English Major

The English liberal arts major requires each student to take 11 courses.

3 Foundation Courses

  • LIT 200 – Introduction to Poetry
  • LIT 201 – Approaches to Literature
  • LIT 217 – Issues in Multicultural Literature

3 Courses in Literary History

Choose three 200- or 300-level courses from the department’s offerings in literary history before Modernism. At least one of these courses must be in literature before the Restoration.

3 English Electives

Choose three electives from the literature (LIT), language/linguistics (LNG) and creative writing (CWR) courses offered by the department. In order to promote interdisciplinarity, students may, with permission, fill one of these electives with a relevant course in literature, linguistics, aesthetics, cultural studies, film or writing from another program or department at TCNJ.

2 Seminars in Research and Theory

Two seminars in research and theory, one in the junior and one in the senior year. These topics-based courses are writing and theory-intensive and will emphasize independent research. Students writing an honors thesis in the senior year may do so in place of their second seminar. LIT 201 is an absolute pre-requisite for LIT 499 and no student will be allowed to register for two sections of LIT 499 in the same semester.

*Note to Education/English Majors:

Education/English and English Secondary Education majors will need an additional foundation course, taking either LNG 201 – Introduction to English Language or LNG 202 Structure/History of the English Language. Students will then have only 2 English Electives.

Note: Only 5 courses at the 200-level (and none below the 200-level) will apply to the English liberal arts major, so plan wisely. Students are encouraged to explore minor concentrations such as African-American Studies, Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, US Studies, and Women and Gender Studies. It is college policy that only one course taken as part of a student’s major may also be counted toward the student’s minor.

Learn more about the goals of the English Major ยป