English

Majoring in English instructs you in critical modes of thinking that are beneficial in almost any future career path.

A corollary set of intellectual skills developed in the Dartmouth English major is a knowing deployment of a sophisticated critical vocabulary. All English majors will soon be required to take a course in literary theory. By focusing on major theoretical schools of the twentieth century--such as structuralism, post-structuralism, feminism, Marxism, deconstruction, queer theory, psychoanalysis, and post-colonialism--an English major learns how to integrate an array of demanding analytic paradigms. These acquired skills enhance your abilities to critique from a variety of perspectives a variety of texts, ranging from Old English elegies and Renaissance plays to Trinidadian memoirs and digital hypertexts.

Writing is of paramount importance to the English major. Typically, you write at least two long papers in every English course, and in your senior seminar, the capstone course to the major, a hefty research paper is required. About 25 percent of majors choose to write an honors thesis. Though lengths may vary, particularly for creative projects, theses are generally between 60 and 90 pages long.  And in the popular major in literature and creative writing, you take a series of seminars that culminate in a portfolio of poems, short stories, non-fictional prose, or a novel. Since clear, intelligent, and personable writing is a skill highly valued in the world after college, its development under the tutelage of attentive professors is another benefit of majoring in English.

The English Major

Requirements: The Major in English requires the successful completion of eleven major courses.

1. The courses must satisfy the following distribution requirements according to the Course Groups, listed below: at least 2 courses from Group I; at least 2 courses from Group II; at least 1 course from Group III; at least 1 course from Group IV.

2. Two courses must be selected from the Literary Histories (ENGL 1, ENGL 2, ENGL 3). These courses may be used to satisfy the Course Group requirements.

3. One course must be a Junior Colloquium (ENGL 60 - ENGL 65). This course may also satisfy one of the Course Group requirements.

4. One course must be a Senior Seminar (ENGL 71's - ENGL 75). This course may also be used to satisfy any of the Course Group requirements.

5. One course must be designated as satisfying the Culminating Experience Requirement.  This may be a Senior Seminar or, in the case of students seeking a degree with Honors, the first term of ENGL 98. The Culminating Experience course must be taken and completed after the sophomore-junior summer term.

Students electing the major in English should bear in mind the following:

1. Transfer credits normally cannot be used in the major. Students wishing to be granted an exception must petition the CDC (Committee on Departmental Curriculum). If approval is granted, transfer courses are subject to the rules that apply to substitute courses.

2. Two substitute courses (appropriate major courses from other departments at Dartmouth) are permitted within the major. Normally, substitute courses cannot satisfy the Course Group requirements.

3. No substitute courses may satisfy the Culminating Experience requirement.

4. To become an English major, students must consult with a professor to plan their courses.  Students formally elect the major in English by submitting a proposed plan of courses through DegreeWorks and meeting with one of the English faculty to get approval. At the time of faculty approval the student must also submit a completed and signed major worksheet to the department administrator.  Students must meet with their major advisor a second time in the last term of the junior year or the first term of the senior year in order to review their major plan.

Concentration in Creative Writing

Students electing a concentration in Creative Writing must pass a prerequisite course, ENGL 80 (Writing and Reading Fiction), ENGL 81 (Writing and Reading Creative Nonfiction), or ENGL 82 (Writing and Reading poetry) prior to enrolling in any other Creative Writing course. The concentration consists of four courses. Courses satisfying this concentration must include:

One course selected from ENGL 83 (Intermediate Workshop in Fiction), ENGL 84 (Intermediate Creative Nonfiction), ENGL 85 (Intermediate Workshop in Poetry).

A second course selected from ENGL 80, ENGL 81, ENGL 82, ENGL 83, ENGL 84, ENGL 85, ENGL 87's (The Poem as a Liminal Space, Literary Geniuses: The Short Fiction of 21st-Century MacArthur Foundation Fellows); or, an approved colloquium or topics course in English with a significant writing component; or, an approved course in another department with a workshop orientation (e.g., FILM 33, Writing for the Screen I; THEA 50, Playwriting I; ENVS 72, Nature Writers); or, a senior project (ENGL 89 or ENGL 98).

A course in contemporary poetry, prose, prose nonfiction, or drama in the English Department, or any other course within the English Department carrying the CW tag, or a creative writing course offered by another department.

Note: Students must be admitted to one of the Creative Writing intermediate courses (ENGL 83, ENGL 84, ENGL 85) before they can elect the Creative Writing concentration.  Students may not elect the minor in the Creative Writing concentration until they have been admitted to ENGL 83, ENGL 84, or ENGL 85.  A writing sample is required with the application to ENGL 83, ENGL 84, and ENGL 85. 

Modified Majors

Students may propose a modified major in English by designing a special program of study in consultation with a faculty advisor in the Department. One may modify the major in English with a selection of courses from other departments and programs, or one may modify a major in another department or program with a selection of English courses. In both cases the modifying courses nominated must be courses that qualify for major credit in their home department or program. The Culminating Experience should be satisfied according to the primary department’s or program’s rules. Proposals for modifying the major in English should also explain the rationale for modifying the standard major.

Proposals for both kinds of modified majors must be submitted to the Vice Chair of the English Department as a formal petition and proposal. Proposals to modify another major with English courses must be approved by the Vice Chair of English before going forward to the primary department or program for final approval as a major program. Proposals to modify the major in English with other courses must be submitted, along with an authorizing signature from the secondary department or program, to the Vice Chair of English and the CDC for their deliberation and approval. The Vice Chair’s signature signifies final approval of a modified major in English.

The Minor in English

The minor in English requires the successful completion of six major courses. No substitutions and no more than one transfer credit will be permitted.

1.       SAT Reasoning or ACT (with Writing);

2.       2 SAT Subject Test Scores;

3.       The common application essay;

4.       Within the Common Application, Dartmouth’s writing supplement requires that applicants write a brief response to one of the following supplemental essay prompts. Candidates choose one topic and respond;

5.       A counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations. In addition, a peer recommendation is strongly encouraged;

6.       Resume;

7.       Brief abstract of an independent research project;

8.       IELTS or TOEFL (no minimum scores).

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