Major in English
The B.A. in English at NEIU offers students a foundation in critical and creative methods along with advanced study in literature, literary history and criticism, cultural studies, critical and cultural theory, rhetoric, creative writing, and composition. Courses develop students’ engagement with texts and their cultural, historical and aesthetic contexts while advancing their abilities in creative and critical thinking, reading, and writing. The rigorous study of critical analysis and the craft of effective writing prepares students to engage in society and to compete in degree programs and fields as diverse as education, professional and technical writing, public relations, content management and writing, research, publishing, marketing, library science, law, medicine, and many others.
Proceeding Through the Major
English majors take six required skills-based courses and six electives of their own choosing.
Students should plan to start with required 200-level courses. They should take our designated WIP (Writing Intensive Program) course, ENGL 210, in their first semester as an English major. This course offers students practice in particular skills and content areas of the discipline, with an emphasis on drafting, revision and the protocols of incorporating research into argumentation.
During their first and second terms, students should plan to take three surveys in British and American literature (choosing three from among ENGL 218, 219, 221 and 222). These skills-based required courses offer broad surveys of literary period, genres, and writers in historical contexts. They set an important foundation for further study.
The remaining required courses include ENGL 345: Practical Criticism, which is a course on conceptual frameworks that should be taken after ENGL 210 and the 200-level surveys, and one course concentrating on a "Major Author" like Geoffrey Chaucer (ENGL 314), John Milton (ENGL 329), William Shakespeare (ENGL 330 or 331), Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Gloria Anzaldúa, or August Wilson (ENGL 349).
Complete the major with six elective courses (at least four at the 300-level and up to two at the 200 level), with no more than four courses in any one area (British Literature, American Literature, International Literature or Creative Writing/Composition).
Note: the English major offers many options designated as Engaged Learning Experience (ELE) courses that can count toward graduation in three ways: for the major, for an ELE, and for part of the student's required 40 credit hours at the 300 level.
Accelerated Concentrations
Students pursuing the English major who plan to continue on to our MAT in Secondary Education program or Master of Arts program concentrating in English Literature, Composition, or Creative Writing may enroll in Accelerated Concentrations for those programs. These concentrations provide pathways for qualified undergraduates to move seamlessly into the MAT in Secondary Education or MA programs while sharing up to 12 credits between their undergraduate and graduate work, thus saving tuition cost and time to degree.
The pre-requisites to the English major are ENGL 101 and ENGL 102. Students must earn a grade of C or above in both ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 before taking any course in the major. ENGL 210 with a grade of C or above is the pre-requisite for 300-level courses in English.
Accelerated Concentration Admission Requirements
To apply, students must have earned at least 60 credits toward their bachelor's degree, with at least 12 credits earned at NEIU. Students must also have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in required skills-based courses in the English major (210, surveys, major author, 345). Students must receive approval from their undergraduate advisor in English, the Graduate Coordinator, and meet all admission requirements for that program.
Accepted students may begin graduate-level shared coursework once they have earned a minimum of 72 undergraduate credits, at least 12 of which were taken at NEIU. The undergraduate degree must be completed within four (4) semesters of the start of the shared graduate-level courses.
In order to advance into the MA program, students must hold a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, a 3.5 or higher in required courses in the English major and all 400-level courses, complete ENGL 410 or ENGL 433 with a 3.0 or higher, and complete the online application to the Graduate College.
