Goucher College 2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalogue

Dec 04, 2024

Goucher College 2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalogue PLEASE NOTE: This is an archived catalog. Programs are subject to change each academic year.

English Major

UPDATE: The English Major has now been replaced by the Literary Studies Major and the Professional and Creative Writing Major . (September 13, 2019)

(For Fall 2019 what was the English major with Concentrations in Literature and Creative Writing is being proposed to change to two separate majors - Literary Studies major and Professional and Creative Writing major. Please check back here in the next month or two for an update as the proposals receive formal approval. For now, those interested in the Writing Major should follow the guidelines for the Concentration in Creative Writing. Those interested in Literary Studies should see the guidelines for the Concentration in Literature.)

The Concentration in Creative Writing

Overall, students must take at least 36 credits in WRT and LIT courses to fulfill their major with the Creative Writing concentration.

Required Core Courses:

LIT 200 - Close Reading, Critical Writing (2 Cr.) (This is the required WID course for both LIT or WRT majors)

At the 200-level in Creative Writing, choose at least one of the following:

At the 300-level in Creative Writing, choose at least one of the following:

At the 400-level in Creative Writing, choose at least one of the following:

4 credits of additional coursework in creative writing at the 100, 200, 300, or 400-level are required.

The following courses may be of particular interest:

The remaining WRT and LIT courses required to meet the requirement of at least 36 credits in the major are the student’s choice, in consultation with her/his advisor.

Please pay attention to the following rules for the Creative Writing Concentration:

Students must complete a total of at least 16 credits at the 300 and/or 400-levels in WRT or LIT.
Please note that internships at the 300- and 400-levels may be applied to the major.
We recommend that all English majors consider completing the college’s capstone requirement via LIT 497 or WRT 497 .

For students intending to apply to graduate school in Creative Writing or to begin professional writing careers, WRT 499 - Independent Work (1-4 Cr.) and/or LIT 495 - Senior Thesis (4 Cr.) are strongly recommended.

Honors in the Major

Students can earn Honors in the Major by completing a Senior Thesis (WRT 495 or LIT 495 ) with a grade of A or A-, or by earning a minimum GPA of 3.70 in courses in the program.

The Concentration in Literature

Analyzing literature will hone your skills in recognizing repeating themes, tropes and images. It will teach you how to prioritize (which of these matter and why?) and interpret (if this matters to the text, what can be learnt from it?). Unlike other art forms in which your view is from the outside, in literature your eye is the narrative’s “I” and you learn, really, what it is like to see from the perspective of someone other than yourself. In reading historic, American, and international literatures you will learn historical, social and cultural contexts.

This versatile major balances a comprehensive core of literary study with allowing students to pursue specific interests. We require a total of only 36 credits, many of which can be taken in flexible sequences: this means LIT lends itself well to students pursuing double-majors, and is a very attainable major for students taking semester or year abroad programs.

We encourage interdisciplinarity and accept up to 12 credits of complementary courses from other Goucher programs or study abroad in consultation with your advisor and the program director’s approval.

16 credits of your LIT credits must be taken at the 300 or 400 level.

Up to 2 credits of 100 level LIT may count towards the major.

Creative Writing majors may wish to pursue the 20 credit LIT minor (described below).

Secondary Education majors should take the core, as all our majors do, and then draw on the “British Legacies” area studies track.

What to Expect

200 level LIT courses provide context, breadth and specific skills (nb LIT 200 and LIT 215 are required for most upper-level courses so take them early in your major).

300 level LIT courses engage in deeply focused literary criticism and require an extended research essay.

400 level LIT courses engage in sophisticated analysis that can extend widely across our discipline as well as beyond.

Writing in the Discipline (WID) of English is achieved in LIT 200 .

Our current Writing Enriched Curriculum Courses (WEC) are LIT 232 and LIT 265 .

Required Core Courses:

LIT 200 - Close Reading, Critical Writing (2 Cr.) (WID for Literature)
LIT 215 - Literary Theory: Four Ways of Looking at a Text (2 Cr.)

American Literature

At least 4 credits in American Literature:

African-American or International Literature

At least 4 credits in African-American or International Literature:

British Literature

At least 6 credits in British Literature:

Capstone

All students must either complete the 2 credit capstone (LIT 497 ) or submit a senior thesis (over 2 semesters: LIT 495 ).

Electives:

Students choose the remaining elective credits for the major in consultation with their advisor. Students may choose from among our LIT offerings; we also encourage interdisciplinarity by accepting up to 12 credits of coursework from pertinent non-LIT programs at Goucher, or from non-Goucher programs (in both cases, program director approval is required). If students choose to design a thematic area, possibilities are listed below under “Area Tracks”.

Honors in the Major

Students can earn honors in the major by completing a Senior Thesis with a grade of A or A- or by earning a minimum GPA of 3.70 in courses in the program.

Area Studies

In addition to core courses, students may opt to design a course of study around a thematic area of their choice. This focus invites students to become experts in a body of literature, including its cultural contact. Up to 12 credits can be chosen from non-Lit courses, in consultation with your advisor.

Possible area tracks include:

Alterities of Race and/or Gender

Course offerings will vary by year, can include courses not listed here, and will require students and advisors to be attentive to prerequisite requirements in non-LIT courses. Up to 12 credits can be chosen from non-LIT courses, in consultation with your advisor.

Suggested courses include:

American Literature and Culture

Suggested courses include:

British Legacies

Suggested courses include:

International/Transnational/Global

Suggested courses include:

Literature with Theatrical, Visual and Musical “texts”

Suggested courses include:

Book Studies

Suggested courses include:

Literature Minor

The LIT minor is 20 credits. Students must take LIT 200 and LIT 215 . We recommend drawing primarily on courses in the core and adding LIT 440 . Minors must take at least 4 credits of 300 and 400 level LIT.