Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students must complete university, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of English degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies. Students are encouraged to seek advising each semester from the English major advisor in LAS.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Summary of Requirements
Core Requirements		12
Selected Concentration Requirements		9-15
English Electives		15
General Education and Electives to reach minimum Total Hours		78-84
Total Hours		120

General Education

See General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for information on meeting these requirements.

Core Requirements

All English majors must complete the following courses with a grade of C or better.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
ENGL 240	Introduction to Literary Study and Critical Methods a	3
ENGL 241	English Literature I: Beginnings to 1660	3
ENGL 242	English Literature II: 1660 to 1900	3
ENGL 243	American Literature: Beginnings to 1900	3
Total Hours		12

a	ENGL 240 fulfills the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.

Upper-Level Courses

Students must take at least two courses at the 300-level or above.

Courses from Other Departments

Students may count one course from another department toward the English major. Upper-level courses in other departments may require prerequisites. For approved courses, see those listed in the concentrations.

Selected Concentration Requirements

Within the English major, students must select and complete one of the following concentrations:

1. British and Anglophone Literature
2. American Literature
3. Media, Rhetorical, and Cultural Studies
4. Creative Writing (Fiction, Poetry, or Nonfiction)
5. Professional Writing

A concentration consists of three or more courses, no more than one of which may be taken at the 100-level and one of which must be taken at the 400-level. For the creative writing concentration, two of the courses must be at the 400-level.

Below are the courses that qualify for each concentration. Note that for the Creative Writing and Professional Writing concentrations, the required course sequence has been specified. Any course not listed under a concentration may only count as an elective. In certain cases, students may petition the Office of Undergraduate Studies to have courses counted toward a concentration or toward one other than those indicated below. For more information, see the catalog Course Descriptions or the departmental website http://engl.uic.edu.

Select three courses from one of the following concentrations for a total of 9 hours.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
British and Anglophone Literature
Select three of the following: a		9
ENGL 103	English and American Poetry
ENGL 104	English and American Drama
ENGL 105	English and American Fiction
ENGL 106	English and American Prose
ENGL 107	Introduction to Shakespeare
ENGL 108	British Literature and British Culture
ENGL 114	Introduction to Colonial and Postcolonial Literature
ENGL 260	Comparative Black Literatures
ENGL 303	Studies in Poetry
ENGL 304	Studies in Drama
ENGL 305	Studies in Fiction
ENGL 311	Medieval English Literature
ENGL 312	Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Literature
ENGL 313	Major Plays of Shakespeare
ENGL 314	Milton
ENGL 315	Restoration and Eighteenth Century Literature
ENGL 316	British Romantic Literature
ENGL 317	Victorian Literature
ENGL 318	Modern British Literature: 1900-1945
ENGL 319	Post-War British Literature: 1945-1980
ENGL 320	British Literature: 1980-Present
ENGL 333	Literatures in English Other than English and American
ENGL 351	Topics in Black Art and Literature
ENGL 358	Colonial and Postcolonial Literature
ENGL 403	Introduction to Old English
ENGL 405	Topics in Old English Literature
ENGL 408	Topics in Medieval Literature
ENGL 413	Topics in Shakespeare
ENGL 416	Topics in Renaissance Literature and Culture
ENGL 417	Topics in Restoration and Eighteenth-century Literature and Culture
ENGL 419	Topics in Romantic Literature and Culture
ENGL 421	Topics in Victorian Literature
ENGL 422	Topics in Postcolonial and World Literature in English
Courses from other departments that count toward this concentration:
CL 208	Greek Mythology
CL 250	Greek and Roman Epic Poetry
CL 251	Greek Tragedy
CL 252	Greek and Roman Comedy
CL 253	Roman Satire and Rhetoric
FR 191	African and Caribbean Francophone Literature in Translation
GER 122	Minority Perspectives in the Germanic Context
GER 123	Introduction to Yiddish Culture and Literature
GER 316	Periods of Germanic Literature and Culture
GER 422	Germanic Cultural Studies III: Themes
GER 438	The Faust Legend
POL 321	Introduction to Polish Literature
RUSS 241	Dostoyevsky
RUSS 242	Tolstoy
RUSS 321	Great Russian 19th-Century Novels and the European Tradition
Total Hours		9

