outside the Department to a Major Adviser. This form can be found in the racks outside the English Department office, 319 Wheeler Hall. The student's request for course approval will include a course syllabus and 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 include. There is no pre-approved list of courses. For possible courses outside English, consult the listings for Anthropology, Celtic Studies, Comparative Literature, Ethnic Studies, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Rhetoric, Women's Studies, etc.
  • Education Abroad Programs: A faculty Major Adviser determines credit toward the major for coursework completed through an Education Abroad Program  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 UC Berkeley upper-division course. This could include up to two education abroad literature courses in a foreign language. Although there is no official limit on the number of courses transferred from Education Abroad Programs, generally two courses will be counted easily. Closer scrutiny will be given to subsequent course work. Only one summer course taken abroad may be approved for use towards the major.  Although the Major Adviser determines the number of courses approved for use towards the major, the College of Letters and Science makes the final determination of unit credit for any and all courses taken abroad.
  • Online and Extension courses: Only one UC Berkeley Extension or on-line course may be counted toward the major. No UC Berkeley Extension or on-line course may be used to satisfy a core requirement for the major: ENGLISH 45A Literature in English: Through Milton/ENGLISH 45B Literature in English: The Late-17th through the Mid-19th Century/ENGLISH 45C Literature in English: The Mid-19th through the 20th Century (or their upper-division equivalents), Shakespeare, the Pre-1800 course, or the seminar requirement. To count toward the major, UC Berkeley Extension or on-line courses must be comparable in coverage, rigor, and substance to department courses. Students seeking to count a UC Berkeley Extension or online course toward the major should submit course materials and other relevant documentation to an English Department Major Adviser or to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but they are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.
  2. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
  4. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth Requirement, for Letters and Science students.
  5. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
  6. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which you plan to graduate. If you cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, please see a College of Letters and Science adviser.
  7. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

Upper-division
Select five upper-division English courses

Additional Guidelines

  1. With the approval of a Minor Adviser, students may take up to two courses outside the Berkeley English Department (e.g. in other departments, other academic institutions, and Education Abroad programs). Students will submit a Petition for Approval of a Course Taken Outside the Department to a Minor Adviser.  This form can be found in the racks outside 319 Wheeler Hall. The student’s request for course approval will include a course syllabus and a compelling intellectual rationale, one that explains how the student’s work for the English minor will be enriched through the inclusion of the particular outside course the student wishes to take. There is no pre-approved list of courses.
  2. Only one Summer Session course taken at UC Berkeley may be counted toward the minor.
  3. Creative Writing courses in the English Department do not count toward the minor.

College Requirements

Undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please see the College of Letters and Sciences  page in this bulletin. 

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

American Cultures

American Cultures is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship.  Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

  • 120 total units, including at least 60 L&S units

  • Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

  • Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters and Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through University Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to see an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley summer session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the College.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Student Learning Goals

Mission

The study of literature is not about canonical books or established facts, but about a process of interpretation and analysis, a process that begins in the classroom and develops over a lifetime. Upon completion of a B.A. degree in English, students should have well-developed writing and research skills as well as the ability to assess and appreciate language and literature in both professional and personal realms.

Learning Goals for the Major

  1. Identify historical periods of literature in English ( U.S., Britain, and Anglophone)
  2. Recognize and understand a variety of genres and modes of writing (the novel, poetic forms, short fiction, autobiography, etc.)
  3. Become conversant with key literary terms and theories
  4. Develop an understanding of literature in interdisciplinary and multicultual contexts

Skills

  1. Demonstrate the ability to give a close reading or explication of a text
  2. Develop the ability to interpret and analyze literary texts and to articulate that in both writing and speaking
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of the philosophical, cultural, social, and historical influences on the creation of literary art
  4. Formulate a well-organized, well-supported argument
  5. Develop research skills in the library and online
  6. Demonstrate the ability to write clear critical essays, based on close reading of primary texts and secondary sources
  7. Observe ethical and precise citation practices
  8. For some, write well in creative modes: fiction, non-fiction, poetry

