School of Arts and Sciences
MAJOR AND MINOR DESCRIPTIONS BY DEPARTMENT
ENGLISH
The Department of English at the University of Pittsburgh offers two different major programs, English literature and English writing. Both majors are responsive to many of the traditional goals of a liberal arts education: they seek to develop a broad critical and historical understanding of influential cultural traditions and to foster a range of reading and writing strategies as well as skills of critical analysis. The majors prepare students fairly directly for careers in teaching or writing. But the skills and knowledge the majors impart are useful in numerous business and professional settings. For example, an English major is highly regarded as a pre-professional major for further training in law, medicine, or business. The director of academic affairs for the Association of American Medical Colleges has said (1986) that English majors have a higher rate of acceptance at medical schools than students who have majored in the biological and physical sciences.
English Literature
The English literature major is designed to develop a critical understanding of literary and cultural traditions in English that is at once informed, skeptical, and appreciative. Some of the distinctive features of the literature curriculum at the University of Pittsburgh are the recurrent concerns from the introductory to the most advanced undergraduate courses with the following: questions of how and why we read and write and participate in cultural activities; the contexts in which a range of literary texts and films are produced, understood, evaluated, and used; and the changing role of art and culture in the contemporary world. The major offers students opportunities to study canonical works of British and American literature from medieval times to the present; often, these texts will be studied in conjunction with historical or philosophical works, with other national literatures in English, and/or with films or works of popular culture. In many courses, students’ own writing will be an important object of study.
Major Requirements
The English literature major requires the completion of 36 credits distributed as follows.
- ENGLIT 0500: Introduction to Critical Reading— Students should take this course as early as possible in the major, certainly before taking the historical period courses.
- ENGLIT 0505: Lectures in Literature—This course can be taken along with ENGLIT 0500: Introduction to Critical Reading, and should be taken before the first historical period course.
Three historical period courses chosen from the following
At least one of the following courses
- ENGLIT 1100: Medieval Imagination
- ENGLIT 1125: Renaissance in England
- ENGLIT 1135: Early Modern Literatures in English
At least one of the following courses
- ENGLIT 1150: From Enlightenment to Revolution
- ENGLIT 1175: Nineteenth-Century British Literature
- ENGLIT 1200: American Literature to 1860
At least one of the following courses
- ENGLIT 1220: Emergence of Modern America
- ENGLIT 1325 The Modernist Tradition
- ENGLIT 1380 World Literature in English
- ENGLIT 1900: Junior Seminar—Students must have completed ENGLIT 0500 and at least one historical period course before taking the Junior Seminar.
- ENGLIT 1909/1910: Senior Seminar—Students must have completed ENGLIT 0500 and at least three historical period courses before taking the Senior Seminar.
Five elective courses
At least two of these electives must be 1000-level courses. The major can also be explored through electives at the 0500 level and the 0600 level. English writing (ENGWRT) courses, English film (ENGFLM) courses, both at the 0500 level and above, and not more than two English composition (ENGCMP) courses at the 0400 level or above, may also be used to fulfill elective requirements.
Additional information and requirements
- There is no limit on the number of courses English majors may take on an S/NC basis, either inside or outside the department.
- English majors automatically fulfill A&S requirements for W courses.
- Students who contemplate graduate study in English should remember that many schools do require foreign language competence, sometimes in more than one language.
- The English department confers honors on those graduates who maintain a 3.25 overall GPA with a GPA of 3.50 or better in English department courses. The GPA is based on all English department courses, not just those that fulfill major requirements.
Minor in English Literature
An undergraduate minor in English literature would help students in a variety of majors to represent significant expertise they have accrued in this field on their transcripts. The structure of the minor will also help direct students with a significant interest in English literature to sequences and sets of courses that are designed to develop their interest; they can take a mini-curriculum rather than just a smattering of electives. A minor in English literature is a desirable supplement to many degrees across Arts and Sciences because it provides insights into cultural traditions and practices, develops students’ abilities to write analytic arguments, and promotes critical thinking.
The minor consists of 18 credits and comprises the following courses.
- ENGLIT 0500 Introduction to Critical Reading (W-course)
- At least two of the following period courses:
- ENGLIT 1100 Medieval Imagination
- ENGLIT 1125 Renaissance in England
- ENGLIT 1135 Early Modern Literatures in English
- ENGLIT 1150 Enlightenment to Revolution
- ENGLIT 1175 19th-Century British Literature
- ENGLIT 1200 American Literature to 1860
- ENGLIT 1220 Emergence of Modern America 1860-1914
- ENGLIT 1325 The Modernist Tradition
- ENGLIT 1380 World Literature in English
- ENGLIT 1900 Junior Seminar (W-course) – students must have completed ENGLIT 0500 and at least one period course before entering the junior seminar.