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
American Literature
Select three of the following: a		9
ENGL 103	English and American Poetry
ENGL 104	English and American Drama
ENGL 105	English and American Fiction
ENGL 106	English and American Prose
ENGL 109	American Literature and American Culture
ENGL 112	Introduction to Native American Literatures
ENGL 113	Introduction to Multiethnic Literatures in the United States
ENGL 118	Introduction to African American Literature, 1760-1910
ENGL 119	Introduction to African American Literature Since 1910
ENGL 123	Introduction to Asian American Literature
ENGL 260	Comparative Black Literatures
ENGL 261	Reading Black Women Writing
ENGL 262	Black Cultural Studies
ENGL 265	The Harlem Renaissance
ENGL 303	Studies in Poetry
ENGL 304	Studies in Drama
ENGL 305	Studies in Fiction
ENGL 321	Early American Literature: 1630 to 1790
ENGL 323	American Literature: 1790 to 1865
ENGL 324	American Literature: 1865-1900
ENGL 325	Modern American Literature: 1900-1945
ENGL 326	Post-War American Literature: 1945-1980
ENGL 327	Contemporary American Literature: 1980-Present
ENGL 328	Asian American Literature
ENGL 351	Topics in Black Art and Literature
ENGL 359	Ethnic American Literature
ENGL 426	Topics in American Literature and Culture to 1900
ENGL 427	Topics in American Literature and Culture, 1900-Present
ENGL 441	Topics in Asian American Literature and Culture
ENGL 462	Topics in American Literary Nonfiction Prose
ENGL 470	Topics in Multiethnic Literatures in the United States
ENGL 471	Topics in Native American Literatures
ENGL 473	Topics in African-American Literature
Courses from other departments that count toward this concentration:
FR 191	African and Caribbean Francophone Literature in Translation
JST 116	Jewish American Literature of the 20th Century
LALS 192	From the Convent to the Streets: Latin American Women Writers in Translation
LALS 295	Latino Literary Studies
LALS 427	Studies in Language Policy and Cultural Identity
SPAN 224	Bilingual/Bicultural Hispanic American Writers
SPAN 226	Early Modern Spanish and Colonial Latin American Literature and Culture in Translation
Total Hours		9

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Media, Rhetorical, and Cultural Studies
Select three of the following: a		9
ENGL 102	Introduction to Film
ENGL 110	English and American Popular Genres
ENGL 111	Women and Literature
ENGL 113	Introduction to Multiethnic Literatures in the United States
ENGL 115	Understanding the Bible as Literature
ENGL 117	Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and Literature
ENGL 120	Film and Culture
ENGL 121	Introduction to Moving Image Arts
ENGL 122	Understanding Rhetoric
ENGL 200	Basic English Grammar
ENGL 232	History of Film I: 1890 to World War II
ENGL 233	History of Film II: World War II to the Present
ENGL 234	History of Television
ENGL 262	Black Cultural Studies
ENGL 265	The Harlem Renaissance
ENGL 302	Studies in the Moving Image
ENGL 341	Literature and Popular Culture
ENGL 342	Cultural and Media Studies
ENGL 343	Literature and Religion
ENGL 351	Topics in Black Art and Literature
ENGL 361	Gender Theory
ENGL 362	Queer Theory
ENGL 363	Gender and Sexuality in Literature
ENGL 364	Disability Studies
ENGL 370	Literary Theory
ENGL 372	History of Literary Criticism
ENGL 374	Rhetorical Studies
ENGL 375	Rhetoric and Public LIfe
ENGL 400	History of the English Language
ENGL 401	Modern English
ENGL 402	Rhetoric
ENGL 403	Introduction to Old English
ENGL 428	Topics in Literature and Culture, 1900-Present
ENGL 429	Topics in Literature and Culture
ENGL 438	Topics in Performance Studies
ENGL 440	Topics in Cultural and Media Studies
ENGL 443	Topics in Gender, Sexuality and Literature
ENGL 444	Topics in Theories of Gender and Sexuality
ENGL 445	Topics in Disability Studies
ENGL 446	Topics in Criticism and Theory
ENGL 448	Topics in Rhetorical Studies
ENGL 469	Women's Literary Traditions
ENGL 472	Women and Film
ENGL 474	Topics in Popular Culture and Literature
ENGL 478	The Bible as Literature: Hebrew Bible
ENGL 479	The Bible as Literature: New Testament
ENGL 483	Studies in Language and Rhetoric
ENGL 484	Studies in Language and Cognition
ENGL 485	Studies in the English Language and Linguistics
Courses from other departments that count toward this concentration:
FR 196	Totalitarianism, Writing and Cinema
FR 298	French Literature, Drama and/or Film in Translation
FR 413	French Feminist and Gender Theory
FR 440	Topics in French and Francophone Cinema
GER 125	Diaspora, Exile, Genocide: Aspects of the European Jewish Experience in Literature and Film.
GER 217	Introduction to German Cinema
GER 240	Classical German Thought from Kant to Nietzsche
GER 316	Periods of Germanic Literature and Culture
GER 318	Topics in Germanic Literatures and Cultures
GER 437	Contemporary Germanic Literature
GER 480	Hegel Studies
GLAS 120	Intro Asian Amer Studies
PHIL 220	Ancient Philosophy I: Plato and His Predecessors
PHIL 221	Ancient Philosophy II: Aristotle and His Successors
PHIL 223	History of Modern Philosophy I: Descartes and His Successors
PHIL 224	History of Modern Philosophy II: Kant and His Predecessors
PHIL 225	Nineteenth Century Philosophy
PHIL 232	Sex Roles: Moral and Political Issues
PHIL 241	Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 420	Plato
PHIL 421	Aristotle
PHIL 423	Studies in Early Modern Philosophy
PHIL 424	Kant
PHIL 425	Studies in Nineteenth-Century Philosophy
LALS 275	Gender in Latin America
LALS 278	Latin American/Latino Film Studies
LALS 295	Latino Literary Studies
LALS 350	Latinos and Latin Americans in U.S. Public Discourse
SPAN 225	Spanish and Latin American Culture through Literature and Film
Total Hours		9

