English

Overview

Courses in the English department engage students in the close critical study of English-language literature in an international and interdisciplinary context, encompassing works from British, American, and other Anglophone literary traditions. In keeping with Occidental’s mission values of equity and excellence, students in English courses read the work of both long-studied writers and of those previously excluded from traditional literary history. Majors will 1) become proficient in close reading and focused discussion of individual literary works, 2) learn to situate those works in their generative historical, geographic and social contexts, and 3) become skilled in interpreting them through a range of theories and methods that characterize the evolving discipline of literary studies. Non-majors will develop their capacity to engage in close reading, critical thinking, and analytical writing. Most courses in the department are seminars or combinations of lecture and discussion. This pedagogical orientation underscores the department’s strong emphasis on faculty-student interaction and the collaborative production of knowledge. Introductory survey courses (ENGL 287, ENGL 288, ENGL 289) expose students to the breadth and diversity of Anglophone literary history. Upper division courses develop sophisticated skills in literary analysis, interpretive writing, and oral presentation. Methodological and research-oriented seminars in the sophomore, junior and senior years (ENGL 290, ENGL 390, and ENGL 490) direct students in the practice of original independent analysis that places primary textual interpretation in dialogue with secondary critical research.

Major Requirements

A major requires a minimum of eleven courses (44 units).

Major (no concentration)

Historical Surveys

Seminars

Group 1 - Medieval and Renaissance Literature

Students must select one of the following courses:

Group 2 - 18th and 19th Century Literature

Students must select one of the following courses:

Group 3 - 20th and 21st Century Literature

Students must select one of the following courses:

Group 4 - Emergent Literature

Students must select one of the following courses that focuses on literature previously excluded from the canon:

Electives

Major with a concentration in Creative Writing

Students majoring in English may elect to take additional courses in order to complete a concentration in Creative Writing, a special track that provides a strong background in both literary history and creative writing skills. Students choosing this concentration will take a total of 13 courses.

Historical Surveys

Seminars

Students must complete the courses listed below:

Three Upper Division Electives

Choose from categories noted above as Groups I, II, III and IV (only one of these may be a 200-level course).

Creative Writing Electives

Students must complete four creative writing electives. At least two of these must be from the English department. Other departments and programs that have offered writing courses include French, Media Arts and Culture, Theater, and Writing and Rhetoric. Students interested in pursuing concentration in creative writing must work out a careful program in consultation with their adviser and the department chair.

Honors in the Major

Honors may be awarded to graduating seniors who demonstrate excellence in course work and who successfully develop their comps project into an honors thesis. To be eligible, students must have a 3.65 grade point average in courses taken toward the major and an overall 3.5 grade point average. Qualified students will be invited to apply for permission to proceed to honors by the department prior to the beginning of the spring semester. Upon review by department faculty, students whose applications are accepted will register for ENGL 499 (Independent Study), for two units in the spring semester. They will complete a thesis to be orally defended before a faculty committee during the spring semester. For further details, consult with your department advisor.

Minor

Five courses or 20 units.

Historical Surveys

Students must select two courses from the list below:

Electives

Any three ENGL courses, two of which must be taken at the 300-level.

Second-Stage Writing

Students majoring in English satisfy the Second-Stage Writing requirement by successfully completing ENGL 390 in the junior year and receiving a notation of "Satisfactory" for its writing component.

Comprehensive Requirement

All majors must take ENGL 490 (Senior Seminar) in the fall of the senior year, where they will design, develop, and complete a significant project involving literary research and analysis. The project will result in a substantial essay of original interpretation and pertinent secondary research, and a formal conference-style oral presentation at the Senior Symposium held during the spring semester. See the department website for more details.

Transfer Credit Policies

The English Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for details. English majors who have completed the AP examination in English with a score of 4 or 5 may petition the department chair to be allowed to complete the major with 10 courses (including all required courses and Group I-IV categories) rather than the 11 specified above.

Advising Information

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the English major.

Sample 4-Year Plan

Major no concentration

Major with a concentration in Creative Writing

English Transfer Student Advice

Transfer Course Limit for Transfer Students: No Limit

Designated Transfer Adviser

Expected preparation for transfer students wanting to major in English:

• No specific preparation required, though prior literature courses may be helpful.

General advice for transfer students wanting to major in English:

• ENGL 490: Senior Seminar must be taken at Occidental.

What courses should a transfer student take during their first semester at Occidental?

• Junior transfers should take ENGL 290 and ENGL 390 unless equivalent courses have been approved for transfer; in that case, appropriate alternative courses should be chosen with guidance from an adviser. Spring transfers should contact the transfer adviser or department chair as early as possible to discuss their plans.

• Transfer students starting mid way through their sophomore year should take one or two of the historical survey courses: ENGL 287, ENGL 288, ENGL 289.

• Sophomore transfer students should take ENGL 290.

Courses

English Courses

Faculty

Tenure and Tenure Track Faculty

Ross Lerner, chair; designated transfer adviser 

Associate Professor

B.A., Haverford College; M.A., Ph.D., Princeton University

James Ford III

Associate Professor 

B.A., Morehouse College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Claire Grossman
Assistant Professor
B.A., Wellesley College; M.A., Mills College; Ph.D., Stanford University

Warren Montag

Louis M. Brown Family Professor in Literature in English

B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.A., Ph.D., Claremont Graduate School

Leila Neti

Professor

B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Irvine  

Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Jae Yeun Choi
Visiting Assistant Professor

Chekwube O. Danladi
Visiting Assistant Professor; Writer in Residence

B.A., University of Colorado, Boulder; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Irvine

Promise Li

Zachary M. Mann
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.F.A., California State University, Long Beach; Ph.D., University of Southern California