English, BA

All programs

Bachelor of Arts in English · 42 credits

Catalog page

Typical path

+ First Year Seminar

+ SBC ×3

+ Elective

+ First Year Seminar

+ SBC ×3

+ Elective

+ EGL survey

+ Foreign language

+ SBC

+ EGL survey

+ EGL 200-level or 300-level elective

+ Foreign language or elective

+ Upper-division elective

+ SBC elective

+ Outside concentration elective

+ Upper-division elective

+ Elective

+ SBC

+ EGL 300-level elective ×2

+ SBC ×2

+ Upper-division elective

+ SBC elective

+ Elective ×2

+ Upper-division elective

All options

Hide courses not offered in

3 Required Survey courses

Pick 2 courses · 11 courses to choose from

100s

None

200s

300s

None

400s

None

One EGL 100-, 200-, or 300-level elective

Pick 1 course · 89 courses to choose from

100s

200s

300s

400s

None

Upper-Division Requirements (7 courses)

Pick 5 courses · 38 courses to choose from

100s

None

200s

None

300s

400s

Required non-English Courses: Interdisciplinary Concentration

Pick 2 courses · 3420 courses to choose from

Too many to list: AAS/ACC/ADV/AFH/AFS/AIM/ALQ/AMR/AMS/ANT/ARB/ARH/ARS/ASC/AST/ATM/BCP/BIO/BME/BUS/CAR/CCS/CDS/CEF/CHE/CHI/CIS/CIV/CLL/CLS/CLT/CME/COM/CSE/CWL/DAN/DIA/EAS/EBH/ECO/EDP/EEL/EEO/ENS/ENV/ESE/ESG/ESM/EST/EUR/EXT/FLA/FLM/FRN/GEO/GER/GLI/GRK/GSI/GSS/HAD/HAL/HAN/HAO/HAS/HAT/HAY/HBA/HBC/HBH/HBI/HBM/HBP/HBW/HBY/HDG/HDH/HDO/HDP/HIN/HIS/HMC/HMH/HMO/HMP/HNC/HNI/HON/HPH/HRJ/HUE/HUF/HUG/HUI/HUL/HUR/HUS/HWC/IAE/IAP/IEC/INT/ISE/ITL/JDH/JDS/JPN/JRN/KOR/KSW/LAC/LAN/LAT/LBR/LCR/LDR/LHD/LHW/LIA/LIN/MAE/MAP/MAR/MAT/MDA/MEC/MSL/MUS/MVL/NAI/OAE/PAE/PER/PHI/PHY/POL/POR/PSY/RLS/RUS/SBU/SCH/SCI/SKT/SLN/SOC/SPN/SSE/SSI/SSP/SUS/SWA/THR/TRK/TVW/UKR/VIP/WAE/WRT/WSE/WST courses

Required Courses

EGL 204Literary Analysis and Argumentation3 cr

Catalog text

Required Courses - EGL 204 - Literary Analysis and Argumentation 3 credits

3 Required Survey courses

- EGL 205Survey of British Literature I3 cr
- or
  EGL 217American Literature I3 cr
Choose 2 courses
- EGL 205Survey of British Literature I3 cr
- EGL 206Survey of British Literature II3 cr
- EGL 207History of the English Language3 cr
- EGL 217American Literature I3 cr
- EGL 218American Literature II3 cr
- EGL 22420th-Century Literatures in English3 cr
- EGL 22620th-Century American Literature3 cr
- EGL 243Shakespeare: The Major Works3 cr
- EGL 260World Mythology3 cr
- EGL 274African-American Literature3 cr
- EGL 276Feminism: Literature and Cultural Contexts3 cr
Excluding courses already counted toward “3 Required Survey courses”.

Catalog text

3 Required Survey courses: Among the required survey courses, students must take at least one American and one British survey. One early literature survey course: either EGL 205 - Survey of British Literature I OR EGL 217 - American Literature I. Two survey courses chosen from the following: EGL 205 (if not used above), EGL 206, EGL 207, EGL 217 (if not used above), EGL 218, EGL 224, EGL 226, EGL 243, EGL 260, EGL 274, EGL 276

One EGL 100-, 200-, or 300-level elective

Choose 1 course

EGL courses numbered 100–399

Excluding courses already counted toward “Required Courses”, “3 Required Survey courses”, “Upper-Division Requirements (7 courses)”.