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Creative Writing (Fiction, Poetry, or Nonfiction)
Select three of the following:		9
Two of the courses must be at the 400-level.
Fiction
ENGL 212	Introduction to the Writing of Fiction
ENGL 491	Advanced Writing of Fiction
Poetry
ENGL 210	Introduction to the Writing of Poetry
ENGL 490	Advanced Writing of Poetry
Nonfiction
ENGL 201	Introduction to the Writing of Non-fiction Prose
ENGL 492	Advanced Writing of Nonfiction Prose
Total Hours		9

 Note: Students may repeat ENGL 490, ENGL 491, or ENGL 492 in order to satisfy the nine-credit-hour requirement.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Professional Writing
ENGL 202	Media and Professional Writing	3
Select two of the following:		6
ENGL 381	Advanced Professional Writing
ENGL 382	Editing and Publishing
ENGL 383	Writing Digital and New Media
ENGL 384	Technical Writing
Select one of the following:		1-6
ENGL 493	Internship in Nonfiction Writing
ENGL 496	Portfolio Practicum
Total Hours		10-15

a	Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog to determine if any of the courses on these lists are approved for General Education.

English Electives

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Courses
Five additional courses, no more than one of which may be at the 100-level		15
Total Hours		15

Distribution Requirements

In addition to the Core requirements, all English majors must take the following, distributed across their concentration and electives:

• One course in materials before 1900
• One course in materials after 1900
• One course in U.S. Social and Cultural Diversity