University Core Curriculum Requirements
| General Education Distribution Area | Cr. Hrs. |
|---|---|
| Fine Arts (FA)* 2 courses, from at least two of the following areas of study: Art, CMT (Mass Media or Theatre), Music (includes Dance). | 6 |
| Humanities (HU)* 3 courses, from at least two of the following areas of study: CMT (Communication), English, Linguistics. Philosophy, Women's and Gender Studies, World Languages and Cultures, (Note: No more than two foreign language courses may be used to fulfill this requirement.) | 9 |
| Behavioral/Social Sciences (SB)* 3 courses, from at least two of the following areas of study: African & African American Studies, Anthropology, Computer Science, Economics, Geography & Environmental Studies, History, Justice Studies, Latino & Latin American Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work | 9 |
| Natural Sciences (NS and NSL)** 3 courses, from at least two of the following areas of study; one course must have a laboratory component (NSL): Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physics (Note: If an FYE ANTH that counts as Natural Science is taken, only one Biology course may be used for Natural Science). | 9 |
| Engaged Learning Experiences | |
| Students must complete, at Northeastern, three courses designated as Engaged Learning Experiences courses. One of the Engaged Learning Experiences courses must be at the 300-level, and one Engaged Learning Experiences course must be designated as "Boundary Crossing". | |
| Discipline Specific (ELE-DS) These courses have pre-requisites that are specific courses within a program of study. Discipline Specific courses give students a deeper understanding of how knowledge is created and applied in their field. | |
| Boundary Crossing (ELE-X) These are courses that cross disciplinary boundaries and/or cross boundaries through engagements outside the classroom or University allowing students to see how knowledge gained in one field might inform other fields or other aspects of society. | |
| Math/Quantitative Reasoning (MA) 1 Math course, that has intermediate Algebra as prerequisite OR is a course listed on the General Education Distributive Learning List of Approved Courses. Any 3 hour college level math course, beyond Intermediate Algebra, meets this requirement. |
- *
Majors in Fine Arts, Humanities or Social/Behavioral Sciences, may waive up to 6 credit hours of General Education requirements in the corresponding distribution area.
- **
Majors in Natural Sciences may waive up to 9 credit hours of General Education requirements in the Natural Sciences distribution area.
Students should also be aware of all other university requirements to obtain a degree - NEIU requirements
Major in English for the Bachelor of Arts Degree
Prerequisites: ENGL-101 AND ENGL-102 or equivalent. Note: No more than 15 hours may be transferred into the major in English.
Core Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required courses | ||
| ENGL-210 | Writing Intensive Program: Methods for English Majors | 3 |
| ENGL-345 | Practical Criticism | 4 |
| Select three Literary Surveys: | 9 | |
| American Literature:Beginnings To 1865 | ||
| American Literature:1865 To The Present | ||
| English Literature:The Beginnings To C. 1750 | ||
| English Literature: C. 1750 To The Present | ||
| Select one Major Author: | 3 | |
| Chaucer And His Age | ||
| Milton | ||
| Shakespeare: Comedies, Romances And Poetry | ||
| Shakespeare: Tragedies And Histories | ||
| Toni Morrison: A Deep Dive | ||
| James Baldwin: A Deep Dive | ||
| Gloria Anzaldúa: A Deep Dive | ||
| Electives: 2,3,4 | 18 | |
| Choose 18 hours from the four categories below, with no more than 12 hours from any one category. | ||
| BRITISH LITERATURE | ||
| Medieval Studies- The Development Of The Arthurian Legend | ||
| English Literature From Beowulf To Malory | ||
| Literature Of The Romantic Movement | ||
| Modern British Drama | ||
| The Romantic Novel | ||
| Seventeenth Century Literature | ||
| Restoration And Eighteenth Century Literature I | ||
| Restoration And Eighteenth Century Literature II | ||
| Prose And Poetry Of The Victorian Age | ||
| The Victorian Novel | ||
| Twentieth Century Fiction I | ||
| Twentieth Century Fiction II | ||
| AMERICAN LITERATURE | ||
| Literature Of Colonial Times | ||
| American Literary Renaissance-1830-1860 | ||
| The American Short Story | ||
| Jewish-American Literature: People Of The Books | ||
| Writing About Music In The U.S.: Contemporary History And Criticism | ||
| Graphic Novels And Comics (Graphic Novels and Comics) | ||
| Land, Labor, & Literature: Studying The Works Of U.S. Working-Class & Colonized Writers | ||
| Development Of The American Novel | ||
| United States Fiction: Traditions And Counter-Traditions | ||
| Re-Thinking Race And Gender | ||
| Reading Film | ||
| American Realism | ||
