Literary Studies

The Literary Studies major is for students who desire a general liberal arts education emphasizing literature, critical thinking, and writing; and for those preparing for graduate education in English or literary studies.

Courses

UCORE Requirement [HUM]
(1 course, 3 credit hours):

  • One of the following: Hum 101, 103, 302, 303, 304, 335, 350, 410, or 450 (the last two are Tier III [T] classes recommended for English majors).

Core (5 courses, 15 credit hours):

  • Engl 302: Introduction to English Studies
  • Engl 370: The Making of “English”: Literature, Language and Culture Before 1600
  • Engl 371: 17th and 18th Century Transnational Literature in English
  • Engl 372: 19th Century Literature of the British Empire and the America
  • Engl 373: 20th and 21st Century Global Literatures in English.

Electives (7 courses, 21 credit hours):

  • Students may take for their electives any combination of literature classes from either the English or Humanities courses, with the following requirements:
    • At least one of these courses must be a writers-of-color class so designated by the Undergraduate Studies Committee.
    • No more than two may be lower-division courses (100 or 200-level) or non-literature Engl courses
    • At least two must be 400-level courses.

Note:

Majors in all options must have two [M] (writing intensive) courses in English. Of the 120 total credit hours required for the bachelor’s degree at WSU, forty credit hours must be in upper-division courses. For course descriptions and suggested four-year degree sequences, see the current WSU catalog.

Exit Questionnaire

In all options, students are required to complete an exit questionnaire before graduation.

Potential Careers

  • Archivist
  • College Professor
  • Historian
  • Language instructor
  • Librarian
  • Literary analyst
  • Literary critic
  • Linguist
  • Magazine editor
  • Proofreader
  • Teacher
  • Translator
  • Writer