This information is intended to help you shape your major program in English at Ohio State. English courses involve many different approaches to the study of literature, language, and writing, and our offerings have proved useful to students with a variety of goals--from employment in business to professional preparation in fields like law and journalism and graduate work in English. You should consult with your advisor to construct your major program. Below are the requirements for a major in English.
1. Completion of a minimum of 60 hours of coursework in the English Department (or in courses from other departments as approved by the major advisor). The first and second GEC writing courses (i.e., 110 and 367) do not count towards these 60 hours. A minimum of 35 of these hours must be at the 400-level or above.
2. A minimum grade of C- and cumulative minimum grade point average of 2.0 (C) for all courses in the major program. A minimum grade of C is required in English 398.
3. As part of the required 60 hours, completion of the following courses (students are encouraged to take these required courses early in their major):
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English 201: Selected Works of British Literature I: Medieval through 1800
English 202: Selected Works of British Literature II: 1800 to the Present
One of the following:
English 290: Colonial and U.S. Literature to 1865
English 291: U.S. Literature, 1865 to the Present |
Note: Honors students are not required to take these courses. See the section on the Honors major at http://english.osu.edu/students/undergrad/honors.cfm.
4. As part of the required 60 hours, completion of English 398 (Critical Writing). This course, along with English 110 and a 367 writing course in any department, is used to satisfy the Writing and Related Skills requirement in the GEC. 398 should be taken as soon as possible after declaring the major and completing the second GEC writing requirement. The course is designed in part as an introduction to the major and to the kinds of writing and analysis that will be expected of you in upper level courses.
5. As part of the 35 hours of course work at the 400-level or above, courses must be distributed as follows:
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A. At least one course in literature before 1800, and at least one course in literature after 1800.
B. Course work in at least one area of English study other than literature (e.g., creative writing, critical theory, film, folklore, language, rhetoric). |
Note: English majors are no longer required to create a focus area. We do invite you, however, to cultivate an area of interest by taking multiple courses in that area (rhetoric and composition, literature by and about women, eighteenth century British writers, American Renaissance authors, poetry, for example).
6. Up to five (5) hours of English 693 (Individual Study) may be used as part of the required 60 hours. (Note: though English 693 is repeatable up to 10 hours, only 5 hours may be counted towards the major.)
Once you have taken 398, you should consult with your advisor at least once a quarter. Advisors will have current information on the courses to be offered the following year. Detailed course descriptions for each quarters offerings are posted on the Undergraduate website: http://english.osu.edu/students/undergrad/courseInfo
Advice for English MajorS
After you've declared your English major, see the coordinating advisor, Greg Halbe. (Students in the Honors Program should consult one of the honors advisors.)
You should start your major by taking the required 200-level surveys. These courses provide an essential background for upper-level work in literature.
Make sure that you take English 367, which is required of all undergraduates regardless of major, in your sophomore year. Then schedule English 398, which is offered every other quarter. 398 should be one of the first English courses you take as you move into the major, since it introduces you to skills and methodologies that are essential to your success in 500-level courses (you will need 35 hours/7courses at the 400 level or above). You may not take more than two upper division courses before you take English 398. Your 398 professor will be key in helping you plan your major and your focus area, so we recommend that you take 398 as soon as possible after completing 397.
Be sure to keep in touch with your advisor and your mentor in the department as you proceed--an annual meeting with each is the absolute minimum. To make the most of your course choices and to be sure you complete the 15 credit hours necessary for a focus area, it is vital that you get their help in long-term planning.
And if you are thinking of going on for a Masters of Education at OSU, make sure to tell your advisor; the College of Education requires applicants to have taken specific courses, and you will need to plan ahead in order to integrate them into your major program.