Majors in English

Hamline's English department offers two majors:

• the standard English major (10 courses)
• the English major with a concentration in creative writing (12 courses)

Students interested in an English major are encouraged to take the required survey courses in their first year and to declare a major as sophomores. Declared majors must take a sequence of two gateway courses in critical methods and contemporary theory. Juniors and seniors should take primarily 3000-level courses, at least three of which must be literature courses.

The senior seminar is a capstone course, in which students study a topic, author, or a period in depth and develop independent research projects. ENG 3020: Literary and Cultural Theory and the senior seminar must be taken at Hamline. ENG 3010 and ENG 3020 must be taken at least one semester before the senior seminar and are strongly recommended before taking other 3000-level courses.

Note: ENG 1110 is not part of the major but can be counted toward breadth of study.  

English Major

The standard English major requires 10 courses:

2 introductory inquiries (survey courses)
2 gateway courses (ENG 3010 and ENG 3020)
5 intermediate inquiries (courses above ENG 3020)
1 capstone course (senior seminar) 

Two survey courses, which may not be from the same category below: 

• Category A
  ENG 1210 - British Literatures to 1789
  ENG 1220 - British Literatures after 1789 
• Category B
  ENG 1230 - American Literatures to 1860
  ENG 1240 - American Literatures after 1860 
• Category C
  ENG 1250 - World Literatures
  ENG 1270 - African-American Literatures 

Two gateway courses to be taken in sequence: 

• ENG 3010 - Textual Studies and Criticism 
• ENG 3020 - Literary and Cultural Theory (ENG 3020 must be taken at Hamline and taken before the senior seminar)

Five 3000-level English courses above ENG 3020  
At least three of the five 3000-level courses above ENG 3020 must be literature courses, which includes courses numbered ENG 3450 to ENG 3570, ENG 3100, ENG 3190, and ENG 5600.

Senior capstone 
ENG 5960 - Senior Seminar 

English major with creative writing concentration

The English major requires 10 courses:

4 introductory inquiries (2 survey courses and 2 “gateway” courses)
5 intermediate inquiries
1 senior seminar

The English major with a concentration in creative writing requires 12 courses, which includes an additional 2 intermediate inquiries in creative writing.

Two survey courses, which may not be from the same category below: 

• Category A
  ENG 1210 - British Literatures to 1789
  ENG 1220 - British Literatures after 1789 
• Category B
  ENG 1230 - American Literatures to 1860
  ENG 1240 - American Literatures after 1860 
• Category C
  ENG 1250 - World Literatures
  ENG 1270 - African-American Literatures 

Two gateway courses to be taken in sequence: 

• ENG 3010 - Textual Studies and Criticism 
• ENG 3020 - Literary and Cultural Theory (ENG 3020 must be taken at Hamline and taken before the senior seminar)

Three 3000-level literature courses: 
Note: at least three of the five 3000-level courses above ENG 3020 must be literature courses, which includes courses numbered ENG 3450 to ENG 3570, ENG 3100, ENG 3190, and ENG 5600.

Three 3000-level creative writing courses:  

Required:

• WRIT 3000 - Creating Across Genres 

Two of the following:

• WRIT 3110 - Forms & Elements of the Craft I: Poetry
• WRIT 3120 - Forms & Elements of the Craft I: Fiction
• WRIT 3130 - Forms & Elements of the Craft I: Creative Nonfiction
• WRIT 3210 - Forms & Elements of the Craft II: Poetry
• WRIT 3220 - Forms & Elements of the Craft II: Fiction
• WRIT 3230 - Forms & Elements of the Craft II: Creative Nonfiction
• WRIT 3xxx - Topics Course
• WRIT 5xxx - Topics Course

(Note: Some WRIT courses have prerequisites that require them to be taken in sequence.)

One additional 3000-level professional writing course: 
This elective may be taken as a 3000- or 5000-level course in literature or theory (ENG 3450 to 3570, ENG 3100, ENG 3190, and ENG 5600), writing (ENG 3320 to 3390), or creative writing (3000- and 5000-level WRIT courses or ACTC equivalent courses, including WRIT 5110, 5120, and 5130 after completing prerequisites).

Senior capstone 

• ENG 5960 - Senior Seminar