English and American Literature and Language

Professor Daniel Donoghue, Director of Undergraduate Studies

The concentration in English and American Literature and Language introduces students to the full range of imaginative writing in English from Anglo-Saxon times to the present. The concentration also introduces students to the modern phenomenon of global literature in English, such as that written, for example, in India, Africa, and the Caribbean. Of course, students cannot cover the entire breadth of this immense field, but the department aims to offer the widest possible experience of it. At the same time, students receive intensive, sharply focused training in advanced forms of textual analysis, in the full range of literary genres and modes, in the formal intricacies of lyric poems and the architectonics of fiction, in the linguistic structures that underlie literary discourse, in the philosophical and historical contexts of literature, and in the careers of great authors, such as Chaucer, Spenser, Milton, Austen, Wordsworth, Melville, Tennyson, Eliot, Woolf, Morrison, and Heaney. Courses vary in character from large lectures to more specialized study seminars (in which enrollment is limited to 15), such as "Consciousness from Austen to Woolf," "The Brontės," and "Wit and Humor." Lecture courses include the two parts of "Major British Writers," "The American Novel: Dreiser to the Present," "Chaucer and the Invention of Middle English Literature," "Shakespearean Tragedy," and "The Postcolonial Classic." Advanced students have opportunities for still more concentrated research and tutorial work with faculty and graduate students. Most honors students write senior theses. Among the topics of recent senior theses are representations of cannabalism in modern theater, the novel in the age of digital media, violence in the religious poetry of John Donne, the iconography of portraiture in the fiction of Nathaniel Hawthorne, James Cook and the evolution of the author in the South Seas, female expression of desire in the eighteenth-century novel, Seamus Heaney's poetry of identification, and the phenomenon of accident in the prose of Thomas De Quincey.

The department offers creative writing courses in fiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, and the essay. Some honors students pursue creative projects, in verse or in prose, as senior theses. The vital presence of creative writing in the department is reflected by the distinguished authors on its faculty: Jorie Graham, Seamus Heaney, Jamaica Kincaid, James Wood, Bret Johnston, and others. The department sponsors frequent readings by notable authors. Informal events, such as "Readings in the Parlor," in which a faculty member reads and discusses with students a favorite short poem or prose passage, are also part of life in the department.

The student who concentrates in English, whether as an elective concentrator or in the honors program, will be well prepared for graduate school in English, for teaching, and for other professions in which exact habits of thought, close textual analysis, and clear writing are required. But an education in English-language literature is also a source of moral reflection and aesthetic pleasure that will be a possession for life. Literature awakens the mind to the radical strangeness of human experience, to the "otherness" of others as much as to the qualities we share. Literature also helps us to see how complex problems will not admit of simple, technical solutions because they are deeply and subtly imbedded in their human contexts. Sharpening one's powers of discernment as well as widening one's intellectual horizons is at the heart of a liberal education. Such an education, to which literature is central, prepares the student not only for "life" in the abstract but also for life as an engaged, intelligently caring citizen of the world.

The English department has two options for English concentrators: the Elective Program and the Honors Programs. The Elective Program allows more flexibility for course selection within and outside the English department. Students in the Honors Program engage in more intensive study through seminars and the thesis options. A grade point average of 3.40 or higher in the concentration is required in the Honors Program, beginning in the junior year. A third option, for honors candidates only, is a joint concentration, which culminates in a critical thesis supervised jointly by a member of the English department and a member of the allied department (see the separate section below.)

The English Department offers a secondary field, which requires six courses altogether, three of which must meet specific requirements: English 10a, an American literature course, and a seminar. For more details see page 329 of this Handbook, the secondary field website (www.secondaryfields.fas.harvard.edu/Eng/program-desc-eng.htm), or the secondary field link on the English Department's web page:www.fas.harvard.edu/~english/programs/secondary_field.htm.

REQUIREMENTS

For students entering the College in Fall 2006 or later. Other students should refer to the Handbook for Students from the year in which they declared their concentration.

Elective Program:12 half-courses
Honors Program: 14 half-courses
Joint Concentration: 10 half-courses in English