Courses within Each Distribution

Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog to determine if any of the courses on these lists are approved for General Education. Courses may be used to satisfy more than one distribution requirement.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Materials before 1900
ENGL 107	Introduction to Shakespeare
ENGL 115	Understanding the Bible as Literature
ENGL 118	Introduction to African American Literature, 1760-1910
ENGL 297	Studies in the Classical Tradition
ENGL 311	Medieval English Literature
ENGL 312	Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Literature
ENGL 313	Major Plays of Shakespeare
ENGL 314	Milton
ENGL 315	Restoration and Eighteenth Century Literature
ENGL 316	British Romantic Literature
ENGL 317	Victorian Literature
ENGL 321	Early American Literature: 1630 to 1790
ENGL 323	American Literature: 1790 to 1865
ENGL 324	American Literature: 1865-1900
ENGL 403	Introduction to Old English
ENGL 405	Topics in Old English Literature
ENGL 408	Topics in Medieval Literature
ENGL 413	Topics in Shakespeare
ENGL 416	Topics in Renaissance Literature and Culture
ENGL 417	Topics in Restoration and Eighteenth-century Literature and Culture
ENGL 419	Topics in Romantic Literature and Culture
ENGL 421	Topics in Victorian Literature
ENGL 426	Topics in American Literature and Culture to 1900
ENGL 478	The Bible as Literature: Hebrew Bible
ENGL 479	The Bible as Literature: New Testament
Courses from other departments that fulfill this requirement:
CL 208	Greek Mythology
CL 250	Greek and Roman Epic Poetry
CL 251	Greek Tragedy
CL 252	Greek and Roman Comedy
CL 253	Roman Satire and Rhetoric
GER 240	Classical German Thought from Kant to Nietzsche
GER 316	Periods of Germanic Literature and Culture
GER 422	Germanic Cultural Studies III: Themes
GER 437	Contemporary Germanic Literature
GER 438	The Faust Legend
GER 480	Hegel Studies
PHIL 220	Ancient Philosophy I: Plato and His Predecessors
PHIL 221	Ancient Philosophy II: Aristotle and His Successors
PHIL 223	History of Modern Philosophy I: Descartes and His Successors
PHIL 224	History of Modern Philosophy II: Kant and His Predecessors
PHIL 232	Sex Roles: Moral and Political Issues
PHIL 241	Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 420	Plato
PHIL 421	Aristotle
POL 321	Introduction to Polish Literature
RUSS 241	Dostoyevsky
RUSS 242	Tolstoy
RUSS 321	Great Russian 19th-Century Novels and the European Tradition
SPAN 226	Early Modern Spanish and Colonial Latin American Literature and Culture in Translation
Materials after 1900
ENGL 102	Introduction to Film
ENGL 113	Introduction to Multiethnic Literatures in the United States
ENGL 114	Introduction to Colonial and Postcolonial Literature
ENGL 119	Introduction to African American Literature Since 1910
ENGL 120	Film and Culture
ENGL 121	Introduction to Moving Image Arts
ENGL 123	Introduction to Asian American Literature
ENGL 202	Media and Professional Writing
ENGL 232	History of Film I: 1890 to World War II
ENGL 233	History of Film II: World War II to the Present
ENGL 234	History of Television
ENGL 260	Comparative Black Literatures
ENGL 265	The Harlem Renaissance
ENGL 302	Studies in the Moving Image
ENGL 318	Modern British Literature: 1900-1945
ENGL 319	Post-War British Literature: 1945-1980
ENGL 320	British Literature: 1980-Present
ENGL 325	Modern American Literature: 1900-1945
ENGL 326	Post-War American Literature: 1945-1980
ENGL 327	Contemporary American Literature: 1980-Present
ENGL 333	Literatures in English Other than English and American
ENGL 351	Topics in Black Art and Literature
ENGL 358	Colonial and Postcolonial Literature
ENGL 422	Topics in Postcolonial and World Literature in English
ENGL 427	Topics in American Literature and Culture, 1900-Present
ENGL 428	Topics in Literature and Culture, 1900-Present
ENGL 472	Women and Film
Courses from other departments that fulfill this requirement:
FR 191	African and Caribbean Francophone Literature in Translation
FR 196	Totalitarianism, Writing and Cinema
FR 298	French Literature, Drama and/or Film in Translation
FR 413	French Feminist and Gender Theory
FR 440	Topics in French and Francophone Cinema
GER 122	Minority Perspectives in the Germanic Context
GER 123	Introduction to Yiddish Culture and Literature
GER 125	Diaspora, Exile, Genocide: Aspects of the European Jewish Experience in Literature and Film.
GER 217	Introduction to German Cinema
GER 318	Topics in Germanic Literatures and Cultures
GLAS 120	Intro Asian Amer Studies
JST 116	Jewish American Literature of the 20th Century
LALS 192	From the Convent to the Streets: Latin American Women Writers in Translation
LALS 270	Ethnography of Meso-America
LALS 275	Gender in Latin America
LALS 278	Latin American/Latino Film Studies
LALS 295	Latino Literary Studies
LALS 350	Latinos and Latin Americans in U.S. Public Discourse
LALS 427	Studies in Language Policy and Cultural Identity
PHIL 232	Sex Roles: Moral and Political Issues
SPAN 224	Bilingual/Bicultural Hispanic American Writers
SPAN 225	Spanish and Latin American Culture through Literature and Film
U.S. Social and Cultural Diversity
ENGL 110	English and American Popular Genres
ENGL 111	Women and Literature
ENGL 112	Introduction to Native American Literatures
ENGL 113	Introduction to Multiethnic Literatures in the United States
ENGL 114	Introduction to Colonial and Postcolonial Literature
ENGL 117	Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and Literature
ENGL 118	Introduction to African American Literature, 1760-1910
ENGL 119	Introduction to African American Literature Since 1910
ENGL 123	Introduction to Asian American Literature
ENGL 260	Comparative Black Literatures
ENGL 261	Reading Black Women Writing
ENGL 262	Black Cultural Studies
ENGL 265	The Harlem Renaissance
ENGL 328	Asian American Literature
ENGL 333	Literatures in English Other than English and American
ENGL 341	Literature and Popular Culture
ENGL 342	Cultural and Media Studies
ENGL 343	Literature and Religion
ENGL 351	Topics in Black Art and Literature
ENGL 358	Colonial and Postcolonial Literature
ENGL 359	Ethnic American Literature
ENGL 361	Gender Theory
ENGL 362	Queer Theory
ENGL 363	Gender and Sexuality in Literature
ENGL 364	Disability Studies
ENGL 422	Topics in Postcolonial and World Literature in English
ENGL 428	Topics in Literature and Culture, 1900-Present
ENGL 429	Topics in Literature and Culture
ENGL 440	Topics in Cultural and Media Studies
ENGL 441	Topics in Asian American Literature and Culture
ENGL 443	Topics in Gender, Sexuality and Literature
ENGL 444	Topics in Theories of Gender and Sexuality
ENGL 445	Topics in Disability Studies
ENGL 469	Women's Literary Traditions
ENGL 470	Topics in Multiethnic Literatures in the United States
ENGL 471	Topics in Native American Literatures
ENGL 472	Women and Film
ENGL 473	Topics in African-American Literature
ENGL 474	Topics in Popular Culture and Literature
Courses from other departments that fulfill this requirement:
GER 123	Introduction to Yiddish Culture and Literature
GLAS 120	Intro Asian Amer Studies
JST 116	Jewish American Literature of the 20th Century
LALS 192	From the Convent to the Streets: Latin American Women Writers in Translation
LALS 278	Latin American/Latino Film Studies
LALS 295	Latino Literary Studies
LALS 350	Latinos and Latin Americans in U.S. Public Discourse
LALS 427	Studies in Language Policy and Cultural Identity
PHIL 232	Sex Roles: Moral and Political Issues
SPAN 224	Bilingual/Bicultural Hispanic American Writers