Courses

English

ENGLISH N1A First-Year Reading and Composition 3 Units

Training in writing expository prose. N1A. Instruction in expository writing in conjunction with reading literature. Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

ENGLISH N1B First-Year Reading and Composition 3 Units

Training in writing expository prose. N1B. Further instruction in expository writing in conjunction with reading literature. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

ENGLISH R1A Reading and Composition 4 Units

Training in writing expository prose. Instruction in expository writing in conjunction with reading literature. Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

ENGLISH R1AN First-Year Reading and Composition 3 Units

Training in writing expository prose. Instruction in writing and reading expository prose. Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

ENGLISH R1B Reading and Composition 4 Units

Training in writing expository prose. Further instruction in expository writing in conjunction with reading literature. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

ENGLISH 17 Shakespeare 4 Units

Lectures on Shakespeare and reading of his best works.

ENGLISH 20 Modern British and American Literature 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of major authors of modern British and American literature.

ENGLISH 24 Freshman Seminars 1 Unit

The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

ENGLISH 25 English as a Language 4 Units

An introduction to the grammar of English, including phonology (sound structure), morphology (word structure), syntax (sentence structure), semantics (linguistic meaning), and pragmatics (contextual meaning), with consideration of different varieties of English in use within the United States and throughout the world, and comparison of English with other languages.

ENGLISH 26 Introduction to the Study of Poetry 4 Units

Lectures and discussion on poetry intended to develop the student's ability to understand and evaluate a poem. Designed primarily for students whose major is not English, but majors and prospective majors are welcome.

ENGLISH 27 Introduction to the Study of Fiction 4 Units

Lectures and discussion intended to develop the student's ability to understand and evaluate fiction. Designed primarily for students whose major is not English, but majors and prospective majors are welcome.

ENGLISH 28 Introduction to the Study of Drama 4 Units

Lectures and discussion intended to develop the student's ability to read, understand and evaluate plays. Designed primarily for students whose major is not English, but majors and prospective majors are welcome.

ENGLISH 31AC Literature of American Cultures 4 Units

An introduction to the ethnic diversity of American literature. The course will take substantial account of the literature of three or more of the following groups: African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos/Latinos, and European Americans. Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" well before the beginning of the semester for details.

ENGLISH 33 African American Literature and Culture 4 Units

Major literary and cultural texts in the African American tradition from origins to the present.

ENGLISH 37 Chicana/o Literature and Culture 4 Units

Major literary and cultural texts in the Chicana/o tradition from origins to the present.

ENGLISH 43A Introduction to the Writing of Short Fiction 4 Units

A workshop course intended for students who have recently begun to write fiction or who have not previously taken a course in creative writing.

ENGLISH 43B Introduction to the Writing of Verse 4 Units

A workshop course intended for students who have recently begun to write verse or who have not previously taken a course in creative writing.

ENGLISH 45A Literature in English: Through Milton 4 Units

Historical survey of literature in English: Beginnings through Milton.

ENGLISH 45B Literature in English: The Late-17th through the Mid-19th Century 4 Units

Historical survey of literature in English: The late-17th through the mid-19th century.

ENGLISH 45C Literature in English: The Mid-19th through the 20th Century 4 Units

Historical survey of literature in English: the mid-19th through the 20th century.

ENGLISH N45A Literature in English 3 Units

ENGLISH N45B Literature in English 3 Units

ENGLISH N45C Literature in English 3 Units

ENGLISH C77 Introduction to Environmental Studies 4 Units

This integrative course, taught by a humanities professor and a science professor, surveys current global environmental issues; introduces the basic intellectual tools of environmental science; investigates ways the human relationship to nature has been imagined in literary and philosophical traditions; and examines how tools of scientific and literary analysis; scientific method, and imaginative thinking can clarify what is at stake in environmental issues and ecological citizenship.

ENGLISH 80K Children's Literature 4 Units

The study of selected works written for children.

ENGLISH 84 Sophomore Seminar 1 or 2 Units

Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores.