Catalog text

One EGL 100-, 200-, or 300-level elective not used to fulfill other requirements for the major.

Upper-Division Requirements (7 courses)

EGL 301Authors, Periods, Topics, or Genres, with Intensive Writing3 cr
EGL 380Senior Seminar3 cr
Choose 5 courses
- EGL 303Genre or Media3 cr
- EGL 307Graphic Narratives3 cr
- EGL 325Screenwriting3 cr
- EGL 328Documentary Theatre Creation3 cr
- EGL 360Young Adult Literature3 cr
- EGL 361Poetry in English3 cr
- EGL 362Drama in English3 cr
- EGL 364Prose in English3 cr
- EGL 385Advanced Fiction Workshop3 cr
- EGL 386Advanced Poetry Workshop3 cr
- EGL 387Playwriting3 cr
- EGL 389Science Fiction3 cr
- EGL 308Single Author3 cr
- EGL 340
- EGL 342
- EGL 345Shakespeare I3 cr
- EGL 346Shakespeare II3 cr
- EGL 305The Pacific, Travel & Empire3 cr
- EGL 309Interdisciplinary Study of Literature3 cr
- EGL 319Ecology and Evolution in American Literature3 cr
- EGL 333The Italian-American Experience in Literature3 cr
- EGL 353Law and Literature3 cr
- EGL 368Caribbean and American Connections in Literature3 cr
- EGL 369Topics in Race and Ethnicity in American Literatures and Cultures3 cr
- EGL 370Literature and Ethics3 cr
- EGL 371Topics in Gender Studies in Literature3 cr
- EGL 372Topics in Women and Literature3 cr
- EGL 376The Literature of Imperialism3 cr
- EGL 379Native American Texts and Contexts3 cr
- EGL 381Advanced Analytic and Argumentative Writing3 cr
- EGL 382Black Women's Literature of the African Diaspora3 cr
- EGL 394Topics in Literary and Cultural Studies of Science and Technology3 cr
- EGL 311Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism3 cr
- EGL 320Modern and Contemporary Literature3 cr
- EGL 367Contemporary African-American Literature3 cr
- EGL 373Literature in English from Non-Western Cultures3 cr
- EGL 378Contemporary Native American Fiction3 cr
- EGL 300Old English Literature3 cr
- EGL 399Topics in American Literary and Cultural Studies3 cr
- EGL 488Internship0–6 cr
Excluding courses already counted toward “3 Required Survey courses”, “Required Courses”.
At least 1 from EGL 303, EGL 307, EGL 325, EGL 328, EGL 360, EGL 361, EGL 362, EGL 364, EGL 385, EGL 386, EGL 387, EGL 389.
At least 1 from EGL 308, EGL 340, EGL 342, EGL 345, EGL 346.
At least 1 from EGL 305, EGL 309, EGL 319, EGL 333, EGL 353, EGL 368, EGL 369, EGL 370, EGL 371, EGL 372, EGL 376, EGL 379, EGL 381, EGL 382, EGL 394.
At least 1 from EGL 311, EGL 320, EGL 367, EGL 373, EGL 378.
At most 1 course from EGL 385, EGL 386, EGL 387.
At most 3 credits from EGL 488.

Catalog text

Upper-Division Requirements (7 courses): EGL 301 - Authors, Periods, Topics, or Genres, with Intensive Writing 3 credits; EGL 380 - Senior Seminar 3 credits; Five electives from (at least 1 course should be pre-1900): EGL 300, EGL 399, EGL 488 (3 credits of EGL 488 may count toward the major). Courses must include at least one in each of four topic areas: Genre or Media; Single-Author; Interdisciplinary Study of Literature; Literary or Critical History.