Two electives from 0500- or 1000-level course offerings in English literature (ENGLIT) or English film (ENGFLM).
English Writing
The University of Pittsburgh’s Writing Program is the oldest and one of the largest in the United States, offering tracks in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and journalism. There is a wide variety of classes, and the maximum size is 22. The Writing Program has a full-time faculty of widely published writers, several visiting writers each year, and a number of part-time faculty who are senior reporters or editors at Pittsburgh newspapers and magazines. Graduates of the writing program include editors at major daily newspapers and publishing houses and winners of the Pulitzer Prize and other major awards.
For more information on the Department of English and the majors in English literature and in English writing, see www.english.pitt.edu.
Major Requirements
A minimum of 33 credits is required: 21 credits in English writing courses and 12 in English literature courses.
Majors must choose one of three tracks: fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. In most cases, students will take other writing courses as well. Each track consists of three levels of courses. The introductory courses (0500s) offer a broad introduction to the skills required of writers in a particular area and generally should be taken no later than the second term of the sophomore year. The intermediate courses (1000s for fiction, 1200s for poetry, 1300s for nonfiction) refine and develop those skills. The senior seminars (1700s) or internships (1900s) provide a test of the student’s proficiency as a writer. Students should check prerequisites carefully before registration.
Fiction Track
- ENGWRT 0520 Introduction to Fiction Writing
- ENGWRT 1010 Intermediate Fiction
- ENGWRT 1020 Advanced Fiction
- ENGWRT 1094 Readings in Contemporary Fiction
- ENGWRT 1710 Senior Seminar in Fiction
Poetry Track
- ENGWRT 0530 Introduction to Poetry Writing
- ENGWRT 1210 Poetry Workshop
- ENGWRT 1290 Readings in Contemporary Poetry
- ENGWRT 1510 Advanced Poetry
- ENGWRT 1730 Senior Seminar in Poetry
Nonfiction Track
Majors concentrating in nonfiction focus on either Creative Nonfiction or News by taking the following courses.
Creative Nonfiction
- ENGWRT 0550 Introduction to Journalism
- ENGWRT 1330 Nonfiction 1
- ENGWRT 1340 Nonfiction 2
- ENGWRT 1390 Readings in Contemporary Nonfiction
- ENGWRT 1750 Senior Seminar in Nonfiction Writing
News writing
- ENGWRT 0550 Introduction to Journalism
- ENGWRT 1310 Newspaper 1
- ENGWRT 1320 Newspaper 2
- ENGWRT 1760 Advanced Reporting
- One topics course numbered 1391 through 1405
- ENGWRT 1900 Internship: News
In addition to the required courses in each track, writing majors need one or two electives to complete the 21 credits in writing required. These electives may be taken in another track if the student wishes.
For the 12 credits in literature, writing majors must choose courses from the following periods
- Fiction track: ENGLIT 0325 Short Story in Context plus three approved literature courses
- Poetry track: ENGLIT 0315 Reading Poetry plus three approved literature courses
- Nonfiction track: two courses in literature prior to 1800 and two courses in literature after 1800
Additional information and requirements
- A minimum grade of C or better (not C-) is required in a 0500-level writing course to advance to the first 1000-level course in that track. Students who earn less than a C in their first 1000-level course may not advance to other courses in that track. Moreover, students must earn a C or better (not C-) grade in their senior seminar or internship course as well.
- Students are encouraged to take additional writing and literature courses beyond the required minimum. Courses in film studies, women’s studies, business, and technical writing are particularly useful for English writing majors.
- The Writing Program recommends related areas in foreign languages, literature in translation, or linguistics; a related area in history or political science is appropriate for students concentrating in journalism.
- Completion of at least one composition course is required for enrollment in a writing program course.
- ENGWRT 0400 Introduction to Creative Writing and ENGWRT 0411 Introduction to Creative Nonfiction are optional introductory courses and may be taken during the second year by students who have recently declared a major in writing, are seriously considering writing as a major, or are taking their first 0500-level course.ENGWRT 0400 can only count as an elective towards the Writing degree if taken before ENGWRT 0520 or 0530. Likewise, ENGWRT 0411 may be taken as an elective before 1330 (Nonfiction I).
- There is no limit on the number of courses English majors may take on an S/NC basis, either inside or outside the department.
- English majors automatically fulfill A&S requirements for W courses.
- Students who contemplate graduate study in English should remember that many schools do require foreign language competence, sometimes in more than one language.
The English department confers honors on those graduates who maintain a 3.25 overall GPA with a GPA of 3.50 or better in English department courses. The GPA is based on all English department courses, not just those that fulfill major requirements.