Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of General Studies in Literature, Language, and Writing

Why study English language and literature?

Because reading and writing shape the world.

KU's English Department is at the core of the humanities, highlighting the "human" through our individual, one-on-one interactions with our students, our emphasis on community and global engagement, and our abiding interest in our shared humanity through the stories of others. We seek to challenge the mind and to engage the imagination of our students, to teach them to ask questions and to seek for answers. We encourage them to grapple with the complexity of a culturally and commercially interconnected world and the global networks and processes of cultural exchange. We believe that words and ideas will shape the world. We teach our students life-long skills, so that they learn to write clearly, creatively, and effectively—discovering themselves even as they lay a solid foundation for professional success.

A commitment to teaching and learning.

Our department is renowned for its tradition of excellence in teaching. The vast majority of our undergraduate classes have 20-35 students, and much of the class time is dedicated to active learning and engagement with texts and ideas. In the last ten years, faculty members in the department of English have won ten Kemper Fellowships for Excellence in Teaching, two Chancellors Club Teaching Professorships, a Career Achievement Teaching Award, and a wide variety of other university-level teaching and advising awards, and the department as a whole received the Center of Teaching Excellence (CTE) award for Department Excellence in Teaching at the University of Kansas.

A variety of career and life paths.

The Literature, Language, and Writing program at the Edwards campus helps to prepare undergraduate students for a variety of professions, including law, scholarship, publishing, library science, and marketing--as well as any number of other fields that value clear communication, interpretive skill, and critical and creative thinking.

Contact the Academic Coach on the Edwards Campus, Alyson Germinder, agerminder@ku.edu, 913-897-8528 for more information.

Undergraduate Admission

Admission to KU

All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.

Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.

Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.

Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Literature, Language, and Writing Major

KU Edwards Campus

The undergraduate program in literature, language, and writing is offered in its entirety only at the KU Edwards Campus, 12600 Quivira Rd., Overland Park, KS 66213. This program is designed for students who have earned an associate’s degree or equivalent hours and wish to complete the upper-level courses necessary for a bachelor’s degree.

Literature, Language, and Writing Program

The major in Literature, Language and Writing requires 30 hours, of which 3 hours may be an appropriate 200-level English course. The program includes professional writing courses. Internship opportunities may be pursued as credit toward the major, offering students the opportunity to develop communication skills in specific professional contexts.

In today’s rapidly changing work environment, employers are seeking people who can deal with concepts and abstractions, who are imaginative and creative, and who have good communication and people skills. A degree in English can help develop these skills, and it is good preparation for a variety of advanced professional degrees in areas such as business and law. English majors pursue a range of careers including editing, technical writing, advertising and public relations, teaching, market research, retail management, teaching English as a second language, nonprofit fund-raising and/or advocacy, Web design, speech writing, sales, video production, script reading, radio and television, and many others. Some career paths require an advanced degree or specialized post-graduate training, but an undergraduate degree in English is an excellent base from which to explore career options.

Contact the Academic Coach on the Edwards Campus, Alyson Germinder, agerminder@ku.edu, 913-897-8528 for more information.

Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major

Course Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Literature, Language and Writing Core Knowledge and Skills
Majors must complete a total of 4 courses (12 hours) satisfying the distribution indicated in each of the following 3 areas:		12
Literature Before 1900. Satisfied by two courses (6 hours) from the following:
ENGL 301	Topics in British Literature to 1800: _____
ENGL 309	The British Novel
ENGL 312	Major British Writers to 1800
ENGL 314	Major British Writers after 1800
ENGL 315	Studies in British Literature
ENGL 317	Topics in American Literature to 1865: _____
ENGL 320	American Literature I
ENGL 322	American Literature II
ENGL 331	Chaucer
ENGL 332	Shakespeare
ENGL 521	Advanced Topics in British Literature Before 1800: _____
ENGL 525	Shakespeare: _____
ENGL 565	The Gothic Tradition
ENGL 576	Advanced Topics in American Literature to 1865: _____
ENGL 610	The Literature of England to 1500
ENGL 620	Renaissance English Literature: _____
ENGL 633	Milton
ENGL 650	Romantic Literature: _____
ENGL 655	Victorian LIterature: ______
British Literature. Satisfied by one course (3 hours) from the following:
ENGL 301	Topics in British Literature to 1800: _____
ENGL 302	Topics in British Literature Since 1800: _____
ENGL 309	The British Novel
ENGL 312	Major British Writers to 1800
ENGL 314	Major British Writers after 1800
ENGL 315	Studies in British Literature
ENGL 331	Chaucer
ENGL 332	Shakespeare
ENGL 521	Advanced Topics in British Literature Before 1800: _____
ENGL 522	Advanced Topics in British Literature After 1800: ______
ENGL 525	Shakespeare: _____
ENGL 530	Irish Literature and Culture: _____
ENGL 565	The Gothic Tradition
ENGL 610	The Literature of England to 1500
ENGL 620	Renaissance English Literature: _____
ENGL 633	Milton
ENGL 650	Romantic Literature: _____
ENGL 655	Victorian LIterature: ______
ENGL 690	Studies in: _____
American Literature. Satisfied by one course (3 hours) from the following:
ENGL 320	American Literature I
ENGL 322	American Literature II
ENGL 325	Recent Popular Literature
ENGL 337	Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Literature
ENGL 338	Introduction to African-American Literature
ENGL 340	Topics in U.S. Ethnic Literature: _____
ENGL 341	American Literature of Social Justice
ENGL 570	Topics in American Literature: _____
ENGL 574	African American Literature: _____
ENGL 576	Advanced Topics in American Literature to 1865: _____
ENGL 579	Poetry since 1945
Writing or English Language Required Electives
Majors must complete a total of 3 courses (9 hours) of writing and/or English language courses, of which 3 hours may be an appropriate 200-level English course.		9
English Required Elective
Majors must complete 3 courses (9 hours) of junior/senior level ENGL courses. Up to 6 credits combined of ENGL 494 (Research Internship) or ENGL 495 (Directed Study) may be applied as major electives; they may not count as English core equivalents. Up to 3 credit hours of ENGL 496 (Internship) or ENGL 497 (Service Learning Internship) can be applied as major elective credit. In addition, the following courses offered in other CLAS departments may be selected: HUM 304, HUM 308, HUM 312, FMS 373, FMS 773.		9
Capstone Course		3
Satisfied by one course (3 hours) from the following (additional courses may be approved with departmental permission):
ENGL 506	Science Fiction
ENGL 507	Science, Technology, and Society: Examining the Future through a Science-Fiction Lens
ENGL 508	Contemporary Literary Theory
ENGL 520	History of the Book
ENGL 521	Advanced Topics in British Literature Before 1800: _____
ENGL 522	Advanced Topics in British Literature After 1800: ______
ENGL 525	Shakespeare: _____
ENGL 530	Irish Literature and Culture: _____
ENGL 534	Major Authors (Capstone): _____
ENGL 551	Fiction Writing II
ENGL 552	Poetry Writing II
ENGL 555	Nonfiction Writing II
ENGL 569	Modernism
ENGL 570	Topics in American Literature: _____
ENGL 572	Women and Literature: _____
ENGL 574	African American Literature: _____
ENGL 576	Advanced Topics in American Literature to 1865: _____
ENGL 579	Poetry since 1945
ENGL 580	Rhetoric and Writing: _____
ENGL 581	English Language Studies: ______
ENGL 587	American English
ENGL 590	Studies in: _____
ENGL 610	The Literature of England to 1500
ENGL 620	Renaissance English Literature: _____
ENGL 650	Romantic Literature: _____
ENGL 655	Victorian LIterature: ______
ENGL 690	Studies in: _____
Total Hours		33

Major Hours & Major GPA

While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:

Major Hours
Satisfied by 30 hours of major courses.

Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 27 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.

Departmental Honors

To be admitted to the English Honors major program, an undergraduate student must have earned a 3.5 grade-point average in English courses. The student should declare an English major, if enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, or an English concentration, if enrolled in the School of Business or the School of Education.

Honors English majors must complete at least 1 section of ENGL 598 Honors Proseminar: _____ and ENGL 599 Honors Essay. This requirement, in effect, adds 3 hours of capstone-level coursework to the student’s emphasis.

2024-25 Academic Catalog