Required non-English Courses: Interdisciplinary Concentration

Choose 2 courses

AAS, ACC, ADV, AFH, AFS, AIM, ALQ, AMR, AMS, ANT, ARB, ARH, ARS, ASC, AST, ATM, BCP, BIO, BME, BUS, CAR, CCS, CDS, CEF, CHE, CHI, CIS, CIV, CLL, CLS, CLT, CME, COM, CSE, CWL, DAN, DIA, EAS, EBH, ECO, EDP, EEL, EEO, ENS, ENV, ESE, ESG, ESM, EST, EUR, EXT, FLA, FLM, FRN, GEO, GER, GLI, GRK, GSI, GSS, HAD, HAL, HAN, HAO, HAS, HAT, HAY, HBA, HBC, HBH, HBI, HBM, HBP, HBW, HBY, HDG, HDH, HDO, HDP, HIN, HIS, HMC, HMH, HMO, HMP, HNC, HNI, HON, HPH, HRJ, HUE, HUF, HUG, HUI, HUL, HUR, HUS, HWC, IAE, IAP, IEC, INT, ISE, ITL, JDH, JDS, JPN, JRN, KOR, KSW, LAC, LAN, LAT, LBR, LCR, LDR, LHD, LHW, LIA, LIN, MAE, MAP, MAR, MAT, MDA, MEC, MSL, MUS, MVL, NAI, OAE, PAE, PER, PHI, PHY, POL, POR, PSY, RLS, RUS, SBU, SCH, SCI, SKT, SLN, SOC, SPN, SSE, SSI, SSP, SUS, SWA, THR, TRK, TVW, UKR, VIP, WAE, WRT, WSE, WST courses numbered 101 and above

Catalog text

Required non-English Courses: Interdisciplinary Concentration - Six credits (two courses) in one other department of the student's choosing (Foreign Language, History, Philosophy, Arts, etc.) above the 100 level.

Sample schedule

Year 1 · Fall16 cr

First Year Seminar 1011
WRT 101Introductory Writing Workshop3
SBC3
SBC3
SBC3
Elective3

Year 1 · Spring16 cr

First Year Seminar 1021
WRT 102Intermediate Writing Workshop3
SBC3
SBC3
SBC3
Elective3

Year 2 · Fall16 cr

EGL 204Literary Analysis and Argumentation3
EGL 205 / EGL 217Survey of British Literature I3
EGL survey3
Foreign language4
SBC3

Year 2 · Spring16 cr

EGL 207History of the English Language3
EGL survey3
EGL 200-level or 300-level elective3
Foreign language or elective4
Upper-division elective3

Year 3 · Fall15 cr

EGL 301Authors, Periods, Topics, or Genres, with Intensive Writing3
EGL 308Single Author3
SBC elective3
Outside concentration elective3
Upper-division elective3

Year 3 · Spring15 cr

EGL 303Genre or Media3
EGL 309Interdisciplinary Study of Literature3
EGL 311Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism3
Elective3
SBC3

Year 4 · Fall15 cr

EGL 300-level elective3
EGL 300-level elective3
SBC3
SBC3
Upper-division elective3

Year 4 · Spring15 cr

EGL 380Senior Seminar3
SBC elective3
Elective3
Elective3
Upper-division elective3

Program rules

Letter grades
Courses in “Required Courses”, “3 Required Survey courses”, “One EGL 100-, 200-, or 300-level elective”, “Upper-Division Requirements (7 courses)”, “Required non-English Courses: Interdisciplinary Concentration” must be taken for a letter grade.
Minimum grade
C or higher in “Required Courses”, “3 Required Survey courses”, “One EGL 100-, 200-, or 300-level elective”, “Upper-Division Requirements (7 courses)”, “Required non-English Courses: Interdisciplinary Concentration”.
Credits at Stony Brook
At least 9 credits in “Upper-Division Requirements (7 courses)” must be taken at Stony Brook.

Notes

Note: Upper-Division Writing Requirement: satisfactory completion of EGL 301 with a grade of C or better. EGL 301 is also one of the seven upper-division courses above, so it is applied once there; the C-or-better grade is enforced by the program grade policy.
Note: The Honors Program in English is an optional program and is not modeled here. It requires an overall GPA of at least 3.0, an English GPA of at least 3.5, and a sample paper. It also requires 45 credits, eight upper-division courses, two Honors Seminars, an Honors Practicum, EGL 496, and a B or higher in 400-level honors courses.
Note: The following courses may not be used for the English major: EGL 440, EGL 441, EGL 449, EGL 450, EGL 451, EGL 452, EGL 454, EGL 475, EGL 476. Three credits of EGL 488 may be used toward upper-division electives for the major.
Note: With department permission, one course may satisfy up to two topic areas. Alternate courses may be substituted with permission of the program director. Neither exception is modeled.
Note: The department also offers a BA English Education Program leading to NYS Adolescence Education certification (grades 7-12), and minors in English, Film and Screen Studies, and Theatre Arts. Minors of particular interest to English majors include Foreign Languages and Journalism (JRN).
Advising: Undergraduate advisor: Charles Edwards. Director of Undergraduate Studies: Justin Johnston.