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Concentration in Literary Studies

The literary studies concentration prepares you for graduate school and a career in an academic or professional setting.

Preparing You for Success

You explore authors from the past to sharpen your understanding of the present and future. Literary studies courses focus on analyzing texts’ culture and history. Small class sizes foster intellectually challenging conversations with faculty mentors and classmates. The program is structured to enable you to add another major or minor of your choice.

By the time you graduate, your experiences include:

  • Internships to explore grant writing, corporate communications, nonprofits and libraries
  • Research opportunities with faculty
  • On-campus and national writing competitions
  • A senior career exploration project
  • Opportunities to write for the student newspaper, literary magazine and National Novel Writing Month
  • Networking and career development through the English club and Sigma Tau Delta honor society

Making Your Mark

Literary studies graduates are in demand as copywriters, journalists, medical writers, nonprofit organization leaders and public relations professionals. Recent graduates are working for organizations such as AmeriCorps, ConAgra Foods and United Way. Others have pursued graduate degrees at the University of Chicago, University of Illinois and Ohio State University.

Concentration Requirements

Required Genre Course (choose one) - 3 hrs.

  • ENG 320: Young Adult Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 368: Science Fiction and Fantasy - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 372: Poetry As Genre - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 373: Fiction As Genre - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 374: Drama As Genre - 3 hrs.

Cultural Literary Studies Course (choose one) - 3 hrs.

  • ENG 329: African American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 330: Native American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 331: Studies in Women Writers - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 365: Irish Literatures - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 381: Literatures of Asia - 3 hrs.

Elective Courses (choose two) - 4-6 hrs.

  • ENG 311: Introduction to Language - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 313: Grammar for Writing and Speaking - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 320: Young Adult Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 329: African American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 330: Native American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 331: Studies in Women Writers - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 332: Early American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 334: 19th Century American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 336: 20th and 21st Century American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 341: Medieval English Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 344: Renaissance English Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 358: 18th-Century British Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 361: British Romantic Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 363: British Victorian Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 365: Irish Literatures - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 368: Science Fiction and Fantasy - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 370: Literary Criticism and Theory - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 372: Poetry As Genre - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 373: Fiction As Genre - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 374: Drama As Genre - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 378: Individual Authors - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 380: Topics in Language and Literature - 3 hrs.
  • *ENG 495: Independent Study - 1-3 hrs.

*with consent of chair