An Overview of the Regular Track
Students drawn to the regular track of the English major might go on to pursue careers in law, in teaching at all levels, in business and finance, and even in medicine-indeed, in any area that demands sharp critical and analytical thinking and writing. Some combine the English major with the college’s minor in journalism to prepare for successful professional lives in newspaper work, magazine feature writing, advertising, professional editing, public relations, and book publishing. Students who take the regular English major at Colorado College are required to take courses in literary theory, poetry analysis and interpretation, Shakespeare, prose fiction, and alternative literature. English majors are required to take courses based in the following historical periods: Middle Ages and Renaissance excluding Shakespeare; English or American literature, 1660-1830; 19th Century British or American literature; 20th Century English or American literature. Senior English majors take a one or two-block seminar on a specific subject at the end of which they write a senior essay.
I. Entry-Level Courses:
A. English 250: Introduction to Literary Theory: An introduction to literary interpretation and criticism. Students may also fulfill this requirement with Comparative Literature 210 (Introduction to Literary Theory).
B. English 221: Introduction to Poetry
These courses are prerequisites for Senior Seminar and Senior Project. We hope students will take them before most of their advanced English courses. They are not limited to English majors; we encourage prospective majors to take them.
II. Distribution Requirements:
A. Alternative Literature (minority, non-western, or women’s literature)
B. Prose Fiction
C. Period Courses: 300- or 400-level, but any one of these requirements may be fulfilled with a 200-level course:
- Middle Ages and Renaissance (excluding Shakespeare)
- Shakespeare
- 18th Century and English Romantics, 1660-1830
- 19th Century, 1830-1914
- 20th Century, 1914-present
Some sections of English 280 (Topics in Literature) may fulfill requirements too. Also, keep in mind that a course may count in more than one category. For example, 386: James Joyce counts for both 20th Century and prose fiction. The responsibility for meeting distribution requirements lies with you. Before graduation you will be asked to complete a form documenting your fulfillment of the distribution requirements.
III. Senior Program:
Seniors may complete their major program in either of the two following ways:
1. One-block Senior Seminar and Senior Project
2. Two-block Senior Seminar
The senior seminar permits students to take an advanced course exclusively with other senior majors and is designed to help students develop their critical abilities in greater depth. The department recommends that students complete as many of their other advanced courses as possible before taking the senior seminar. In March of each year junior majors will receive descriptions of the topics for the following year’ s seminars in time for pre-registration. The senior seminar does not fulfill any of the distribution requirements.
Students are permitted to count no more than two units of summer independent reading in fulfilling their English major requirements.
Distinction in English is awarded at graduation to senior majors who have done outstanding academic work in department courses.
