English Curriculum

B.A. in English

The English major at The King’s College builds upon the required Core Curriculum to teach students to appreciate the meaning and context of great literature and gain insight into the human condition.

Within the Core Curriculum in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, students read the literature, sacred texts, laws, and philosophical inquiries that have come to shape our civilization. Within the social context of these developments, students learn the religious, historical, philosophical, political, and economic components that have brought us to where we are today. The Core consists of eighteen courses—nearly half of the courses students need to graduate—spaced throughout all four years of study.

The English major builds upon this foundation with an immersion in the broader tradition of the arts through four required courses—Principles of Cultural Interpretation and the three-course “Arts and Ideas” sequence, which surveys artistic productions from across history and the philosophies that inspired them. We require four foundational literature courses: Classical Literature, introducing the works of ancient Greece and Rome; English and American Poetry, which covers the fundamentals of poetic and rhetorical effects in the English language; and Shakespeare, whose histories, tragedies, comedies, and poetry influenced virtually every writer who followed.

Students also choose one of three courses which take a more theoretical approach to the study of English language and literary analysis, and a required Senior Project offers a capstone experience in which students produce either a literature-focused research thesis or a substantial creative writing project.

English Course List

On top of all courses within the Core Curriculum, English majors will take the following courses:

  • Arts and Ideas of the Ancient World
  • Arts and Ideas of the Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
  • Arts and Ideas of the Modern World
  • Principles of Cultural Interpretation
  • Classical Literature
  • Shakespeare
  • English and American Poetry
  • History of the English Language, History of Narrative, or The Postmodern World
  • Senior Project

English majors will additionally take five electives from among all of the College’s English and literature offerings, ranging from medieval literature to nineteenth century Russian novels to contemporary poetry. Two of these major elective courses may be in the fields of creative writing or journalism. Course descriptions, codes, prerequisites, and a full course map are available in the college catalog.