Overview
Students who major in English at the University of Miami choose one of two concentrations: a concentration in literature, or a concentration in creative writing. Each concentration develops students' skills in critical thinking, academic research, and writing; encourages the rigorous investigation of literary history and contemporary culture; fosters student creativity and intellectual curiosity; and prepares majors for graduate study and a wide variety of professional careers.
Curriculum Requirements
BA in English: Concentration in Literature
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Of the 10 total classes (30 credits) required for the major, at least FIVE must be numbered at 300 or above, of which at least TWO must be numbered 400 or above. | ||
| 1. Select ONE 200-LEVEL LITERATURE course | 3 | |
| 2. Select TWO LITERATURE courses numbered 200 or above that fulfill the following area requirements: | ||
| - Select one course in Forms, Methods, and Genres | 3 | |
| Introduction to Poetry | ||
| Introduction to Fiction | ||
| Contemporary Disaster Fiction | ||
| Curiosity: Vice and Virtue in Science and Literature | ||
| Major American Novelists | ||
| Major British Novelists | ||
| Major European Novelists | ||
| Forms of the Novel | ||
| Lyric Voices and Traditions | ||
| Data and Contemporary Culture | ||
| Edgar Allan Poe and the U.S. Gothic | ||
| The Literature of Science Fiction | ||
| Myth and Literature | ||
| Literature and Popular Culture | ||
| Politics and Literature | ||
| Literature and Psychoanalytic Theory | ||
| Twentieth-Century Literary Theory | ||
| Postcolonial Literature and Theory | ||
| History of Literary Criticism | ||
| Feminist Literary Theory | ||
| - Select one course in Diversity and Global Understanding | 3 | |
| Jewish Literature | ||
| English and American Literature by Women | ||
| Contemporary American Migrations | ||
| The Harlem Renaissance and Its Afterparties | ||
| Afrofuturism | ||
| African-American Literature | ||
| Literature of the Americas | ||
| Black Girl Magic | ||
| Modern African Literature and Film | ||
| Comparative Literature of the Black World | ||
| Caribbean Literature | ||
| Jewish American Literature | ||
| Sephardic Literature | ||
| Literature of the Holocaust | ||
| Asian American Literature | ||
| Representations of Arabs and Jews in Israeli and Palestinian Literature and Film | ||
| Women Writing: Theory and Practice | ||
| Literary Representations of Women | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| Literature and Imperialism | ||
| Irish Literature | ||
| Race, Ethnicity, and Literature | ||
| Queer Sexualities: Literature and Theory | ||
| Studies in Women and Literature | ||
| 3. Select THREE LITERATURE courses numbered 300 or above that fulfill the following historical distribution requirements: | ||
| - Select one course numbered 300 or above in Literature before 1700 | 3 | |
| Literature and Culture in Classical Greece and Rome, I | ||
| Literature and Culture in Classical Greece and Rome, II | ||
| The European Middle Ages | ||
| The European Renaissance | ||
| The Classical Epic Tradition | ||
| Early Celtic Literature | ||
| Science, Medicine, and Magic in Early Modern Literature | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| The Bible as Literature | ||
| King Arthur in Literature | ||
| Old English Language and Literature | ||
| Old English Literature | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Shakespeare: The Early Plays | ||
| Shakespeare: The Later Plays | ||
| English Renaissance Poetry and Prose | ||
| English Renaissance Drama | ||
| Seventeenth-Century Poetry and Prose | ||
| Milton | ||
| - Select one course numbered 300 or above in Literature between 1700 and 1900 | 3 | |
| The European Enlightenment | ||
| Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature | ||
| 18th-Century British Novel | ||
| British Literature of the Global Revolutionary Period I | ||
| British Literature of the Global Revolutionary Period II | ||
| Jane Austen and Literary Criticism | ||
| Victorian Poetry and Prose | ||
| Nineteenth-Century English Novel | ||
| Storied Pasts: Nineteenth-Century U.S. History and Literature | ||
| Early American Literature | ||
| American Literature: 1800-1865 | ||
| American Literature: 1865-1915 | ||
| Early African-American Literature | ||
| Russian and Soviet Classics in English | ||
| - Select one course numbered 300 or above in Literature since 1900 | 3 | |
| Modern British and American Poetry | ||
| Modern Drama | ||
| Contemporary Drama | ||
| Modern Literature | ||
| Contemporary Literature | ||
| The Sixties: Literature, History, and Culture of the 1960s | ||
| Modern British Literature | ||
| Contemporary British Literature | ||
| Joyce | ||
| Contemporary British and American Poetry | ||
| American Literature: 1915 to 1945 | ||
| American Literature: 1945 to the Present | ||
| Modern African-American Literature | ||
| 4. Select FOUR additional English electives numbered 200 or above (can include creative writing workshops) | 12 | |
| Total credits required for the major: 30 (36 credits required for Departmental Honors) | ||
| 5. General Education Requirements | ||
| Written and Communication Skills: | ||
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| ENG 106 | Writing About Literature and Culture | 3 |
| or WRS 106 | First-Year Writing II | |
| Quantitative Skills: | ||
| MTH 113 | Finite Mathematics (or any MTH course numbered 108 or higher) | 3 |
| Areas of Knowledge: | ||
| Arts and Humanities Cognate (9 credits) (fulfilled through the major) | ||
| People & Society Cognate 1 | 9 | |
| STEM Cognate 2 | 9 | |
| 6. Additional Graduation Requirements | ||
| MTH 101 | Algebra for College Students (not needed for students who place into MTH 113) | 3 |
| Language Requirement | 3 | |
| Natural Science course 3 | 3 | |
| Advanced Writing & Communication 4 | ||
| Electives 5 | 39 | |
| Minor | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
If the student has a minor (or second major) that counts as "People & Society," the student does not need to satisfy the requirement for a People & Society cognate.
