Regulations for all English and Comparative Literature Majors and Concentrators

Declaring a Major in English

Upon declaring a major in English, students should meet with either the director of undergraduate studies or a departmental adviser (listed above) to discuss the program. Students declaring a major should obtain a Major Requirements Worksheet, from 602 Philosophy or on-line at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/english/ug_majworksheet.htm, which outlines the requirements. Additional information, including events and deadlines of particular relevance to undergraduates, is provided at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/english/ug_index.htm, the department’s undergraduate homepage: the sidebar on this page provides links to pages with details about advising, major and concentration requirements, course options and restrictions, registration procedures, the senior essay, and writing prizes, as well as links to downloadable worksheets for the major and concentration and to course distribution requirement lists, past and present. For detailed information about registration procedures, students should consult the sidebar at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/english/courses_index.htm, which explains the requirements and enables students to monitor their own progress.

Newly declared majors should contact the undergraduate assistant in 602 Philosophy Hall and request that their name be added to the department’s electronic mailing list for English majors and concentrators. Because important information is now routinely disseminated through e-mail, it is crucial that students be on this list.

Critical Reading, Critical Writing

The introductory course ENGL W3001 Critical reading, critical writing, together with its companion seminar, ENGL W3011, is required for the English major and concentration. It should be taken by the end of the sophomore year. Fulfillment of this requirement is a factor in admission to seminars and to some lectures. This once-a-week faculty lecture, accompanied by a seminar led by an advanced graduate student in the department, is intended to introduce students to the study of literature. Students read works from the three major literary modes (lyric, drama, and narrative), drawn from premodern to contemporary literatures, and learn interpretative techniques required by these various modes or genres. This course does not fullfill any distribution requirements.

Senior Essay

The senior essay program is an opportunity for students to explore in depth some literary topic of special interest to them, involving extensive background reading and resulting in an essay (8,000–15,000 words) that constitutes a substantial and original critical or scholarly argument. Students submit proposals in September of their senior year, with acceptance contingent upon the quality of the proposal and the student’s record in the major. Students who are accepted are assigned a faculty sponsor to supervise the project, from its development during the fall semester to its completion in the spring. It is for the spring semester, not the fall, that students officially register for the course, designated as ENGL W3999 Senior essay. Senior essays are due in early April.

Course options and restrictions:

1. No course at the 1000 level may be counted toward the major (e.g., ENGL C1001-ENGL C1002, ENGL C1004, C1007, ENGL C1010, ENGL F1010, and ENGL C1011).

2. Speech courses may not be counted toward the major.

3. Two writing courses or two upper-level literature courses taught in a foreign language, or one of each, may count toward the major, though neither type of course fulfills any distribution requirement. Writing courses that may be applied toward the major include those offered through Columbia’s undergraduate Creative Writing Program and through Barnard College.

4. Comparative literature courses sponsored by the department may be counted toward the major. Those sponsored by other departments, including the Center for Comparative Literature and Society, may not be counted toward the major without the permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Literature courses taught in English in foreign language departments do not count toward the major.

5. No more than two courses taken during the summer session may be counted toward the major.

6. Courses offered through the Barnard English Department may count toward the major or concentration. Students should consult the Barnard Course Distribution List, available in the department and at the department Web site, that specifies Barnard courses approved for the major and the requirements these courses satisfy. Before taking Barnard courses not on this list, students should verify with the director of undergraduate studies whether and how such courses may count toward the major.

7. For courses taken abroad or at other American institutions to count toward the major, students must obtain the approval of the director of undergraduate studies.

8. To register for more than 42 points (including advanced standing credit) in English and comparative literature, a student majoring in English must obtain the permission of the director of undergraduate studies.

9. No more than five courses taken elsewhere may be applied to the major, four to the concentration.

10. One independent study (for at least 3 pts) may count toward the major but cannot be used to satisfy any distribution requirements; likewise, the Senior essay may count as one of ten courses for the major but fulfills no requirements. Students may not count both an Independent study and the Senior essay toward the major.

11. Courses assigned a grade of D may not be counted toward the major.

12. Only the first course taken to count toward the major can be taken Pass/Fail.

For a Major in English

Ten departmental courses (for a minimum of 30 pts) and, in the process, fulfillment of the following requirements. See course information above for details on fulfilling the distribution requirements.

1. ENGL W3001 and ENGL W3011 Critical reading, critical writing
2. Period distribution: Three courses primarily dealing with periods before 1800, only one of which may be a course in Shakespeare.
3. Genre distribution: One course in each of the following three generic categories:
   • poetry
   • prose fiction/narrative
   • drama and film
4. Geography distribution: One course in each of the following three geographical categories:
   
   • British
   • American
   • comparative/global (comparative literature, postcolonial, global English, trans-Atlantic, diaspora)

Course Distribution Lists are available in the department and on-line at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/english/ug_disctcours.htm to help students determine which courses fulfill which requirements. A single course can satisfy more than one distribution requirement. For example, a Shakespeare lecture satisfies three requirements at once: not only does it count as one of the three required pre-1800 courses; it also, at the same time, fulfills both a genre and a geography distribution requirement (drama and British, respectively). Courses not on the distribution list may count toward the major requirements only with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Two writing courses or upper-level literature courses taught in a foreign language, or one of each, may count toward the ten (see course options and restrictions above).

For a Concentration in English

Eight departmental courses and, in the process fulfillment of the following requirements. See course information above for details on fulfilling the distribution requirements.

1. ENGL W3001 and ENGL W3011 Critical reading, critical writing
2. Period distribution: Two courses dealing with periods before 1800, only one of which may be a course in Shakespeare
3. Genre distribution: Two courses, each chosen from a different genre category
   • poetry
   • prose fiction/narrative
   • drama and film
4. Geography distribution: Two courses, each chosen from a different geography category
   • British
   • American
   • comparative/global (comparative literature, postcolonial, global English, trans-Atlantic, diaspora)

See the Course Distribution Lists, available in the department or on-line at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/english/ug_directors.htm, to determine which courses fulfill which requirements. All of the restrictions outlined for the English major also apply for the concentration in English.

Comparative Literature Program

Students who wish to major in comparative literature should consult the Comparative Literature and Society section of the bulletin.

Students who wish to major in comparative literature should consult the Comparative Literature and Society section of the bulletin.