ENGLISH 98 Directed Group Study for Freshmen and Sophomores 1 - 4 Units

Group study in a field that may not coincide with that of any regular course and must be specific enough to enable students to write essays based upon their studies.

ENGLISH 98BC Berkeley Connect 1 Unit

Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate.

Course may be repeated for credit.

ENGLISH 99 Independent Study 1 - 4 Units

Meetings to be arranged. Reading and regular conference with the instructor in a field that shall not coincide with that of any regular course and shall be specific enough to enable students to write essays based on their studies.

ENGLISH 101 The History of the English Language 4 Units

The history of the English language from its Indo-European roots, through its Old, Middle, and Early Modern periods, as preserved in the literary heritage, to its different forms in use throughout the world today.

ENGLISH 102 Topics in the English Language 4 Units

Topics vary from semester to semester.

ENGLISH 104 Introduction to Old English 4 Units

Basic introduction to the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of Old English designed to get students reading original texts immediately. Typical Old English texts include: riddles, charms, medical recipes, laws, chronicles, elegies, saints' lives, heroic poetry, and monster lore.

ENGLISH 105 Anglo-Saxon England 4 Units

Instruction in the basic elements of the Old English language with analysis of literary and cultural issues relating to the formative period of the English nation. (Undergraduates who pass 105 with a grade of B+ or higher, or with permission of the 205B instructor, are eligible to enroll in 205B, Beowulf.)

ENGLISH C107 The English Bible As Literature 4 Units

Introduction to the English Bible treated as a literary work.

ENGLISH N107 English Bible as Literature 3 Units

Introduction to the English Bible treated as a literary work.

ENGLISH 110 Medieval Literature 4 Units

Development of literary form and idiom throughout the Christian West from the first to the fifteenth century.

ENGLISH 111 Chaucer 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of Chaucer's major works.

ENGLISH 112 Middle English Literature 4 Units

Middle English literature exclusive of Chaucer studied in the original language.

ENGLISH 114A English Drama 4 Units

English drama to 1603.

ENGLISH 114B English Drama 4 Units

English drama from 1603 to 1700.

ENGLISH N114A English Drama 3 Units

English drama to 1603.

ENGLISH N114B English Drama 3 Units

English drama from 1603 to 1700.

ENGLISH 115A The English Renaissance 4 Units

Beginnings of the English Renaissance and literature of the 16th century.

ENGLISH 115B The English Renaissance 4 Units

Literature of the 17th century.

ENGLISH N115A The English Renaissance 3 Units

Beginnings of the English Renaissance and literature of the 16th century.

ENGLISH N115B The English Renaissance 3 Units

Literature of the 17th century.

ENGLISH 116 Backgrounds of English Literature in the Continental Renaissance 4 Units

A survey of the principal continental documents which are important to an understanding of the English Renaissance.

ENGLISH 117A Shakespeare 4 Units

A chronological survey of Shakespeare's career.

ENGLISH 117B Shakespeare 4 Units

A chronological survey of Shakespeare's career.

ENGLISH 117F Shakespeare and Film 4 Units

Close study of the texts and films based on 8 to 10 plays. Lectures will emphasize the critical implications of transposing plays to film. The goal of the course is the critical understanding of Shakespeare, and the course satisfies the departmental requirement of a course on Shakespeare in the major.

ENGLISH 117J Shakespeare 4 Units

Study of selected plays, with practice in various critical approaches, e.g., establishing text, relation to source, changing concepts of comedy and tragedy, influence of theatrical conditions on technique.

ENGLISH 117S Shakespeare 4 Units

Lectures on Shakespeare and reading of his best works.

ENGLISH 117T Shakespeare in the Theatre 4 Units

The interrelation of Elizabethan plays and stage practices. Classroom exercises, written assignments, and a final examination. The course will usually culminate in the performance of a play.

ENGLISH N117S Shakespeare 3 Units

Lectures on Shakespeare and reading of his best works.

ENGLISH 118 Milton 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of Milton's major works.

