The concentration in Literatures and Cultures in English focuses on the theory, history, and production of literature in Britain, in the American and other colonies, in the United States, and postcolonial anglophone cultures around the world. It also trains students in the practices of critical reading and writing that often question the basic terms and assumptions of literary study—on the meaning of "literature" and "English" themselves, for example. A more complete description of the concentration and other information for concentrators are available in the department office or can be found at http://www.brown.edu/Departments/English.
The concentration consists of eleven courses, including one course in literary theory or the history of literary criticism as well as two courses in each of the following areas:
I. Medieval and Early Modern Literatures and Cultures
II. Enlightenment and the Rise of National Literatures and Cultures
III. Modern and Contemporary Literatures and Cultures
Students are encouraged to choose at least one course in each area that will provide a coherent sense of the literary history and the major critical developments during a substantial portion of the period covered by the area.
Concentrators also choose a four-course focus from one of the following focus areas: (a) literary historical, (b) scholarly research field, (c) anglophone, post-colonial, and multicultural studies, (d) American literature, (e) gender and sexuality, (f) genre, (g) theory, (h) expository writing, or (i) independent. For further information about these specializations, see below.
Any given elective course may satisfy two requirements (for example, a designated Area I course may also satisfy a focus requirement). However, a total of eleven courses must be completed to satisfy requirements for the concentration.
Five of the eleven required courses must be at the 100 level or above.
As many as two writing-intensive courses—literary arts courses, expository writing courses, or seminars in writing, literature and culture (EL 20)—may be counted toward the concentration. The literary arts courses must be intermediate level courses or above. The expository writing courses must be at the advanced level (EL 114, 116, 118, 119 or 120). Such courses may not be used as part of the four-course focus and may not be counted toward theory or scholarly areas requirements. These provisions differ slightly for students focusing in a genre or expository writing (see below).
Up to two courses outside the English Department (e.g., Comparative Literature, Modern Culture and Media Studies, American Civilization, foreign literatures, Classics, Medieval Studies) may count toward the concentration requirements. Such courses must be approved by a concentration advisor. (Courses from other departments that are cross-listed with the English Department are regarded as English courses and do not require advisor approval.)
All substitutions and/or exceptions must be approved by the concentration advisor in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Board of Advisors. A substitution or exception is not approved until specified in writing in the student's English Department files.
This focus guides students towards an historical understanding of literatures in English. Students will complete at least one course from each of the following four categories: medieval, renaissance and early modern, 18th or 19th century, and 20th century. The courses fulfilling this option may be chosen to reflect an interest in many genres or literary forms (the lyric, the novel, the drama, etc.).
This focus allows students to study in depth a single field of scholarly research of literatures in English by taking four courses in any one of the following areas of study: (I) medieval and early modern literatures and cultures; (II) enlightenment and the rise of national literatures and cultures; or (III) modern and contemporary literatures and cultures. Within the area, students may focus on a particular genre or on a particular theme or problem. The courses taken must cover at least two genres and at least two national traditions (British, American, and/or a post-colonial literature).
C. Anglophone, Post-colonial, and Multicultural Studies
This focus allows students to study literature as a cultural production that reflects, mediates, and creates competing conceptions of race, ethnicity, nationalism, and colonialism. While students may choose to study a particular tradition (African American literature, for instance), they will be required to complete at least one course in related traditions to provide points of comparison, both culturally and historically.
This focus allows students to study literature produced in the American colonies and the United States.
This focus allows students to study literature as a cultural production that reflects, mediates, and creates social conceptions of gender and sexuality. Students choosing this specialization may explore not only the implications of historically specific constructions of gender and sexuality, but also the effects of these social constructions on literary authorship, genre, textual reception, and language itself. While students may choose to develop an historical focus to their studies (on medieval and renaissance representations of femininity, or contemporary U.S. cultural representations of same-sex desire, for instance) they will be encouraged to complete at least one course among the four in other literary traditions and periods to provide points of comparison.
This focus allows students to study a particular literary genre such as narrative, poetry, or drama. With the approval of the concentration advisor, students may specify other genres and modes such as non-fiction prose, autobiography, satire, etc. One literary arts workshop at the intermediate or advanced level within the specific genre may count toward the focus. For example, if a student's genre focus is poetry, an advanced poetry writing workshop could count toward the focus.
This focus addresses theoretical models of literary production, interpretation, and value. Emphasis may fall upon one or more of the many aspects of theory: aesthetics, historical materialism, feminist theory, psychoanalytic theory, semiotics, the history of literary criticism, etc. Two of the courses are expected to cover fields of literature.
This focus allows students to integrate their interest in literature with expository writing. For example, students interested in creative nonfiction may choose to study travel writing, memoir, science writing, literary journalism, or historical narrative. Three advanced-level expository writing courses (EL 114, 116, 118, 119, or 120) may count toward the focus; the fourth focus course must come from relevant literature offerings.
This focus allows students to specialize in an interest not covered by those described above. A proposal for an Independent focus must be approved by the English Department's curriculum committee.
Requirements are the same as those for the regular concentration, with the following changes and additions: Honors candidates must include three upper-level seminars among their courses; successfully complete the Junior Honors seminar; and successfully complete EL197 and EL198, the Senior Honors Thesis. Students who plan to study abroad during the junior year Spring semester should contact the Honors director to discuss how to complete Honors requirements. Honors students must also earn more As than Bs in courses taken as part of the English concentration (or receive the equivalent faculty evaluation on a Course Performance Report for courses taken S/NC).
Requirements are the same as those for the regular concentration, with the following changes and additions: Honors candidates must successfully complete EL120 (Independent Study in Expository Writing) and EL196 (Senior Honors Thesis in Expository Writing) taken during the senior year. Honors students must also earn more As than Bs in courses taken as part of the English concentration (or receive the equivalent faculty evaluation on a Course Performance Report for courses taken S/NC).
Honors in Creative Writing: This program is open to students who matriculated in Spring 2005 or before. It is not available to English concentrators who began their studies at Brown in Fall 2005 or thereafter. Candidates must complete all courses required for the concentration in English, two workshops in a particular genre by the end of the junior year, and a senior thesis. Interested students should obtain information from the office of the Literary Arts Program.
Page last updated in April, 2006.