Bachelor of English at University of Florida

Courses offered by the department introduce students to a world of experiences that cannot be exhausted in the brief span of a college education; new authors, new works, new media, and new tools for understanding continually enlarge and transform the world. With the help of faculty advisors, undergraduate majors in English select from courses in various forms, periods and approaches. In addition, students may develop special expertise in one of several models; for example, communication and creative writing, theory of media, literary study, or cultural studies.

Coursework for the Major

Students pursuing the B.A. in English must take ten courses offered by the English department. These courses must be 3000 level or above, of no fewer than three credits each and completed with minimum grades of C. (The requirement is ten courses, not 30 credits).

Prerequisite to all 3000/4000-level courses are six credits of English at the 1000/2000 level or department permission. Students must take at least five of their 3000-level or above English courses at UF. Of 3000-level courses with an ENC prefix, only the following apply to the English major:

The student is responsible for consulting an advisor and preparing a plan of study.

Course Details

Because English majors will not be tracked for a specific set of courses, but must meet the ten-course requirement described above, there are no particular English courses that majors must take on a semester-by-semester basis.

The only prerequisite for most 3000/4000-level English courses is earning six credits of lower-division English course credit by coursework or placement (refer to Placement Section below). The classes that may have additional prerequisites are 3000/4000-level creative-writing (CRW) workshops, 4000-level film and video production workshops (ENG 4136 and ENG 4146), 3000/4000-level advanced writing (ENC) courses, department seminars (ENG 4953), honors seminars (ENG 4936), and the department’s internship course (ENG 4940). Refer to the catalog's course descriptions to view the prerequisites for these courses.

As students try to decide which 3000/4000-level courses to take, they should not be concerned about differences between the two levels. The higher-level courses are not more difficult, except in the rare cases where the 4000-level course has 3000-level prerequisites. Course numbers are not created by the English Department but by a statewide course numbering system. Students can gauge a course's level of difficulty by reviewing the department's detailed course descriptions.

The majority of the department's upper-division courses are variable or rotating topics courses, many of which can be repeated for credit given a change in topic. The only way to discover what the actual course topics will be in a specific semester is to consult the department's course descriptions, which explain topics and approaches, and generally give some idea of the texts and assignments. These descriptions are usually posted online three to four weeks before advance registration so that students have ample time to consult them before registering.

Specializations | Models of Study

The department encourages students to follow models of study to help them create coherent patterns of focus and breadth in their coursework. Models of study range from traditional courses of study such as British and American Literature, through film and media studies, creative writing and studies in theory, to cultural studies, postcolonial studies and studies in feminisms, genders and sexualities.

Models of study do not have tracking status. Students will never be monitored, electronically or otherwise, for completion of models of study. The models identify to English majors the faculty's enthusiastic recommendations about coursework distributions for various interests they might want to pursue. Department advisors also can recommend which models of study seem most appropriate for particular post-undergraduate career and educational goals.

• Advanced Writing
• African-American/African Diaspora Studies
• American Literature
• British Literature
• Children's Literature
• Creative Writing
• Cultural Studies
• Drama/Theatre
• Feminisms, Genders and Sexualities
• Film and Media Studies
• Postcolonial Studies
• Studies in Theory

Because the models of study do not have tracking status, students do not need to declare their intention to follow models of study with the department. Models of study structure the coursework, but students do not have to take specific courses to complete degree requirements for the major, and they can modify or combine models of study. While the department understands that students may be disappointed if they are unable to take specific courses relevant to their models of study, the demand for seats in courses is very high and the department is not able to accommodate all course requests.

Placement

Scores on the verbal portion of the SAT or scores on the AICE, AP, IB or CLEP tests will determine the appropriate composition course. Refer to the charts in the Academic Advising section for course equivalency and placement information.

The department recommends that all students take one 2000-level English department course (without duplicating any course for which they have received placement credit) before moving on to 3000/4000-level coursework. Courses taught at the university level are bound to differ from those taught at the high school level, no matter how enriched the high school curriculum may have been.

Freshmen who intend to major in English should consult a department advisor as soon as possible. Students who intend to establish an emphasis in film studies should take ENG 2300. Creative writing students should take CRW 1101 or CRW 1301.

Home to UF’s programs in Creative Writing and Film and Media Studies, The Center for Children’s Literature and Culture, and The Institute for the Psychological Study of the Arts, the Department of English bridges traditional literary studies with new critical and theoretical disciplines. These include: critical theory and cultural studies; creative writing; rhetoric and composition; children's and young adult literature; contact period studies; postcolonial and/or diasporic studies; film studies/film and video production; gender studies and feminist theory; new media; psychology and literature; and imagetext studies.

Individualized programs balance focus with a flexible curriculum that spans periods, genres and media, and fosters careful analysis across disciplines and methodologies. Received traditions are renovated and new intersections of critical and literary practice are fostered within the framework of the Context Model system. Students are encouraged to define and pursue original work and/or creative work.

The study of English is vitally concerned with the texts and contexts of public culture. The department's curriculum cultivates a responsible understanding of the cultural and material conditions that shape historical and contemporary texts, and instructs students in the communication skills necessary to produce materials that disseminate new thought and knowledge by engaging with in the arts and humanities.

Before Graduating Students Must

• Complete ten English courses (3000 or above) that demonstrate proficiency in the student learning outcomes; assessments will be graded according to an evaluation rubric during the student's inaugural and final semesters in the major.
• Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.

Students in the Major Will Learn to

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Content

1. Identify materials, terminologies, methodologies and theories within one or more context models:
   1. Advanced Writing
   2. African-American/African Diaspora Studies
   3. American Literature
   4. British Literature
   5. Children's Literature
   6. Creative Writing
   7. Cultural Studies
   8. Drama/Theater
   9. Feminisms, Genders and Sexualities
   10. Film and Media Studies
   11. Medieval/Early Modern Studies
   12. Postcolonial Studies
   13. Studies in Theory

Critical Thinking

1. Communicate knowledge, ideas and reasoning effectively in written, oral or other forms appropriate to the context model(s).

Communication

1. Evaluate cultural narratives and/or objects, employing methodologies and criteria appropriate to the context model(s).

Curriculum Map

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

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Course selection and sequence vary by student choice and courses can be affiliated with multiple context models. 

Assessment Types

• Instructors rely on course assignments, most often critical essays, as prescribed by context models and as assessed the inaugural and final semesters of the student's enrollment in the upper-division major.