English, B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts in English major offers four distinct areas of study, designed to advance skills in writing, interpretation and critical thinking: 

The general major offers students broad and diverse knowledge in literary and cultural studies (e.g., from Shakespeare and Toni Morrison to comic books and digital writing), along with advanced skills in writing and critical analysis.

The writing concentration lets students work with distinguished authors in multiple genres to hone their skills in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and professional writing.  
The secondary education concentration prepares students to teach English at the secondary level through the completion of the B.A. degree with the option of completing a Master of Teaching (M.T.) in the fifth year. 
The intensive major is ideal for those planning to pursue graduate study in fields like literature, creative writing, rhetoric, composition or cultural studies and includes a senior seminar or thesis.

With any of these tracks, students can earn a degree with Distinction in English as well as a degree with Leadership Distinction. 

A B.A. in English pairs well with majors and minors across disciplines and can provide beneficial skills to students exploring a variety of traditional and innovative career paths. Students learn theoretical and critical approaches to interpretation and research, as well as competence in critical thinking and written expression. English students have gone on to careers in teaching, publishing, public relations, law, politics, journalism, library and information science, and the arts as well as digital media and information technology, management and administration, business, medicine and health care. 

Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate knowledge of canonical and non-canonical texts, covering a range of periods, using current theoretical and critical approaches to literary and cultural studies.
Students will demonstrate competence in critical thinking by learning how to acquire and evaluate information in order to form compelling analyses and reach well-justified conclusions.
Students will demonstrate competence in written expression by learning the principles of grammar and composition and argument.
Students will demonstrate basic linguistic knowledge (such as knowledge of the nature of human language, dialects, the development of grammar of the English language, and issues involving usage and standard English.)

Admissions

Entrance Requirements

New freshmen who meet University admissions standards are eligible for admission to degree programs offered by the college. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another college on the Columbia campus must be in good standing and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another USC campus must fulfill one of the following requirements:

Be in good standing, meet the admission requirements for a baccalaureate degree on the Columbia campus, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
Be in good standing and have completed 30 semester hours with a GPA of 2.00 or higher on a USC campus.

Some programs in the College of Arts and Sciences have special admission requirements established by the department or committee that supervises the specific degree program, for example, Cardiovascular Technology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Economics, Environmental Science, the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. These requirements are listed in the sections of this bulletin that describe department and special degree programs.

Degree Requirements (120 hours)

Program of Study

Program Summary
Requirements	Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core	32-44
2. College Requirements	15-18
3. Program Requirements	16-43
4. Major Requirements	30-42

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

1. Carolina Core Requirements (32-44 hours)

CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)

must be passed with a grade of C or higher

any CC-CMW courses

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-8 hours)

any CC-ARP courses

SCI – Scientific Literacy (8 hours)

Two 4-credit hour CC-SCI courses

GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)

Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 122 course is required. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course.

CC-GFL courses

It is strongly recommended that students continuing the study of a foreign language begin college-level study of that language in their first semester and continue in that language until their particular foreign language requirement is completed.

GHS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours)

any CC-GHS course

GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)

any CC-GSS course

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

any CC-AIU course

CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course

INF – Information Literacy¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course

VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course

¹: Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

2. College Requirements (15-18 hours)

Foreign Language (0-3 hours)

only if needed to meet 122-level proficiency

History (3 hours)

The College of Arts and Sciences requires one additional GHS course beyond the Carolina Core GHS requirement.

If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course.
If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a U.S. history course.

Please select the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement from the approved list of U.S. and non-U.S. history courses.

Social Science and Fine Arts or Humanities (12 hours)

Social Science (3 hours)
- The College of Arts and Science requires one 3- hour Social Science Course
Fine Arts/Humanities (9 Hours)
- ENGL 287*
- ENGL 288*
- A Bachelor of Arts from the College of Arts and Sciences requires three 3-hour Fine Arts/Humanities Courses

Note: ENGL 287 and ENGL 288 must be passed with a grade of C or better.

