English, B.A.

1. Introductory course

• ENG 2100 - Introduction to Literary Studies (4)  

2. One course in global and ethnic literatures selected from

• ENG 3510 - Selected Ethnic Literature (4)  
• ENG 3520 - African American Literature (4)  
• ENG 3530 - Indigenous Literature of North America (4)  
• ENG 3800 - Postcolonial Literature (4)  

3. Two courses in literary history, including

•  At least one course in earlier literary history and at least one course in later literary history.

Earlier Literary History

• ENG 3200 - British Medieval Literature (4)  
• ENG 3210 - British Literature of the Renaissance (4)  
• ENG 3220 - British Literature of the Restoration and 18th Century (4)  
• ENG 3400 - Early American Literature (4)  
• ENG 3410 - American Literature 1820-1865 (4)  

Later Literary History

• ENG 3230 - British Literature of the Romantic Period (4)  
• ENG 3240 - British Literature from the Victorian Period and Early 20th Century (4)  
• ENG 3250 - British and Commonwealth Literature since 1900 (4)  
• ENG 3420 - American Literature 1865-1920 (4)  
• ENG 3430 - American Literature 1920-1950 (4)  
• ENG 3440 - American Literature 1950 to the Present (4)  

4. One course in critical and cultural approaches to literature selected from

• ENG 3680 - Literary Theory (4)  
• ENG 3681 - Literature and the Environment (4)  
• ENG 3684 - Gender, Sexuality, and Literature (4)  
• ENG 3686 - Disability Studies and Literature (4)  

5. One capstone seminar selected from

• ENG 4900 - Capstone Seminar: Topics in Literature and Language (4)  
• ENG 4970 - Capstone Seminar: Literary Kinds (4)  
• ENG 4975 - Capstone Seminar: Trans-Atlantic Traditions (4)  
• ENG 4980 - Capstone Seminar: Major Authors (4)  
• ENG 4985 - Capstone Seminar: Shakespeare (4)  

6. At least one course in British literary history (ENG 32xx and ENG 33xx courses) and at least one course in American literary history (ENG 34xx courses).

7. At least 24 credits must be taken at the 3000 level or above.

8. At least 20 credits in English courses must be taken at Oakland.

9. An introductory two-semester sequence in a foreign language, or one semester of a foreign language at the 1150 level or higher.

Additional information

• Courses on the 1000 level are directed to students seeking non-technical, liberally oriented courses to fulfill general education requirements or to use in minors and particular concentrations. Courses on the 2000 level offer broad introductions to literary materials and approaches basic to the study of English. Courses on the 3000 level offer more intensive investigations into particular areas of English studies. These courses, the core of the program for English majors, are open to advanced students according to their special needs and their preparation in related disciplines. Courses on the 4000 level apply theory and methods of literary history, criticism, and research to writers and to problems presented by specific topics. They are designed for senior majors. Graduate courses on the 5000 level are open to senior majors by permission of the instructor and the department chairperson. 
• Except where noted, 1000- and 2000-level courses have no prerequisites. Advanced courses (numbered 3000 to 4999) have a general prerequisite of writing proficiency (WRT 1060 or equivalent), plus any special requirements listed with the course descriptions.
• A maximum of 12 credits of creative writing (CW) courses will be accepted for credit toward the major.
• Only one course at the 1000 level will be accepted for credit toward the major.
• ENG 2100  is a prerequisite for the required literary history courses, the required courses in critical and cultural approaches to literature, and the capstone seminar.
• No more than eight credits of
  ENG 4996
    will be accepted for credit toward the major.
• English majors are encouraged to take advantage of study-abroad and study-away programs offered through Oakland University. The department advisers will work with students whenever possible to identify equivalent courses in study-abroad and study-away programs that will fulfill requirements for the major.
• Only courses in which the student has earned a grade of (C) may be counted toward the English major, including the modern foreign language requirement.
• Students majoring in English may not use the CW rubric to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences exploratory requirement.
• In addition to these major requirements, students must complete the Oakland University General Education Requirements , the College of Arts and Sciences College Exploratory Requirement , and an appropriate number of free elective classes to meet the overall credit requirement for the degree (in most cases 124; some degrees may require a greater number).

As a general rule, no more than eight credits of coursework used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

Requirements for the modified major in English with a linguistics concentration

The modified English/linguistics major requires a minimum of 24 credits in ENG and 20 credits in LIN and ALS, distributed as follows: