English (BA)

The Department of English expects its majors to acquire knowledge of English and American literature. In addition, it expects them to gain a sense of history and a reading knowledge of at least one second language. Majors should construct their programs in consultation with an advisor.

An English major offers skills in reading, writing, researching, organizing, responding, arguing, and most importantly, analysis – abilities we need now more than ever. The skills you learn as an English major never grow obsolete, as the ability to understand and shape language is one of the most essential parts of being human.

The Department of English expects its majors to acquire knowledge of English and American literature. In addition, it expects them to gain a sense of history and a reading knowledge of at least one second language. Majors should construct their programs in consultation with an advisor

UO English offers several ways to pursue your passion for stories. These include a major leading to a bachelor's degree and several minors that range from traditional studies in literature and rhetoric to more interdisciplinary programs in a wide range of texts, cultural artifacts, and new media, such as comics and cartoon studies.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Read literary and cultural texts with discernment and comprehension and with an understanding of their conventions.
• Draw on relevant cultural and/or historical information to situate texts within their cultural, political, and historical contexts.
• Perform critical, formal analyses of literary, cinematic, and other cultural texts.
• Write focused, analytical essays in clear, grammatical prose.
• Employ logic, creativity, and interpretive skills to produce original, persuasive arguments.
• Employ primary and/or secondary sources, with proper acknowledgment and citation, as they contribute to a critical essay's thesis.

Composition Program Learning Outcomes 

Upon completion of either WR 122 or WR 123, students should be able to achieve the following outcomes:

• Write essays that develop and respond to a significant question that is relevant to the context in which it is written and appropriate for the audience to which it is addressed.
• Provide logical answers to questions at issue and develop lines of reasoning in support of those answers, while taking into account and responding to objections or competing answers and lines of reasoning.
• Write an essay that is unified around a main claim, proceeds in a logical way, and consists of cohesive paragraphs that separate and connect ideas effectively.
• Produce written work that displays adherence to the conventions of academic writing, including control of grammar, spelling, word usage, syntax, and punctuation; appropriate tone, style, diction, and register; proper formatting, use, and documentation of sources.
• Improve the content and organization of an essay draft in a revision process, both by reevaluating the reasoning and context of the essay and by responding to critiques from peers and instructors.
• Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn:
  • The reasons behind conventions of usage, specialized vocabulary, format, and citation systems in their fields or disciplines
  • Strategies for controlling conventions in their fields or disciplines
  • Factors that influence the ways work is designed, documented, and disseminated in their fields
  • Ways to make informed decisions about intellectual property issues connected to common genres and modalities in their fields

The Department of English expects its majors to acquire knowledge of English and American literature. In addition, it expects them to gain a sense of history and a reading knowledge of at least one second language. Majors should construct their programs in consultation with an advisor.

English Major Requirements

¹

May include only one of the following: Introduction to Fiction (ENG 104Z), Introduction to Drama (ENG 105Z), Introduction to Poetry (ENG 106Z), and may include no courses with a WR subject code. ENG 209 counts for writing requirement and lower-division elective.

²

Completion of at least one Genre: [Topic] (ENG 205) topics course is a prerequisite or co-requisite for enrolling in ENG 303. Completion of ENG 303 is a pre-requisite for enrolling in ENG 304 or ENG 305.

³

May be fulfilled using (a) (ENG 209) The Craft of the Sentence, (b) The Art of the Sentence (ENG 420), or (c) any upper-division WR course.

⁴

One course may satisfy a maximum of two upper-division area requirements at once, as indicated on the current advising supplement. 

⁵

No more than 8 credits of Research: [Topic] (ENG 401), Thesis (ENG 403), Reading and Conference: [Topic] (ENG 405), or Writing and Conference: [Topic] (CRWR 405). Upper-division CRWR courses may also be used to fulfill this requirement.

Additional Requirements

Coursework required for the English major, both lower division and upper division, must be passed with grades of mid-C or better. Majors must complete the university second-language requirement for the BA degree. At least 28 of the required 36 upper-division credits must be taken at the University of Oregon.

Residency Requirements

The English major allows for 8 of the 32 additional upper division credits to be completed by transfer courses. All of the lower-division credits can be completed at Community Colleges or another school and transferred to the UO.

Honors Program in English

The program provides qualified undergraduate majors with special options for fulfilling departmental requirements. Honors students interested in the intensive study of literature in small discussion seminars independently explore a special topic of their own choosing, under the guidance of a faculty member. Typically, students spend a major portion of the senior year writing their honors thesis.

Requirements

1. Completion of all English department requirements
2. Minimum of two terms of Seminar: [Topic] (ENG 407) (Capstone).
3. Two terms of Thesis (ENG 403), a directed program of study or creative writing under the guidance of an appropriate advisor.
4. Senior thesis—either a critical essay of thirty-five to fifty pages or a substantial piece of creative writing. The thesis must by approved by the advisor and a second reader (typically both faculty members in English) after an oral defense.

Four-Year Degree Plan

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

Bachelor of Arts in English