| U.S. Latino/a Literature And Culture | ||
| American Women Writers Of The Nineteenth Century | ||
| Twentieth Century Fiction I | ||
| Twentieth Century Fiction II | ||
| Multi-Cultural Literature In America | ||
| African-American Literature | ||
| Chicana/o/x Literature | ||
| Special Topics In Latina/o And Latin American Literary And Cultural Studies | ||
| Contemporary Poetry | ||
| Literature Live: Studying The Works Of NEIU Visiting Writers | ||
| Summer Creative Writing Institute | ||
| INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE | ||
| Literatures And Literacies | ||
| Russian Literature: From Gogol To Chekhov | ||
| Literatures And Theories Of Love | ||
| Contemporary LGBTQ+ Literature | ||
| Introduction To Popular Culture Studies | ||
| Globalizing Literacies | ||
| Mythological Backgrounds Of English And American Literature | ||
| Biblical Backgrounds Of English And American Literature | ||
| Detective Fiction | ||
| Caribbean Literature | ||
| Folklore And The Fairy Tale | ||
| Studies In Women's Literature | ||
| Yiddish Literature In Translation | ||
| Postcolonial Literature | ||
| COMPOSITION and CREATIVE WRITING | ||
| Introduction To Creative Writing I | ||
| Reading & Writing In A Changing Digital Economy | ||
| Written Communications For Business | ||
| Elements Of Style For Creative Writers 5 | ||
| Critical Writing For Creative Writers | ||
| Hybrid-form Writing | ||
| Creative Writing: Flash Forms | ||
| Becoming A Writing Tutor | ||
| Advanced Composition | ||
| Argumentative Prose | ||
| Creative Writing: Poetry I and Creative Writing: Poetry II | ||
| Creative Writing: Fiction I and Creative Writing: Fiction II | ||
| Writing The Personal Essay | ||
| The Craft Of The Short Story | ||
| Screenwriting: The Short Script | ||
| Accelerated Program Courses: MAT | ||
| Educational Thought And Secondary Schooling | ||
| Introduction To Secondary School Curriculum | ||
| Methods Of Teaching English Language Arts In Secondary Schools | ||
| Disciplinary Literacy Instruction In Secondary Grades (Accelerated Program Courses: MAT) | ||
| Accelerated Program Courses: MA Literature | ||
| Literary Methods And Practice | ||
plus a maximum of three additional graduate level courses | ||
| Accelerated Program Courses: MA Composition | ||
| Seminar In Composition Theory | ||
| Writing Assessment: Theory And Practice | ||
plus a maximum of two additional graduate-level courses | ||
| Accelerated Program Courses: MA Creative Writing | ||
| Literary Methods And Practice | ||
or ENGL-433 | Seminar In Composition Theory | |
plus a maximum of 3 additional MA-level courses | ||
| Total Hours | 37 | |
- 1
This course is designed as an introduction to the English major, and should be taken as early as possible.
- 2
Note: that the English Department is continually creating new courses. Therefore, the list below is not complete.
- 3
Note: Gen. Ed. courses (ENGL-201, ENGL-202, and ENGL-203) do not count towards the Major.
- 4
Note: A limit of six 200-level courses may be applied to the English Major.
- 5
English 340A is replacing English 240A.
English Majors must complete a portfolio. For more information, please see your English Advisor.
This sample curricular map is provided to guide you in the planning of your progression for this major. This guide should not replace regular consultations with your program advisor. For specific recommendations of courses not identified, please consult your program advisor.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Hours | |
| ENGL-101 | Writing I | 3 |
| MATH-091 (If Necessary - does not count toward graduation) | Intermediate Algebra I | 3 |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours | 15 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| ENGL-102 | Writing II | 3 |
| MATH-092 (If Necessary - does not count toward graduation) | Intermediate Algebra II | 3 |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Term 1 | ||
| ENGL-210 | Writing Intensive Program: Methods for English Majors | 3 |
| English Literary Survey (ENGL 218 or ENGL 221) | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours | 15 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| ENGL Literary Survey | 3 | |
| ENGL Literary Survey | 3 | |
| Term Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Term 1 | ||
| ENGL-345 | Practical Criticism | 4 |
| ENGL Elective | 3 | |
| ENGL Major Author Course | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| Term Hours | 16 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Course | 3 | |
| ENGL Elective | 3 | |
| ENGL Elective | 3 | |
| ENGL Elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Term 1 | ||
| ENGL Elective | 3 | |
| ENGL Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours | 15 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Term Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours: | 121 | |