- 2
If the student has a minor (or second major) that counts as "STEM," the student does not need to satisfy the requirement for a STEM cognate.
- 3
This requirement is waived if the STEM cognate includes a Natural Science course from the approved list.
- 4
Students satisfy this requirement by taking four writing courses, at least one of which must be in one of the student's major disciplines. Since all ENG courses, other than first year writing, are designated as writing (W) courses, all English majors satisfy this requirement by completing their major.
- 5
A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation. Sufficient credits must be earned in electives to enable the student to complete this minimum of 120 credits. The exact number of elective credits required will vary depending on the number of credits needed to complete all other graduation requirements.
BA in English: Concentration in Creative Writing
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Complete the following FOUR courses: | ||
| ENG 290 | Beginning Fiction Workshop | 3 |
| ENG 292 | Beginning Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENG 390 | Intermediate Fiction Workshop | 3 |
| ENG 392 | Intermediate Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| 2. Select ONE of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Creative Writing (Prose Fiction) | ||
| Creative Writing (Poetry) | ||
| 3. Select ONE of the following courses: | 3 | |
Any ENG literature course at the 400 level | ||
| Creative Writing (Prose Fiction) | ||
| Creative Writing (Poetry) | ||
| Creative Writing Special Topics | ||
| Writing Autobiography | ||
| 4. Select one ENG class at the 200 level (ENG 290 and ENG 292 may NOT be used towards the fulfillment of this requirement). | 3 | |
| 5. Additional Literature Requirements: *at least one of the 300 or 400 level ENG literature courses must cover literature before 1900. | 9 | |
Select TWO English Literature courses at the 300 level or higher | ||
Select ONE English Literature course at the 400 level | ||
| Total credits required for the major: 30 (36 credits required for Departmental Honors) | ||
| 6. General Education Requirements | ||
| Written and Communication Skills: | ||
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| ENG 106 | Writing About Literature and Culture | 3 |
| or WRS 106 | First-Year Writing II | |
| Quantitative Skills: | ||
| MTH 113 | Finite Mathematics (or any MTH course numbered 108 or higher) | 3 |
| Areas of Knowledge: | ||
| Arts & Humanities Cognate (9 credits) (fulfilled through the major) | ||
| People & Society cognate 1 | 9 | |
| STEM cognate 2 | 9 | |
| 7. Additional Graduation Requirements: | ||
| MTH 101 | Algebra for College Students (not needed by students who place into MTH 113) | 3 |
| Language Requirement | 3 | |
| Minor | 15 | |
| Natural Science course 3 | 3 | |
| Advanced Writing & Communication 4 | ||
| Electives 5 | 39 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
If the student has a minor (or second major) that counts as "People & Society," the student does not need to satisfy the requirement for a People & Society cognate.
- 2
If the student has a minor (or second major) that counts as "STEM," the student does not need to satisfy the requirement for a STEM cognate.
- 3
This requirement is waived if the STEM cognate includes a Natural Science course from the approved list.
- 4
Students satisfy this requirement by taking four writing courses, at least one of which must be in one of the student's major disciplines. Since all ENG courses, other than first year writing, are designated as writing (W) courses, all English majors satisfy this requirement by completing their major.
- 5
A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation. Sufficient credits must be earned in electives to enable the student to complete this minimum of 120 credits. The exact number of elective credits required will vary depending on the number of credits needed to complete all other graduation requirements.
Suggested Plan of Study
BA in English: Concentration in Literature
This Suggested Plan of Study is a sample four-year plan, but an individual student's actual plan is likely to vary from this sample plan in a number of ways, depending on such factors as (1) AP, dual-enrollment, and transfer credits that a student brings in; (2) the student's initial placement in first-year writing, mathematics, and a second language; and (3) the minor chosen by the student, as well as any additional minor or major the student chooses to complete. For example, a student is not required to complete a cognate in People & Society if the student has a minor (or second major) that fulfills the People & Society area of knowledge, and similarly, a student is not required to complete a cognate in STEM if the student has a minor (or second major) that fulfills the STEM area of knowledge.
