New for fall 2009
Major in English and American Literature
English and American literature has been an essential component of Brandeis from the outset. The department has three key goals in educating its students.
- First, students with a wide range of interests take our courses to learn about the various literary and cultural traditions that influence creative work in the English language.
- Second, we teach students to notice the striking and revealing features not only of literary works, but also of the texts that surround us in our daily lives.
- Third, those who choose to become English majors or minors will acquire the skills and the judgment required for the careful and imaginative unpacking of literary texts and their multiple contexts.
For ambitious students, an honors essay or two-semester honors thesis often marks the culmination of the major.
There are no prerequisites for declaring the major, and students may declare at any time; the first step is an appointment with the undergraduate advising head (UAH), who will assign a suitable adviser based on a student's interests.
Prospective majors are encouraged to take two or three courses in the department in their first and second years. ENG 1a (Reading Literature) focuses on the basic skills needed for studying literature and is required for the major; it is an excellent first course for those commencing the major as well as for first or second years who are considering the major. Courses with numbers below 100 are especially suitable for beginning students.