ENGLISH N118 Milton 3 Units

Lectures on and discussion of Milton's major works.

ENGLISH 119 Literature of the Restoration and Early Eighteenth Century 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of Dryden, Swift, Pope, and some of their contemporaries.

ENGLISH 120 Literature of the Later 18th Century 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of later eighteenth-century British literature.

ENGLISH 121 Romantic Period 4 Units

Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats, and contemporaries.

ENGLISH N121 Romantic Period 3 Units

Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats, and contemporaries.

ENGLISH 122 Victorian Period 4 Units

Literature of the Victorian period with an emphasis on poetry and nonfiction prose.

ENGLISH 125A The English Novel 4 Units

Defoe through Scott.

ENGLISH 125B The English Novel 4 Units

Dickens through Conrad.

ENGLISH 125C The European Novel 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of major European novels.

ENGLISH 125D The 20th-Century Novel 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of major novels of the twentieth century.

ENGLISH 125E The Contemporary Novel 4 Units

Important contemporary novels, some of which may be read in translation.

ENGLISH N125B The English Novel 3 Units

Dickens through Conrad.

ENGLISH N125D The 20th-Century Novel 3 Units

Lectures on and discussion of major novels of the twentieth century.

ENGLISH N125E The Contemporary Novel 3 Units

Important contemporary novels, some of which may be read in translation.

ENGLISH 126 British Literature: 1900-1945 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of British literature written between 1900 and 1945.

ENGLISH 127 Modern Poetry 4 Units

British and American poetry: 1900 to the present.

ENGLISH 128 Modern Drama 4 Units

British and American drama: 1860 to the present.

ENGLISH 130A American Literature: Before 1800 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of the major writers of the early American period.

ENGLISH 130B American Literature: 1800-1865 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of the major texts of the American Renaissance.

ENGLISH 130C American Literature: 1865-1900 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of American literature from the Civil War through 1900.

ENGLISH 130D American Literature: 1900-1945 4 Units

A survey of modern American literature.

ENGLISH N130A American Literature: Before 1800 3 Units

Lectures on and discussion of the major writers of the early American period.

ENGLISH N130B American Literature: 1800-1865 3 Units

Lectures on and discussion of the major texts of the American Renaissance.

ENGLISH N130D American Literature: 1900-1945 3 Units

A survey of modern American literature.

ENGLISH 131 American Poetry 4 Units

A historical survey of American poetry and its backgrounds.

ENGLISH 132 American Novel 4 Units

A survey of major American novels.

ENGLISH N132 American Novel 3 Units

A survey of major American novels.

ENGLISH 133A African American Literature and Culture Before 1917 4 Units

Major literary and cultural texts in the African American tradition from origins through World War I.

ENGLISH 133B African American Literature and Culture Since 1917 4 Units

Major literary and cultural texts in the African American tradition from the Harlem Renaissance through the twentieth century.

ENGLISH 133T Topics in African American Literature and Culture 4 Units

Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for offerings well before the beginning of the semester.

ENGLISH 134 Contemporary Literature 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of selected works written since the Second World War.

ENGLISH N134 Contemporary Literature 3 Units

Lectures on and discussion of selected works written since the Second World War.

ENGLISH 135AC Literature of American Cultures 4 Units

Study of the ethnic diversity of American literature. The course will take substantial account of the literature of three or more of the following groups: African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos/Latinos, and European Americans. Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" well before the beginning of the semester for details.

ENGLISH N135 Literature of American Cultures 3 Units

Study of the ethnic diversity of American literature. The course will take substantial account of the literature of three or more of the following groups: African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos/Latinos, and European Americans. Topics vary from summer to summer.

ENGLISH S135 Literature of American Cultures 3 Units

Study of the ethnic diversity of American literature. The course will take substantial account of the literature of three or more of the following groups: African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos/Latinos, and European Americans. Topics vary from semester to semester. Topic for this summer: Theorizing Children's Literature in American Cultures.

ENGLISH C136 Topics in American Studies 4 Units

A course on the intellectual, cultural, historical, and social backgrounds to American literature. Topics will vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for current offerings well before the start of the semester.

ENGLISH 137A Chicana/o Literature and Culture to 1910 4 Units

Major literary and cultural texts in the Chicana/o tradition from origins through the Mexican Revolution of 1910.

ENGLISH 137B Chicana/o Literature and Culture Since 1910 4 Units

Major literary and cultural texts in the Chicana/o tradition from 1910 through the contemporary Chicana/o period.

ENGLISH 137T Topics in Chicana/o Literature and Culture 4 Units

Topics in Chicana/o literature and culture.

ENGLISH 138 Studies in World Literature in English 4 Units

An examination of various aspects of the modern literature written in English in Africa, the Caribbean, India, and Southeast Asia. Topics will vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for current offerings well before the start of the semester.

ENGLISH 139 The Cultures of English 4 Units

Literatures of various regions in which English is one of the spoken languages, such as Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, Africa, India; and the writings of specific groups or distinctive cultures in the English-speaking world, including the U.S. and the British Isles. Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for current offerings well before the start of the semester.

ENGLISH 141 Modes of Writing (Exposition, Fiction, Verse, Etc.) 4 Units

Writing in connection with reading in recent English literature and its continental background.

ENGLISH N141 Modes of Writing (Exposition, Fiction, Verse, Etc.) 3 Units

Writing in connection with reading in recent English literature and its continental background.

ENGLISH 143A Short Fiction 4 Units

A seminar in writing short stories.

ENGLISH 143B Verse 4 Units

A seminar in writing poetry.

ENGLISH 143C Long Narrative 4 Units

Students will work through the semester on a single project, either fiction (novel) or nonfiction (biography, history).

ENGLISH 143D Expository and Critical Writing 4 Units

A seminar in expository and critical writing.

ENGLISH 143E Playwriting 4 Units

A seminar in playwriting.

ENGLISH 143N Prose Nonfiction 4 Units

A seminar in the writing of prose nonfiction as an art.

ENGLISH 143T Poetry Translation Workshop 4 Units

Open to those who wish to assimilate foreign influences for writing poetry or to seek a fuller understanding of any foreign poetry by rendering it into English.

ENGLISH C143V Visual Autobiography 4 Units

Since visual and literary studies have historically been viewed as separate disciplines, we will use theories from both to study those forms of self-representation that defy disciplinary boundaries, or what we call "visual autobiography." The course aims to help students become conversant with the elements of alphabetic literacy (reading and writing) and visual literacy (observing and making) in order to develop a third distinctive textual/visual literacy.

ENGLISH 152 Women Writers 4 Units

Topics will vary from semester to semester.

ENGLISH N152 Women Writers 3 Units

Topics will vary from summer to summer. Topic for this summer: Modern British Women Novelists.

ENGLISH 160 Methods and Materials of Literary Criticism 4 Units

An introduction to issues in literary criticism with emphasis on application of principles and methods to selected literary texts.

ENGLISH 161 Introduction to Literary Theory 4 Units

This class will focus on literary theory.

ENGLISH 165 Special Topics 4 Units

Designed primarily for English majors. Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for offerings well before the beginning of the semester.

ENGLISH 165AC Special Topics in American Cultures 4 Units

Designed primarily for English majors. Study of a special topic related to the diversity of the United States. Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for offerings well before the beginning of the semester.

ENGLISH 166 Special Topics 4 Units

Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for offerings well before the beginning of the semester.

ENGLISH 166AC Special Topics in American Cultures 4 Units

Study of a special topic related to the diversity of the United States. Topics vary from semester to semester. Student's should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for offerings well before the beginning of the semester.

ENGLISH N166 Special Topics 3 Units

Topics vary from summer to summer.

ENGLISH 170 Literature and the Arts 4 Units

Studies in the relationship of literature in English to the arts.

ENGLISH 171 Literature and Sexual Identity 4 Units

Sexual identity in literature in relation to thematics, literary convention, psychology, and the particular politics and sociology of individual cultures. The course may range broadly over Western literature or concentrate on one historical period.