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| MTH 101 | Algebra for College Students (if needed; otherwise, can be replaced by an elective) | 3 |
| Language | 3 | |
| People & Society cognate (first course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 106 or WRS 106 | Writing About Literature and Culture or First-Year Writing II | 3 |
| MTH 113 | Finite Mathematics | 3 |
| STEM cognate (first course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 200-Level Literature course requirement | 3 | |
| People & Society cognate (second course) | 3 | |
| Minor (first course) | 3 | |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG Forms, Methods, and Genres requirement | 3 | |
| ENG Historical Distribution requirement #1 | 3 | |
| Minor (second course) | 3 | |
| STEM cognate (second course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG Diversity and Global Understanding requirement | 3 | |
| ENG Historical Distribution requirement #2 | 3 | |
| Minor (third course) | 3 | |
| STEM cognate (third course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG Elective | 3 | |
| ENG Historical Distribution requirement #3 | 3 | |
| Minor (fourth course) | 3 | |
| Natural Science course (if needed) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG Elective 2 | 3 | |
| ENG Elective | 3 | |
| Minor (fifth course) | 3 | |
| People & Society cognate (third course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG Elective | 3 | |
| Elective 3 | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Students who are considering the possibility of writing a six-credit senior thesis for Departmental Honors in Creative Writing their last year should replace this elective course with an ENG course for their major.
- 2
Students who are writing a six-credit senior thesis for Departmental Honors in Creative Writing should, ideally, have completed eight ENG courses for their major prior to their senior year, and should therefore be able to replace this course with ENG 497.
- 3
Students who are writing a six-credit senior thesis for Departmental Honors in Creative Writing should replace this elective course with ENG 498 .
BA in English: Concentration in Creative Writing
This Suggested Plan of Study is a sample four-year plan, but an individual student's actual plan is likely to vary from this sample plan in a number of ways, depending on such factors as (1) AP, dual-enrollment, and transfer credits that a student brings in; (2) the student's initial placement in first-year writing, mathematics, and foreign language; and (3) the minor chosen by the student, as well as any additional minor or major the student chooses to complete. For example, a student is not required to complete a cognate in People & Society if the student has a minor (or second major) that counts as "People & Society," and similarly, a student is not required to complete a cognate in STEM if the student has a minor (or second major) that counts as "STEM."
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| MTH 101 | Algebra for College Students (if needed; otherwise, can be replaced by an elective) | 3 |
| Language | 3 | |
| People & Society cognate (first course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 106 or WRS 106 | Writing About Literature and Culture or First-Year Writing II | 3 |
| MTH 113 | Finite Mathematics | 3 |
| STEM cognate (first course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 290 | Beginning Fiction Workshop | 3 |
| People & Society cognate (second course) | 3 | |
| Minor (first course) | 3 | |
| Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 292 | Beginning Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENG 2xx (excluding ENG 290 and ENG 292) | 3 | |
| Minor (second course) | 3 | |
| STEM cognate (second course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 390 | Intermediate Fiction Workshop | 3 |
| ENG 3xx (course in literature before 1900) | 3 | |
| Minor (third course) | 3 | |
| STEM cognate (third course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 392 | Intermediate Poetry Workshop | 3 |
| ENG 3xx (literature course; students seeking Departmental Honors in Creative Writing must take this literature course at the 400-level) | 3 | |
| Minor (fourth course) | 3 | |
| Natural Science course (if needed) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 404 or 406 | Creative Writing (Prose Fiction) or Creative Writing (Poetry) | 3 |
| ENG 4xx (course in literature before 1900) 2 | 3 | |
| Minor (fifth course) | 3 | |
| People & Society cognate (third course) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 404 or 406 | Creative Writing (Prose Fiction) (or ENG 407 or ENG 408 or ENG 400-level literature class) or Creative Writing (Poetry) | 3 |
| ENG 4xx (literature course) | 3 | |
| Elective 3 | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Students who are considering the possibility of writing a six-credit senior thesis for Departmental Honors in Creative Writing their last year should replace this elective course with an ENG course for their major.
- 2
Students who are writing a six-credit senior thesis for Departmental Honors in Creative Writing should, ideally, have completed eight ENG courses for their major prior to their senior year, and should therefore be able to replace this course with ENG 497.
- 3
Students who are writing a six-credit senior thesis for Departmental Honors in Creative Writing should replace this elective course with ENG 498.
Mission
The mission of the English and Creative Writing Department undergraduate program is to lead student learning in literary form and history; Standard English expression; critical thinking, writing, and research skills; and ethical reflection via the study of literature and other cultural productions. Students who complete an undergraduate degree in English will be prepared for graduate study in areas such as English and law, or for employment in any position requiring skills in critical thinking and in writing.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Student demonstrates broad and select knowledge of literary form, of works written in or translated into English, and of literary history.
- Student achieves critical and expressive fluencies relevant to GERs in writing-intensive courses, including control of Standard English, and demonstrates ability to integrate quotations and ability to edit his/her own work.
- Student demonstrates ability to analyze literature, ability to formulate and sustain an argument with appropriate evidence and documentation, and appropriate knowledge of relevant scholarship and criticism.
