100-200 Level Courses

The English Department offers many types of courses. You can visit the catalog to view courses in English Language and Literature and Creative Writing.

To learn more about Linguistics courses, please visit the Linguistics homepage or view the Linguistics course catalog page.

Introductory Level Courses: What's Right for You?

The English Department offers a variety of introductory courses, all of which may be taken by first-year students--very few English courses have a formal prerequisite requirement--though 100 and 200-level courses are a great place to start.

Students considering majoring in English might wish to begin with English 250, Interpreting Literature, which is required for the English major and minor. That said, English 250 is not a formal prerequisite, so if you can't get into a section of English 250 or see another course that piques your interest, try it!

The historical survey courses English 203 and English 204 (British Literature I; British Literature II), are no longer required for the major, but are also good choices for students interested in majoring or minoring in English, as they provide historical surveys of periods in British Literature that students might not have previously explored. 

Our other 200-level introductory English courses generally fulfill the COLL 200 requirement or ALV requirement and may be taken by students who are or are not considering an English major.  Prospective majors, however, should note that only 12 credit hours at the 100 or 200-level may be counted toward the 36 hours they need for majoring in English. Students with AP, IB, or transfer credit for a 200-level course, please note that these will count at part of that 12-credit-hour limit.

Courses at the 200-level are ordinarily available only to sophomores and freshmen, so students, including pre-med students needing to take English classes for their curriculum, should plan on taking these courses before their junior year.  Transfer students with junior-year status intending to major in English who need 250 for the major or minor and who fail to secure a seat during regular registration should email the department chair.

First Semester Course Guide by Major

What to Expect

What type of readings are involved in first-and-second-year courses? How much reading should a student expect to do per week?

Students can expect to read mostly literary materials (novels, poems, short stories, plays, and the like), with some secondary critical reading. The quantity varies widely (poems can be short but require intensive re-reading, for example). Any English course will require careful reading, and usually a fair amount--e.g., potentially 200+ pages, if you're working through a novel.

What sorts of assignments should a student expect in first-and-second-year courses? 

These vary, but most professors have writing as their main set of assignments (ranging from informal in-class work to short essays to 5-page papers) in varying mixes with quizzes, mid-term/final exams, and presentations. Most classes also expect at least some contribution to class discussion.

Beyond the required course texts, are there other course materials a student should be prepared to purchase for first-and-second-year courses?

Students will not need to purchase course materials beyond the required course texts.

Is there anything else that is important for first-and-second-year students to know and/or expect from their courses?

English courses rarely require a pre-requisite course and do not demand a sequential build (100 always before 200, etc.), so if you are confident in your interest in English, it is not inappropriate to consider a 300- or even 400-level course if the topic interests you. This is especially true for second year students.