1. Required courses for all concentrators (seven half-courses):
1. English 10a (Major British Writers I).
2. English 10b (Major British Writers II).
3. English 17 (American Literature).
4. English 97 (Sophomore Seminar).
5. One half course of Shakespeare.
6. Two half courses in pre-1800 literature other than Shakespeare.
2. Close Reading Examination (for all concentrators): To be taken at the end of the fall or spring term of sophomore year.
3. Additional Requirements:
1. Elective Program (12 half-courses total):
1. Five half-courses in addition to the seven listed above, one of which may be a related course from outside the English Department.
2. Honors Program (14 half-courses total):
1. English 98, Junior Tutorial.
2. English 99, Senior Thesis Tutorial, two terms; or two English 90 seminars (see 4c below).
3. English 90 seminar.
4. Foreign literature (see 4a below). v. Two additional half-courses.
3. Joint Concentration (10 half-courses in English):
1. Junior tutorial, either in English or the adjoined concentration.
2. Senior tutorial, two terms.
3. English 90 seminar.
4. Foreign literature (see 4a below).
5. Electives to fill out remaining courses as necessary.
   Notes:
               1) Joint concentrators are exempt from one of the two pre-1800 courses.
               2) Joint concentrators must meet with an adviser to determine in which concentration they will take the sophomore and junior tutorials. At least one must be in English (see 3b, below).
4. Senior Year, Honors Concentrators:
   Honors students have three options for the senior year:
1. Critical thesis: The two-term senior tutorial, English 99, culminates in a thesis submitted in March. The process begins in April of the junior year with a thesis proposal of 300 to 500 words. See the online Guide for Concentrators for further details (www.fas.harvard.edu/~english/guide/guide_main.html).
2. Creative thesis: Like the critical thesis, a creative thesis is completed in the two-term English 99. Creative thesis proposals by honors juniors (out-of-phase students included) are submitted in February. Students applying for a creative writing thesis ordinarily will have completed one course in creative writing at Harvard before they apply. Questions about creative theses should be directed to Bret Johnston, Director of the Creative Writing Program, or to Jeff Berg, Undergraduate Program Administrator. Creative writing thesis information may be found on the department web site (www.fas.harvard.edu/~english/programs/c_w_thesis.htm).
3. Non-thesis option: Honors students who do not wish to write a thesis may choose the option of taking two additional 90-level undergraduate seminars in their senior year. Students who choose this option will not be eligible to receive a departmental degree recommendation higher than cum laude.
4. Oral Examination for Highest Departmental Honors (summa cum laude): To be recommended for highest departmental honors, eligible seniors take a forty-five minute oral examination at the end of the senior year.
5. Joint Concentration:
1. Upon approval from the department's Undergraduate Program office, honors candidates may combine a concentration in English with a concentration in another department, supervised by advisers in each department. It is a challenging undertaking, in part because joint concentrators are expected to take more courses than other students. Ordinarily, only students with a concentration GPA of 3.6 or above, an overall strong record, and a clearly formulated project across two disciplines will receive approval. A critical senior thesis is required; the creative thesis option is not available.
2. Joint concentrators may declare English to be either their primary or allied concentration; the requirements are the same for both. Students are encouraged to take both the sophomore and junior tutorials in English, but may opt out of one (not both) in favor of the requirements of the other department. The senior tutorial will be administered by the primary department, but even if English is the allied department, an English faculty member will be a joint adviser of the thesis. Decisions about each tutorial and the entire shape of the joint degree depend on close collaboration between the two departments at every stage.
3. Students interested in declaring a joint concentration must complete a change of concentration form, which must be signed by both departments and by the student's Allston Burr Resident Dean. For further information contact Jeff Berg (jmberg@fas.harvard.edu).
6. Other Information:
1. The foreign literature requirement for honors candidates goes beyond the College's foreign language requirement. In simple terms, it asks honors candidates to take one half-course in which foreign literature is read in the original language, and thus rules out basic grammar and comprehension courses. For options on how to fulfill this requirement, see the relevant section in the Guide for Concentrators (www.fas.harvard.edu/~english/guide/guide_main.html).
2. Pass/Fail: Courses counting for concentration credit may not be taken Pass/Fail. The only exceptions are the senior tutorial and one Freshman Seminar taught by a member of the English department faculty.
3. Creative Writing Courses: Admission to creative writing courses is by application only. Only two creative writing courses may count toward the total number of required courses for the concentration, although students may apply for and enroll in as many as they wish. See the Guide for Concentrators for details (www.fas.harvard.edu/~english/guide/guide_main.html).

ADVISING

Members of the faculty advising team are available during weekly, drop-in hours throughout the year to help students select courses. The staff of the undergraduate program office is available to answer questions on program requirements and other matters. Hours are listed online at www.fas.harvard.edu/~english/programs/advisingprogram.html.

For up-to-date information on advising in English and American Literature and Language, please see the Advising Programs Office website: www.fas.harvard.edu/~advising/concentrations/English.html.

RESOURCES

Child Memorial Library, located on the top floor of Widener Library, is the English Department research library. Its extensive, non-circulating collection comprises works from all areas and periods of English and American literature. Maintained and staffed by graduate students, Child Library is dedicated to providing up-to-date, scholarly editions of authors, as well as a cross-section of recent and influential criticism.

HOW TO FIND OUT MORE

The Guide for Concentrators, along with all worksheets and forms, is available on the Department website: www.fas.harvard.edu/english. Questions may be directed to the Undergraduate Program office at enghelp@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-2533.

ENROLLMENT STATISTICS

Number of Concentrators as of November