Recommended Plan of Study

Courses which satisfy concentrations, distributions, and/or English electives should be chosen in consultation with an English Department advisor.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall Semester		Hours
ENGL 160	Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts	3
Quantitative Reasoning		3-5
Foreign Language		4
General Education Requirement course		3-5
	Hours	13-17
Spring Semester
ENGL 161	Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research	3
ENGL 1xx		3
ENGL 240	Introduction to Literary Study and Critical Methods	3
Foreign Language		4
General Education Requirement course		3-5
	Hours	16-18
Second Year
Fall Semester
ENGL 241	English Literature I: Beginnings to 1660	3
ENGL 243	American Literature: Beginnings to 1900	3
Foreign Language		4
General Education Requirement course		3-5
General Education Requirement course		3
	Hours	16-18
Spring Semester
ENGL 242	English Literature II: 1660 to 1900	3
ENGL 1xx, 2xx, 3xx		3
Foreign Language		4
General Education Requirement course		3
General Education Requirement course		3
	Hours	16
Third Year
Fall Semester
ENGL 2xx, 3xx		3
ENGL 2xx, 3xx		3
General Education Requirement course		3
General Education Requirement course/Elective		3
Electives		3
	Hours	15
Spring Semester
ENGL 2xx, 3xx, 4xx		3
ENGL 2xx, 3xx, 4xx		3
General Education Requirement course/Elective		3
Electives		6
	Hours	15
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
ENGL 3xx, 4xx		3
Electives		12
	Hours	15
Spring Semester
ENGL 3xx, 4xx		3
Electives		11-12
	Hours	14-15
	Total Hours	120

Note: One course from another department other than English may count toward the major. See the course catalog for a list of approved courses. 

Note: Courses that satisfy concentrations, distributions, and/or English electives should be chosen in consultation with an English Department advisor.