ENGLISH 172 Literature and Psychology 4 Units

Studies in the relationship of literature in English to psychology.

ENGLISH 173 The Language and Literature of Films 4 Units

Studies in film as a mode of representing reality; cinematic techniques and the "language" of film. Lectures, class discussions, and film viewings.

ENGLISH N173 The Language and Literature of Films 3 Units

Studies in film as a mode of representing reality; cinematic techniques and the language of film. Lectures, class discussions, and film viewings.

ENGLISH 174 Literature and History 4 Units

Topics will vary from semester to semester.

ENGLISH 175 Literature and Disability 4 Units

Studies of the relationships among literature, culture, and "disability." The course may range broadly or concentrate on one historical period, genre, or issue.

ENGLISH 176 Literature and Popular Culture 4 Units

Topics will vary from semester to semester.

ENGLISH N176 Literature and Popular Culture 3 Units

ENGLISH 177 Literature and Philosophy 4 Units

Studies in the relationship of literature in English to philosophy.

ENGLISH N177 Literature and Philosophy 3 Units

Studies in the relationship of English literature to philosophy.

ENGLISH 178 British and American Folklore 4 Units

Study of representative forms of folklore and oral literature among the English-speaking people of the British Isles and North America.

ENGLISH 179 Literature and Linguistics 4 Units

Study of the English language as a medium for literature. Topics may include rhyme, alliteration, meter, poetic syntax, metaphor, irony, the language of point of view, narrative tense, orality, literacy, etc.

ENGLISH 180A Autobiography 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of autobiographical forms.

ENGLISH 180C Comedy 4 Units

Studies of representative comic forms, techniques, and points of view.

ENGLISH 180E The Epic 4 Units

Reading and discussion of epics, considering their cultural and historical contexts, the nature of their composition, and the development of the form.

ENGLISH 180H Short Story 4 Units

Lectures on and discussion of the form of the short story.

ENGLISH 180J The Essay 4 Units

Study of the essay as a literary form, the circumstances of its use and development, and its fortunes in twentieth-century culture.

ENGLISH 180L Lyric Verse 4 Units

Study of lyric forms and techniques.

ENGLISH 180N The Novel 4 Units

Study of the novel as a literary genre, its formal development and variations, its technical possibilities, its cultural functions. Topics may vary from semester to semester.

ENGLISH 180R The Romance 4 Units

Study of the romance as a literary genre. Topics may vary from semester to semester; focus may be historical or restricted to a particular period (e.g., medieval, modern).

ENGLISH 180S Satire 4 Units

Study of representative satire forms, techniques, and points of view.

ENGLISH 180T Tragedy 4 Units

Study of representative tragic forms, techniques, and points of view.

ENGLISH 180Z Science Fiction 4 Units

Study of speculative fiction (or science fiction) as a genre. Topics may vary from semester to semester. Focus may be historical or thematic.

ENGLISH N180A Autobiography 3 Units

Lectures on and discussion of autobiographical forms.

ENGLISH N180H Short Story 3 Units

Lectures on and discussion of the form of the short story.

ENGLISH N180Z Science Fiction 3 Units

A survey of science fiction which includes both short stories and novels. The focus will be on the analysis of the texts and on the history and theory of the genre.

ENGLISH 190 Research Seminar 4 Units

Research-oriented and designed for upper-division English majors. Intensive examination of critical approaches, literary theory, or a special topic in literary and cultural studies. Topics vary from semester to semester. Students should consult the department's "Announcement of Classes" for offerings well before the beginning of the semester.

ENGLISH H195A Honors Course 4 Units

This is a two-semester course, graded IP at the end of the first semester. During the second semester, each student will write an honors thesis. Completion of the thesis is required for a passing grade in the course.

ENGLISH H195B Honors Course 4 Units

This is a two-semester course, graded IP at the end of the first semester. During the second semester, each student will write an honors thesis. Completion of the thesis is required for a passing grade in the course.

