English Major Minor
and Joint Requirements

The program in English has three main goals. For the student who chooses to major in English, the Department seeks to offer the knowledge and skills necessary for pursuing graduate studies, and for careers in teaching and in the many other professions that depend on writing and literary ability. For both majors and non-majors, the Department seeks to provide opportunities for the intellectual and imaginative development afforded by the study of language and literature. The department also seeks to preserve and promote the study of the literary heritage of African Americans
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the English major, the student will be able to:

1. Write effectively
2. Identify and recognize major writers and literary works in the history of the English and American literature
3. Identify and recognize major writers and literary works in the history of African American literature
4. Demonstrate the skills and strategies for interpreting and critiquing literature.
5. Recognize rhetorical structure, style, and philosophy including the use of the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style.

Students who complete the program in English will be able to:

1. Identify major writers in the history of English and American literature;
2. Recognize the African American literary tradition;
3. Understand the skills and strategies for interpreting literature;
4. Write effectively;
5. Understand the relationship of literature with other humanities disciplines; and
6. Demonstrate awareness of the role of literature in society and of the opportunities for graduate studies and careers in literature, writing, and other areas in which a literary and writing background is advantageous.

Major Requirements

Requirements for the major, in addition to the University degree requirements outlined within this Bulletin, are at least 36 credits as follows:

Required major courses (24 cr.)

Course Number Course Name
ENG 220 Survey of American Literature
ENG 330 Survey of British Literature
ENG 265 Shakespeare

Plus one of the following three courses:

Course Number Course Name
ENG 222 American Literature--Figure
ENG 224 American Literature--Period
ENG 226 American Literature--Genre

Plus one of the following three courses:

Course Number Course Name
ENG 332 British Literature--Figure
ENG 334 British Literature--Period
ENG 336 British Literature--Genre

Plus one of the following two courses:

Course Number Course Name
ENG 275 African American Literature
ENG 276 The Harlem Renaissance

Electives in English (12 cr.)

12 additional credits selected from any English Department courses not taken to meet the above requirements.

If students take Writer’s Workshop twice for a total of eight credit hours, they must also take another English elective, for four credits, to fulfill the requirement of twelve credit hours in English electives.

or

Students may choose to substitute for English electives with any of the following courses offered through the School of Humanities and Social Sciences:  Mass Media and Society, Introduction in Journalism, Topics in Journalism, and Newspaper Production.

When used as substitutes for English electives, these courses may be counted toward the twelve required English elective credits. They need not accumulate, however, toward the 36 credits in English that are required as part of the major.

 

Majors may also take up to twelve additional hours of English course, for a total of no more that 48 hours, although they are not required to do so. Joint majors combining English and another discipline must take at least 24 hours in English, consisting of the required major courses. Joint majors may also take up to eight additional hours of English courses, for a total of not more that 32 hours, although they are not required to do so.

Minor Requirements

MINOR IN WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES 

Katherine Burnett, Ph.D., COORDINATOR 
The minor in women’s and gender studies is administered as an interdisciplinary program by the School of Humanities and Behavioral Social Sciences and the Department of Arts and Languages. Its purpose is to provide Fisk students an opportunity to pursue a coordinated program of study focusing on gender and on the status of women and men in the contemporary world--drawing on the perspectives of literature, philosophy, religious study, the social and natural sciences. Information about the minor program is available from the School Dean’s office and from the Coordinator of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Students in any major field may complete the minor in women’s and gender studies, with the approval of their faculty academic advisors and the Coordinator of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
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Requirements for the women’s and gender studies minor include 16 hours of courses in the area of women’s and gender studies. To complete the minor, the student must:
1. Complete all requirements for one of the major fields described elsewhere in this Bulletin 2. Successfully complete (grade of “C” or better), in the process of meeting the total credit-hour graduation requirement and the requirements for one of the major fields, four of the following courses:

Courses

Course Number Course Name
ART 250 Women and Art
ENG 240 Women and Literature
HIS 240 Women in he Civil Rights Movement
HSS 250 Introduction To Women's and Gender Studies
PSCI 320B Women in Politics
PSY 231 Psychology of Women and Gender
SOC 108 Relations Between Men and Women

Joint Requirements

Joint majors combining English and another discipline must take at least 24 hours in English, consisting of the required major courses. Joint majors may also take up to eight additional hours of English courses, for a total of not more that 32 hours, although they are not required to do so.