Bachelor of English at University of California, Berkeley

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The major in English is designed to introduce students to the history of literature written in English, to acquaint them with a variety of historical periods and geographical and cultural regions of English language and writing, to create an awareness of methods and theories of literary and cultural analysis, and to provide continued training in critical writing.

Entry Level Writing Requirement

Students must have fulfilled the Entry Level Writing Requirement before taking any course in the Department of English. For further information, see the information contained in the Undergraduate Education section of this Guide.

Declaring the Major

Before declaring the major, students must have completed the Reading and Composition requirement of the College of Letters and Science, at least 30 units, and two declaration
requirements:

1. ENGLISH 45A or ENGLISH 45B,
2. ENGLISH 45A, ENGLISH 45B, ENGLISH 45C, ENGLISH 90, or a course that fulfills the Shakespeare requirement (see Major Requirements).

For further information on declaring, please see the department website.

Honors Program

An honors degree in English requires the completion of a two-semester 8-unit course, ENGLISH H195A/ENGLISH H195B, offered every year in a fall-spring sequence only. ENGLISH H195A is a limited-enrollment course in criticism and critical theory, during which students develop a thesis project. At the end of ENGLISH H195A, a grade of IP is assigned. In ENGLISH H195B students work independently, under the supervision of the ENGLISH H195B instructor and a thesis adviser, to complete the honors thesis (normally 40-60 pages). Upon completion of the thesis, and only then, students earn 8 units and a letter grade for the whole sequence. Admission to the course is by application and open only to senior English majors with an overall GPA of 3.51 or higher and a major GPA of 3.65 or higher in courses taken at Berkeley toward the major.  See the department website for additional information.

Minor Program

See Minor Requirements and the department website for information on the English Minor (requirements and declaration processes). 

Visit Department Website

The study of literature is not about canonical books or established facts, but about a process of interpretation and analysis, a process that begins in the classroom and develops over a lifetime. Upon completion of a BA degree in English, students should have well-developed writing and research skills as well as the ability to assess and appreciate language and literature in both professional and personal realms.

Learning Goals for the Major

1. Identify historical periods of literature in English ( US, Britain, and Anglophone).
2. Recognize and understand a variety of genres and modes of writing (the novel, poetic forms, short fiction, autobiography, etc.).
3. Become conversant with key literary terms and theories.
4. Develop an understanding of literature in interdisciplinary and multicultural contexts.

Skills

1. Demonstrate the ability to give a close reading or explication of a text.
2. Develop the ability to interpret and analyze literary texts and to articulate that in both writing and speaking.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the philosophical, cultural, social, and historical influences on the creation of literary art.
4. Formulate a well-organized, well-supported argument.
5. Develop research skills in the library and online.
6. Demonstrate the ability to write clear critical essays, based on close reading of primary texts and secondary sources.
7. Observe ethical and precise citation practices.
8. For some, write well in creative modes: fiction, non-fiction, poetry.