ENGLISH 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Enrollment is restricted by university regulations. Group study in a field that shall not coincide with that of any regular course and shall be specific enough to enable students to write essays based upon their studies.

ENGLISH 198BC Berkeley Connect 1 Unit

Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate. Course may be repeated for credit.

ENGLISH 199 Supervised Independent Study for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Meetings to be arranged. Enrollment is restricted by university regulations. Reading and conference with the instructor in a field that shall not coincide with that of any regular course and shall be specific enough to enable students to write essays based upon their studies.

Faculty

Professors

Elizabeth Abel, Professor. Feminist theory, psychoanalysis, Virginia Woolf, race and gender.
Research Profile

Charles F. Altieri, Professor. Literature and the visual arts, Wittgenstein, Modern American poetry, Contemporary American poetry, history of aesthetic philosophy.
Research Profile

Mitchell Breitwieser, Professor. American literature, philosophy and religion.
Research Profile

Ian Duncan, Professor. English, the novel, British literature 1750-1900, Scottish literature, history and theory of fiction, Scottish enlightenment/romanticism, Scott, literature and the human sciences, Darwin.
Research Profile

Cecil S. Giscombe, Professor.

Steven Goldsmith, Professor.

Dorothy J. Hale, Professor. English, American literature, the novel, narrative theory, Faulkner and the modern novel of consciousness, American Gothic.
Research Profile

Robert L. Hass, Professor. English, poetry, poetry writing, American poetry, history of the short poem in English, contemporary literature, translation, environmental writing, literature and the environment, the natural history tradition in American writing.
Research Profile

Lyn Hejinian, Professor. English, American literature, poetry writing, translation, modernist and postmodern literature, American postwar experimental literature, Gertrude Stein, the objectivists, language writing, Soviet Russian poetry, small press publishing, feminism.
Research Profile

Abdul R. Janmohamed, Professor. English, third world literature in English, African American fiction, colonial literature and critical theory, Richard Wright and the theory of subjection, lynching.
Research Profile

Steven Justice, Professor. English, late medieval literature, medieval Latin, Langland, Chaucer, hagiography, Latin religious thought, literary criticism.
Research Profile

Jeffrey Knapp, Professor. Religion, nationalism, theater, English literature, Shakespeare, English renaissance, Spenser, drama, imperialism, epic poetry, authorship, mass entertainment.
Research Profile

Jerome Mcgann, Professor.

Donald Mcquade, Professor. English, advertising, 20th century American literature and culture, theory and practice of non-fiction, literature and popular culture, the American Renaissance, the essay as literature.
Research Profile

D.A. Miller, Professor. The novel, gay and cultural studies, classic cinema.
Research Profile

Katherine O'Brien O'Keeffe, PhD, Professor. Old English language and literature, textual editing.
Research Profile

Samuel Otter, Professor. English, African American literature, 19th century American literature, 17th and 18th century American literature, Herman Melville, race in American culture, literature and history, discourse and ideology, close reading.
Research Profile

Genaro M. Padilla, Professor. English, American literature, Chicano literature, minority literature, ethnic autobiography.
Research Profile

Susan Schweik, Professor. Feminist theory, cultural studies, English, American poetry, disability studies, 20th-century poetry, literature and politics, war literature.
Research Profile

George A. Starr, Professor. English, the novel, history, English literature, social and intellectual history 1660-1800, prose style, biography and autobiography, especially in relation to fiction, bibliography and textual criticism, literature of California and the west.
Research Profile

James G. Turner, Professor. Gender, sexuality, English, 16th-18th-Century English, Italian and French literature, and literature, 17th-Century political writing, landscape and the city, Enlightenment materialism, sexuality in Renaissance art.
Research Profile

Associate Professors

Oliver Arnold, Associate Professor.

