English, B.A.

Additional Rules

1. Eight of ten courses for the major must be taken in the English department at UVA. With permission of the Director of the Undergraduate Program, up to two major electives may be taken in other departments on campus, or as transfer credit from other institutions, including semester-long study abroad programs. Courses taken outside the department may not fulfill distribution requirements.

2. As one or both of their optional “outside” courses, students may receive major elective credit for courses offered at UVA in the literature of a language other than English, taught either in that language or in translation. These courses may be taught at the 2000-level or above. Grammar and composition courses are not eligible. DUP approval is still necessary for such courses to count toward the major.

3. No more than three courses in total may fall under the writing program rubrics (ENWR and ENCW).

Independent Study

Only one semester of independent study, in literature or writing, may be counted toward the major. Students may apply to take an indepedent study only if they have completed four 3000- or 4000-level courses in English and they have achieved a major GPA of at least 3.30.

• Both classes below allow considerable flexibility, with no formal limitations on the project’s nature, as long as a faculty member is willing to direct the independent study.
• To request an independent study course, students (and their faculty advisors) should apply to the Director of the Undergraduate Program in the semester prior to that in which they wish to pursue their project.

• ENCW 4993 - Independent Project in Creative Writing Credits: 3
• ENGL 4993 - Independent Study Credits: 1 to 4

Grading Standards

• A minimum GPA of 2.0 in major courses is required. Courses in which a student receives a grade lower than C- will not count toward the major. 

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Students in the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Concentration in English take at least 30 credits for the major. These must include:

• The English Major Prerequisite (one of two paths, as described above).

• ENGL 3002 - History of Literatures in English II Credits: 3

• Students are encouraged, but not required to take the following course:

• ENGL 3001 - History of Literatures in English I Credits: 3

• At least four other courses (12 credits) in English literature written before 1700, excluding ENGL 3001. At least two of these courses should be at the 4000 or 5000 level.

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  Outside English

  • Concentrators may take Medieval and Renaissance studies courses in other departments, for example, in Art History, History, Religious Studies, Philosophy, and in literatures in other languages.
    • Consequently, in consultation with the Director of the Concentration, 3 such courses (9 credits) may be counted toward the 30 credits required of the concentrator.

  We strongly encourage language acquisition, especially the study of Latin. Thus, language courses taken in excess of the UVa Foreign/World Language Requirement may also be included in the up-to-9 credits students may present towards the major from outside the English Department.

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  Here follows a partial list of courses that qualify for presentation as part of the 9-credit allowcance; students should consult the Director of the Concentration about approving others that might enhance their particular plans of study. 

  • Courses in the medieval and early modern cultures of Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa changes topics too often to be included here but are highly recommended.

  Students in the Medieval and Renaissance Concentration are encouraged to consider an independent study project with relevant faculty in order to develop specialized research ambitions and, if they are qualified, to consolidate their work by writing a thesis in the English Department’s undergraudate Distinguished Majors Program.

• ARTH 2151 - Early Christian and Byzantine Art Credits: 3 to 4
• FRTR 3814 - Gender, Sexuality, Identity in Premodern France Credits: 3
• GETR 3590 - Course(s) in English Credits: 3

•      Medieval Stories of Love and Adventure

• HIEU 3131 - The World of Charlemagne Credits: 3
• ITTR 2260 - Dante in Translation Credits: 3
• LATI 3090 - Introduction to Mediaeval Latin Credits: 3
• PHIL 3140 - History of Medieval Philosophy Credits: 3
• PLPT 3010 - Ancient and Medieval Political Theory Credits: 3
• RELC 3559 - New Course in Christianity Credits: 1 to 4

•      Medieval Theology

• SPTR 3402 - Don Quixote in English Credits: 3

Modern and Global Studies

Take at least 30 credits of English and other approved courses. These must include:

• The English Major Prerequisite (one of two paths, as described above).

• ENGL 3002 - History of Literatures in English II Credits: 3
• ENGL 3001 - History of Literatures in English I Credits: 3 OR a pre-1700 literature class.
• One course in literature published between 1700-1900.

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  Two of the following seminars:

• ENGL 4561 - Seminar in Modern Literature and Culture Credits: 3

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  Up to four courses outside the department, determined in consultation with the concentration director, that relate to a particular area of interest concerned with the study of modern and global literature and culture. 

All electives from other disciplines will normally have to be at the 3000- or 4000-level but some 2000-level courses can also count (usually ones in other language departments, when the literature is offered in translaton).

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• The course below may be counted as one of the four interdisciplinary courses; students interested in global issues are especially urged to take it.
• ENGL 3610 - Global Cultural Studies Credits: 3

Literary Prose Writing

Take 30 credits of coursework.  These must include:

• The English Major Prerequisite (one of two paths, as described above).

• ENGL 3001 - History of Literatures in English I Credits: 3
• ENGL 3002 - History of Literatures in English II Credits: 3
• 1. One pre-1800 course ar the 3000-level or higher.
  2. Four upper-level workshops that must include both fiction and nonficition and could also, with approval, include poetry.
  3. Two ENCW 4550 Literary Prose seminars
  4. One ENCW senior thesis

  In the fourth year, students will embark on a directed project that will yield a thesis (40+ pages) of original literary prose.

Poetry Writing

Take 30 credits of courses in English.  These must include:

• The English Major Prerequisite (one of two paths, as described above).

• ENGL 3001 - History of Literatures in English I Credits: 3
• ENGL 3002 - History of Literatures in English II Credits: 3
• 1. 12 hours of upper-division (3000-level or above) ENCW poetry writing courses or independent studies. Students may count one fiction or creative non-fiction course at the 3000-level or above to fulfill this requirement.
  2. Two Poetry Writing Area Program seminars (ENCW 4820).
• ENCW 4820 - Poetry Program Poetics Credits: 3

•  4. One course in literature published before 1800 at the 3000-level or above.

   5. The Capstone Course (ENPW 4920), offered in the spring semester of the fourth year.

  NOTE: When offered, a prosody or other poetic forms class is also recommended.