Department of English

The Department of English offers a variety of critical approaches to major texts in British and American literature. In nine departmental courses, and in junior and senior independent work, students explore a range of literary periods and genres, learning at the same time a variety of methods for the interpretation of literature. While the distribution requirements ensure coverage of traditional periods, courses in subjects such as feminist criticism, literary theory, postmodernism, and African-American literature testify to the wide-ranging interests of the department and its students.

English majors have the opportunity to focus their studies in one of five programs within the major: English and American literature generally; English literature and comparative contexts; American literature and American studies; creative writing; and theater and dance. Through a combination of specialized courses and directed independent work, students in each of these programs tailor a course of study to their personal interests. Students may also take the opportunity to participate in Princeton’s Study Abroad Program.

Prospective concentrators are required to take one genre-based course from the following list: English 200-Poetry, 201-Fiction, 202-Drama, 203-The Essay. The second prerequisite is English 205-Survey of Literature from Chaucer to the 18th Century. These courses are designed to provide students with the background necessary to pursue more advanced work in literature. The junior seminar (English 300) hones students’ writing and analytical skills, introduces them to different approaches to literature, and leaves majors familiar with some of the issues that are crucial to the practice of literary criticism today.

For many majors, the culmination of their work in the department is the senior thesis, an independent project (usually about 80 pages) that brings together the student’s writing, critical, and research skills. Recent senior thesis topics have ranged from Shakespeare to Seamus Heaney, from Hemingway to Zora Neale Hurston.

Upon graduation some seniors will pursue graduate education in the humanities, but many more will attend law, medical, and professional schools or immediately enter the workforce. Their choices testify to the belief that English as a discipline of thought can prepare students for a wide variety of careers.