Stephen Michael Best, Associate Professor. Film, English literature, African American literature, literary culture, legal culture.
Research Profile

Charles Daniel Blanton, Associate Professor. Modernism, modern poetry, 19th- and 20th-century British literature, aesthetic and cultural theory.
Research Profile

Kathleen Donegan, Associate Professor. Colonial America, early America, Native America, early Caribbean.
Research Profile

Eric Falci, Associate Professor. 20th-Century Irish and British literature, contemporary Irish and British poetry, poetry and music.
Research Profile

Mark A. Goble, Associate Professor.

Marcial Gonzalez, Associate Professor. Theory, marxism, Chicano literature, twentieth-century American ethnic literatures, novel, Mexican American, migrant farm worker narratives.
Research Profile

Kevis Goodman, Associate Professor. Psychoanalysis, English, 18th-century and romantic literature, later 17th-century poetry, sensibility, history of science.
Research Profile

Kristin Hanson, Associate Professor. Linguistics, English, poetry, meter, rhyme, and alliteration, phonological theory, English grammar and usage.
Research Profile

Donna V. Jones, Associate Professor. Critical theory, English, modernism, literature and philosophy, literature of the Americas, literature of the African Diaspora, postcolonial literature and theory, narrative and historiography.
Research Profile

David Landreth, Associate Professor. English Renaissance literature 1500-1660.
Research Profile

Celeste Langan, Associate Professor. English, romantic poetry, 19th century literature, Wordsworth, Carlyle, Hardy, Rousseau, the French Revolution, Marxist theory, literature and the social sciences.
Research Profile

Colleen Lye, Associate Professor. Postcolonial theory, critical theory, cultural studies, Asian American literature, 20th and 21st century literature, world literature.
Research Profile

Jennifer Miller, Associate Professor. English, philology, paleography, hagiography, medieval literature, literature in old & middle English, historiography, medieval rhetorical culture, insular political relations, multilingualism, translation & textual transmission, dialectology.
Research Profile

Maura Bridget Nolan, Associate Professor. Chaucer, drama, Middle English literature, Gower, Lydgate, medieval, 16th century, literary form, style.
Research Profile

Geoffrey O'Brien, Associate Professor. Modernism, Creative Writing, 20th and 21st century poetry and poetics.
Research Profile

Joanna M Picciotto, Associate Professor.

Kent Puckett, Associate Professor. English, the novel, nineteenth-century British literature and literary theory, sociability, psychoanalysis and affect.
Research Profile

Scott Andrew Saul, Associate Professor. English, African American studies, 20th century American literature and culture, performance studies, jazz studies, histories of the avante-garde.
Research Profile

Katherine Snyder, Associate Professor. Gender studies, masculinity, late 19th-20th- and 21st-century British and American Literature and Culture, narrative and the novel, the city, post-apocalyptic fiction.
Research Profile

Janet Linda Sorensen, Associate Professor.

Elisa C. Tamarkin, Associate Professor. American literature to 1900.
Research Profile

Bryan Wagner, Associate Professor. Critical theory, African American literature, historiography.
Research Profile

Hertha D. Sweet Wong, Associate Professor. English, American literature, native American literature, autobiography, ethnic American literature.
Research Profile

Assistant Professors

Catherine Flynn, Assistant Professor.

Joseph Lavery, Assistant Professor.

Steven Sunwoo Lee, Assistant Professor.

David Marno, Assistant Professor.

C. Namwali Serpell, Assistant Professor.

Emily V. Thornbury, Assistant Professor. Anglo-Saxon and medieval literature.
Research Profile

Lecturers

Mrs. Melanie Abrams, Lecturer.

Vikram Chandra, Lecturer.

Thomas Farber, Lecturer.

Georgina Kleege, Lecturer.

John Shoptaw, Lecturer.

Contact Information

Department of English

322 Wheeler Hall

Phone: 510-642-3467

Fax: 510-642-8738

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Katherine O'Brien O'Keeffe, PhD

427 Wheeler Hall

kobok@berkeley.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Scott Saul, PhD

441 Wheeler Hall

ssaul@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Adviser

Ken Mahru

319 Wheeler Hall

Phone: 510-643-2494

kenmahru@berkeley.edu

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