3. Program Requirements (16-43 hours)

Cognate or Minor (12-18 hours)

Students completing the Secondary Education English concentration must complete an Education cognate consisting of the following courses:

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
EDFI 300	Schools in Communities	3
EDPY 401	Learners and the Diversity of Learning	3
EDSE 500	Equity and Community Engagement	3
EDSE 547	Teaching Middle and High School (English)	3

Cognate (12 hours)

The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve (12) hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of but related to the major. The cognate may be taken in one or more departments or programs, depending on the interests of the student and the judgment of the advisor.

Courses offered by departments and programs that are acceptable for cognate credit are outlined in the section titled Courses Acceptable for Cognate Credit in Degree Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences.

For cognate course offerings in other colleges, consult the appropriate sections of this bulletin. Some major programs have specific cognate requirements.

It should be emphasized that the cognate is not a second set of elective courses to be chosen at random by the student. The cognate must be approved by the major advisor as being related to the major field of study. Students are urged to consult their major advisors for specific requirements in their major.

Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the cognate.

For Bachelor of Arts degrees, all cognate courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Minor (18 hours)

In place of the cognate a student in the College of Arts and Sciences may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of prescribed courses. (Some minors in the sciences require a minimum of 16 hours.) The subject area of the minor may be related to the major. Students pursuing interdisciplinary minors who wish to use courses in their major department for minor credit must petition the College Committee on Scholastic Standards and Petitions for permission to do so.

The minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. It differs from the cognate inasmuch as the courses must be concentrated in one area and must follow a structured sequence. Interdisciplinary minors can be designed with the approval of the assistant dean for academic affairs and advising.

Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. At least half of the courses in the minor must be completed in residence at the University.

A list of minor programs of study can be found at Programs A-Z.

Electives (0-31 hours)

120 (or 128) degree applicable credits are required to complete any degree at USC. After the cognate, minor or second major is complete, any additional credits needed to reach 120 (or 128) total credits can be fulfilled by electives. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences.

4. Major Requirements (30-42 hours)

Students may choose to complete the General Major, the Intensive Major, or the major with a concentration in Secondary Education English or Writing.

A minimum grade of C is required in all major courses.

Diversity Requirement (0-3 hours)

The major in English requires a diversity course. This requirement will be satisfied by taking one of the courses listed below. The course may also serve as a pre- or post-1800 literature course or an elective, while fulfilling the diversity requirement. Additional courses, depending on content, may be used to satisfy this requirement. Students who do not meet this Diversity Requirement through another major requirement must take a course from this list in addition to the major requirements.

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
ENGL 393	Postcolonialism	3
ENGL 419	Selected Topics in Pre-1800 Literature and Culture	3
ENGL 428A	African-American Literature I: to 1903	3
ENGL 428B	African-American Literature II: 1903 – Present	3
ENGL 429	Selected Topics in Post-1800 Literature and Culture	3
ENGL 430	Topics in African American Literature	3
ENGL 433	Special Topics in Children’s and Young Adult Literature	3
ENGL 437	Women Writers	3
ENGL 438D	African Literature	3
ENGL 438E	Caribbean Literature	3
ENGL 439	Selected Topics	3
ENGL 441	Global Contemporary Literature	3
ENGL 445	LGTBQ+ Literature	3
ENGL 457	African-American English	3
ENGL 467	Topics in Rhetoric	3
ENGL 485	Women’s Rhetoric	3
ENGL 486	African-American Rhetoric	3
ENGL 487	Black Women Writers	3
ENGL 565	African American Theatre	3
ENGL 566	Special Topics in U.S. Film and Media	3

General Major (30 hours)

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
Two Pre-1800 Literature courses		6
Three Post-1800 Literature courses		9
Five courses numbered ENGL 300 or higher ¹		15
Total Credit Hours		30

¹: At least one course must be selected from ENGL 370, ENGL 389 or ENGL 450-ENGL 455, unless a Linguistics course is applied elsewhere in the student’s curriculum.

Major with Secondary English Education Concentration (33 hours)

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
Required Courses
One Pre-1800 Literature course		3
One Post-1800 Literature course		3
ENGL 450	English Grammar	3
ENGL 432	Young Adult Literature	3
ENGL 437	Women Writers	3
ENGL 460	Advanced Writing	3
Elective course- ENGL 300 or above		3
English Language		3
Select one from the following:
ENGL 389	The English Language
ENGL 453	Development of the English Language
Theory and Criticism		3
Select one from the following:
ENGL 388	History of Literary Criticism and Theory
ENGL 440	Principles of Modern Literary Theory
ENGL 449	Special Topics in Theory
African-American Literature		3
Select one from the following:
ENGL 428A	African-American Literature I: to 1903
ENGL 428B	African-American Literature II: 1903 – Present
ENGL 430	Topics in African American Literature
Writing or Rhetoric		3
Select one from the following:
ENGL 360	Creative Writing
ENGL 387	Introduction to Rhetoric
ENGL 461	The Teaching of Writing
ENGL 462	Technical Writing
ENGL 463	Business Writing
ENGL 464	Poetry Workshop
ENGL 465	Fiction Workshop
ENGL 467	Topics in Rhetoric
ENGL 468	Digital Writing
ENGL 469	Creative Nonfiction
ENGL 470	Rhetoric of Science and Technology
ENGL 471	Rhetoric and the Ancient Roots of Modern Life
ENGL 472	Rhetoric and Popular Culture
ENGL 485	Women’s Rhetoric
ENGL 486	African-American Rhetoric
Total Credit Hours		33

Note: Students completing the Secondary Education English Concentration must also complete an Education coursework component that may fulfill the cognate requirement. This concentration is a step to the MT program, which is recommended for teacher certification. This concentration will not provide students with teacher certification upon completion.

Writing Concentration (30 hours)

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
Required Courses
Two Pre-1800 Literature courses		6
Two Post-1800 Literature courses		6
Introductory Writing
ENGL 360	Creative Writing	3
ENGL 387	Introduction to Rhetoric	3
One course numbered ENGL 300 or higher		3
Writing and Rhetoric and/or Creative Writing
Select 9 hours from the following:		9
Writing and Rhetoric:
ENGL 460	Advanced Writing
ENGL 461	The Teaching of Writing
ENGL 462	Technical Writing
ENGL 463	Business Writing
ENGL 466	Internship
ENGL 467	Topics in Rhetoric
ENGL 468	Digital Writing
ENGL 470	Rhetoric of Science and Technology
ENGL 471	Rhetoric and the Ancient Roots of Modern Life
ENGL 472	Rhetoric and Popular Culture
ENGL 485	Women’s Rhetoric
ENGL 486	African-American Rhetoric
ENGL 494	Advanced Professional Writing Workshop
Creative Writing:
ENGL 460	Advanced Writing
ENGL 464	Poetry Workshop
ENGL 465	Fiction Workshop
ENGL 469	Creative Nonfiction
ENGL 491	Advanced Poetry Workshop
ENGL 492	Advanced Fiction Workshop
ENGL 493	Advanced Creative Non-Fiction
Total Credit Hours		30

Intensive Major (39 hours)

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
Three Pre-1800 Literature courses		9
Four Post-1800 Literature courses		12
ENGL 388	History of Literary Criticism and Theory	3
or ENGL 440	Principles of Modern Literary Theory
ENGL 490	Topics in Advanced Study (or Senior Thesis)	3
Four courses numbered ENGL 300 or higher ¹		12
Total Credit Hours		39

¹: At least one course must be selected from ENGL 370, ENGL 389 or ENGL 450-ENGL 455, unless a Linguistics course is applied elsewhere in the student’s curriculum.

Pre-1800 Literature Courses

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
ENGL 340	Literature and Law	3
ENGL 341	Literature and Medicine	3
ENGL 380	Epic to Romance	3
ENGL 381	The Renaissance	3
ENGL 382	The Enlightenment	3
ENGL 390	Great Books of the Western World I	3
ENGL 395	Classical Drama	3
ENGL 400	Early English Literature	3
ENGL 401	Chaucer	3
ENGL 402	Tudor Literature	3
ENGL 403	The 17th Century	3
ENGL 404	English Drama to 1660	3
ENGL 405	Shakespeare's Tragedies	3
ENGL 406	Shakespeare’s Comedies and Histories	3
ENGL 407	Milton	3
ENGL 410	The Restoration and 18th Century	3
ENGL 414	English Drama Since 1660	3
ENGL 415	The English Novel I	3
ENGL 419	Selected Topics in Pre-1800 Literature and Culture	3
ENGL 420	American Literature to 1830	3
ENGL 429	Selected Topics in Post-1800 Literature and Culture	3
ENGL 430	Topics in African American Literature	3
ENGL 437	Women Writers	3
ENGL 438A	South Carolina Writers	3
ENGL 438B	Scottish Literature	3
ENGL 438C	Irish Literature	3
ENGL 438D	African Literature	3
ENGL 438E	Caribbean Literature	3
ENGL 439	Selected Topics	3

Post-1800 Literature Courses

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
ENGL 340	Literature and Law	3
ENGL 341	Literature and Medicine	3
ENGL 350	Introduction to Comics Studies	3
ENGL 383	Romanticism	3
ENGL 384	Realism	3
ENGL 385	Modernism	3
ENGL 386	Postmodernism	3
ENGL 391	Great Books of the Western World II	3
ENGL 393	Postcolonialism	3
ENGL 411	British Romantic Literature	3
ENGL 412	Victorian Literature	3
ENGL 413	Modern English Literature	3
ENGL 414	English Drama Since 1660	3
ENGL 416	The English Novel II	3
ENGL 419	Selected Topics in Pre-1800 Literature and Culture	3
ENGL 421	American Literature 1830-1860	3
ENGL 422	American Literature 1860-1910	3
ENGL 423	Modern American Literature	3
ENGL 424	American Drama	3
ENGL 425A	The American Novel to 1914	3
ENGL 425B	The American Novel Since 1914	3
ENGL 426	American Poetry	3
ENGL 427	Southern Literature	3
ENGL 428A	African-American Literature I: to 1903	3
ENGL 428B	African-American Literature II: 1903 – Present	3
ENGL 429	Selected Topics in Post-1800 Literature and Culture	3
ENGL 430	Topics in African American Literature	3
ENGL 431A	Children’s Literature	3
ENGL 431B	Picture Books	3
ENGL 432	Young Adult Literature	3
ENGL 433	Special Topics in Children’s and Young Adult Literature	3
ENGL 434	Environmental Literature	3
ENGL 435	The Short Story	3
ENGL 436	Science Fiction Literature	3
ENGL 437	Women Writers	3
ENGL 438A	South Carolina Writers	3
ENGL 438B	Scottish Literature	3
ENGL 438C	Irish Literature	3
ENGL 438D	African Literature	3
ENGL 438E	Caribbean Literature	3
ENGL 439	Selected Topics	3
ENGL 441	Global Contemporary Literature	3
ENGL 445	LGTBQ+ Literature	3
ENGL 487	Black Women Writers	3
ENGL 565	African American Theatre	3

B.A. with Distinction (Open to all English Majors)

The Departmental Undergraduate Research Track (B.A. with Distinction) is available to students majoring in English who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.50 in the major and 3.30 overall and who wish to participate in a substantial research or creative project in collaboration with, or under the supervision of, a faculty mentor. Ideally, students who pursue this option would complete their theses by December of their final year of coursework.

Requirements

Overall GPA of 3.30 or higher and a GPA of at least 3.50 in the major;
Senior Thesis: General, Writing, and Secondary Education track majors who wish to graduate with distinction must complete a thesis in addition to the courses required for their chosen track within the English major. For Intensive majors, the thesis is part of the required coursework. The thesis may be completed either by enrolling in ENGL 499 or by taking ENGL 490, provided that the latter course includes a thesis requirement;
Submission of the distinction intent form (available in the undergraduate English office) to the undergraduate English office at the beginning of the semester in which you write your thesis;
Public presentation of the thesis in an approved venue including:

English Department Colloquium Series
USC Discovery Day
Professional Conference or Journal publication.

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

English, B.A. No Concentration

English, B.A. Writing Concentration

English, B.A. Secondary Education Concentration

2024-2025 Academic Bulletin