English Major
Students must also complete the Undergraduate Registration Requirement and the degree requirements of their home school.
NOTE: This Catalog describes Weinberg College BA requirements that pertain to students who matriculated at Northwestern after spring quarter 2023. Refer to the Archives if you are following BA requirements described in the 2018-2019 through 2022-2023 editions.
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| Department Courses (13 units) | |
| 2 200-level Historical Breadth courses | |
1 emphasizing works written before 1830 | |
1 emphasizing works written after 1830 | |
| 2 required seminars | |
| Seminar in Reading and Interpretation | |
| Research Seminar for Literature Majors | |
| 9 additional literature courses | |
At least 7 courses must be at the 300-level; 2 courses may be taken at the 200-level | |
At least 3 courses emphasizing works written before 1830 | |
At least 3 courses emphasizing works written after 1830 | |
At least 1 course focusing on Gender, Sexuality & Embodiment | |
At least 1 course focusing on Postcolonial & Comparative Literatures | |
At least 1 course focusing on Race & Ethnicity | |
1 300-level literature course may be taken in another department or program, subject to approval by the DUS | |
Students who matriculated Spring 2022 or earlier can follow requirements as outlined in a Catalog edition corresponding to their prior quarters of enrollment. The Office of the Registrar maintains an archive of Catalog editions.
Honors in Literature
To prepare to apply to the honors program, all literature majors take ENGLISH 397-0 Research Seminar for Literature Majors, which provides an opportunity to complete a 15-page research paper. Literature majors with strong academic records may then apply during spring of junior year for admission to the 2-quarter senior thesis sequence (ENGLISH 398-1 & ENGLISH 398-2), which meets the following fall and winter quarters (ENGLISH 398-1 & ENGLISH 398-2 do not count toward the English major). Accepted students are expected to produce a senior thesis of about 40 pages. Students whose theses and grades meet department criteria are recommended to the college for graduation with honors. For more information, including funding opportunities, visit the department website and see Honors in the Major.