English 257 and 258. The Literature of Western Civilization. This sequence begins with Homer and the Old Testament and finishes with master writers of the twentieth century such as Joyce, Mann, Kafka, Woolf, and Faulkner.
 

English 210 Reading - Writing - Texts. A course taken primarily by English majors, which examines methods and assumptions guiding the analysis and interpretation of literary texts.

The Literature Emphasis: They take four survey courses in British and American literature (English 341-344) and a course in Shakespeare. They also take eight upper-level English electives, the only restriction being that one of these courses must be in literature before 1800, one must a linguistics course, and four must be at the highest level (400-level) the department offers for undergraduates.
 

The Creative Writing Emphasis: Students take introductory courses in the writing of poetry and of fiction (English 291 and 292)—these courses are graded pass/fail to encourage students to experiment with different writing techniques. Students then take four survey courses in British and American literature (English 341-344) and a course in Shakespeare. They continue to develop their writing talent by taking courses in Intermediate and Advanced Fiction and Poetry Writing (English 391-393 and English 491-492). In the junior and senior years, students can submit portfolios of their writing to be considered for special week-long courses taught by visiting writers; there are generally a different poet and a fiction writer each semester who stay about a week teaching an advanced writing course and giving a reading. Creative Writing students also take two 400-level English courses, including one that covers literature before 1800.
 

The Professional Emphasis: Students take two advanced writing courses chosen from Persuasive Writing (English 207), Personal and Exploratory Writing (English 208), Inquiry-Based Writing (English 209), Advanced Prose Writing (English 309), Business Writing (English 313), or Technical Writing (English 317). They also take one survey from the British literature sequence and one from the American literature sequence. In consultation with the Professional adviser, they develop their own coherent program that consists of five courses from outside the English department (from fields as diverse as Computer Science, History, Communication, or Philosophy), a program that meets their career goals.
 

The Teaching Emphasis: