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ENGL-BA - English (BA)

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EnglishUndergraduate MatriculatedBA - Bachelor of Arts

General

Program Policies

Learning Outcomes

Program Overview

To study English at Stanford is to explore, profoundly and rewardingly, the rich legacy of literature written in English, past and present. The department offers many courses on individual authors, the history of literary genres, literary theory, new media, and creative writing. Given the emphasis on critical thinking and interpretation, the English major is, in turn, an excellent preparation for many professional fields, including teaching, journalism, law, publishing, medicine, and business. The graduate program features rigorous training in the research and analysis of British, American, and global literary histories and texts, preparing students to produce scholarship of originality and importance and to teach literature at the highest levels.

In the undergraduate program, students explore the traditions of literature in English. Courses emphasize interpretive thinking and creative writing, examining the dynamics of literary and cultural history, literary form and genre structures, and the practices of reading, writing, and critical analysis. 

Preparing for the Major

Prospective English majors are advised to consider SLE (Structured Liberal Education) in their first year. Also recommended is an introductory seminar taught by English department faculty through Stanford Introductory Studies. 

Minimum Units in the Program

71

Minimum University Units

180
Completion requirement
Rules that apply to all English majors irrespective of the field of study or degree option: 1. Courses can only be counted once, i.e., can only satisfy one requirement 2. Two of the elective courses may be taken on a credit/no credit basis at the discretion of the Director of Undergraduate Studies The total number of units required to graduate for each degree option is specified in the relevant section following. All required courses should be taken for five units. Elective literature courses may be taken for at least three units. Irrespective of the field of study or degree option, all English majors must complete the following requirements:
Fulfill ALL of the following requirements:
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 2169491
  • 2169501
  • 2226871
  • 2180451
  • 2241751
  • 2245481
  • 2264511
AND
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 2169511
  • 1138001
  • 2180461
AND
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1139361
  • 2169531
  • 2180471
  • 2242231
  • 2267641
  • 2262721
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 1138511
  • 2108171
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 2264871
  • 2245301
  • 2251941
  • 2224011
  • 2242001
  • 2227401
  • 2155521
  • 2227331
  • 2224001
  • 2262751
  • 2212681
  • 2266651
  • 2233941
  • 2251931
  • 2233471
  • 2223871
  • 2073671
  • 2214831
  • 2226631
  • 2251951
  • 2262681
  • 2264551
Each student must choose one of five fields of study.

*see 1 in Depth in Discipline and 4 in Subplans

Completion of the major requires planning. Students majoring in English should meet regularly with their English department faculty advisor to discuss their classes and their progress through the major. We recommend meeting each quarter and require at least one meeting per year.

  • Students must complete at least 71-80 units in the major, depending on your chosen track. 

  • Starting with the class of 2028, students declaring English will be expected to take the literary historical sequence (English 10, 11 and 12) as well as English 160 and 161, before their senior year. ( If you need to take one or more of these classes after junior year, you should get permission in advance from your advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies. 

  • Courses counting toward the major must be taken for 3-5 units and a letter grade, and the student must receive a grade of C or better.

Completion requirement
This field of study is not declared in Axess. It does not appear on either the official transcript or the diploma. This program provides for the interests of students who wish to understand the range and historical development of British, American, and Anglophone literatures and various critical methods by which their texts can be interpreted. The major emphasizes the study of literary forms and genres and theories of textual analysis. In addition to the degree requirements required of all majors and listed above, students must complete at least 35 additional units of courses consisting of: Thirty-five units of additional elective courses, only one of which may be a creative writing course, chosen from among those offered by the Department of English. Courses must be taken for at least three units. In place of one elective course, students may choose one upper-division course in a foreign literature read in the original language.
Completion requirement
Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 2253801
  • 2253811
  • 2253821
  • 2254631
  • 2254621
  • 2254641
  • 2254651
  • 2264521
  • 2264651
  • 2264661
  • 2266201
  • 2266211
  • 2266221
  • 2266231
  • 2266241
Completion requirement

English majors must fulfill a capstone requirement before graduation.

Fulfill ANY of the following requirements:

The Capstone Seminar in English, “Why Literature Matters (to Me),” is co-taught by literature and creative writing instructors, allowing students to synthesize their intellectual development within the major. The capstone seminar involves the formation of a commonplace book (a keepsake provided by the department) consisting of quotations from and commentary on favorite authors. Through library and scaffolded writing assignments, students will weave those quotations into a final creative nonfictional project exploring the personal resonances of literature and what it means to live a literary life.

The seminar is offered for three units.

Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1140941
OR

The Honors Program in English provides another way for majors concentrating on literature to fulfill the capstone requirement. Students in the honors program participate in an honors seminar, perform individual research to develop an honors thesis in consultation with faculty and graduate-student advisors and present their work at a public honors colloquium in the spring. Honors theses may be nominated for various awards within the department and School of Humanities and Sciences.

A three-quarter sequence of five units each.

See Honors section below for more information.

OR

English majors concentrating in Creative Writing may fulfill the capstone requirement by completing a workshop in their area of specialty: English 290 (Advanced Fiction), English 291 (Advanced Nonfiction), or English 292 (Advanced Poetry).

Alternatively, students who would like their capstone experience to be an individual project overseen by a member of the Creative Writing Program may petition the Director of the Creative Writing Program.

One five-unit class:

English 290 (Advanced Fiction)

English 291 (Advanced Nonfiction)

English 292 (Advanced Poetry)

OR

English majors concentrating in Interdisciplinary Studies who would like to complete a capstone project related to their area of concentration may present for approval to the Director of Undergraduate Studies a proposal for individual study in their senior year.

Unit count will vary depending on the project.

OR

Leveraging the unique resources of the Literary Lab, students will undertake their capstone project through a Lab course. Seniors in the track will be required to attend all meetings during the quarter that they take the course, as well as join a project and contribute to its research. Students may also choose to undertake their own research project within the Lab at the discretion of their advisor.

Completion requirement
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 1140791
  • 1140821

Students wishing to undertake a formal program of advanced literary criticism and scholarship, including the honors seminar and independent research, are invited to apply for the honors program in spring quarter of the junior year. Any outstanding student is encouraged to engage in an honors thesis project.

Admission is selective. Admission is announced in early May based on submission, by April 19 of the junior year, of the senior honors application package, including a thesis proposal. Accepted students then submit a revised proposal and bibliography by June 15. Honors students are encouraged to complete before the start of their senior year the three methodology courses that are English major requirements:

Students are encouraged to participate in the Bing Honors College in September before their senior year. In autumn quarter of the senior year, students take a mandatory five-unit honors seminar (course Honors Seminar: Critical Approaches to Literature) on critical approaches to literature. The senior-year seminar is designed to introduce students to the analysis and production of advanced literary scholarship. Students planning on studying abroad in the senior year should plan for winter quarter rather than autumn.

In winter and spring quarters of the senior year, honors students complete the senior honors essay for a total of ten units under the supervision of a faculty advisor.

Essays that receive a grade of A- or above are awarded honors.

Completion requirement
This field of study (subplan) is printed on the transcript and diploma and is elected in Axess. This program is intended for students who wish to combine the study of one broadly defined literary topic, period, genre, theme, or problem with an interdisciplinary program of courses (generally chosen from one other discipline) relevant to that inquiry. In addition to the degree requirements required of all majors and listed above, students must complete at least 40 additional units of approved courses, including:
Fulfill ALL of the following requirements:
Twenty-five units of elective literature courses chosen from among those offered by the Department of English. Students must select two of these courses in relation to their interdisciplinary focus.
AND
Fifteen units related to the area of inquiry. These courses may be chosen from another department or interdisciplinary program within the School of Humanities and Sciences, including (but not limited to) such as African American Studies, Anthropology, Art and Art History, Classics, Comparative Literature, Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Feminist Studies, Human Biology, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Science, Technology, and Society, and Sociology. These courses should form a coherent program and must be relevant to the focus of the courses chosen by the student to meet the requirement. Each course must be approved in advance by the interdisciplinary program director.
AND
In addition, students in this program must complete a capstone project in the form of an interdisciplinary paper or its equivalent. Please see CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE for more details.
AND
The final course plan (in the form of a one to two-paragraph summary of a coherent course of study) and the interdisciplinary project must be approved by the English faculty advisor, the external faculty advisor, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies by the time the student applies to graduate.
Completion requirement
This field of study (subplan) is printed on the transcript and diploma and is elected in Axess. This program is designed for students who want a sound basic knowledge of the English literary tradition as a whole and, at the same time, want to develop skills in writing poetry or prose. In addition to the degree requirements required of all majors listed above, students must complete at least 40 additional units of approved courses in either the prose or poetry concentration
Fulfill ALL of the following requirements:
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 1137531
    OR     2048191
  • 1137561
  • 1140601
    OR     2074161
  • 2223911
    OR     2227181
    OR     2248951
    OR     2249031
    OR     2257611
    OR     2207601
AND
Elective courses must be taken for at least 3 units, and the total number of courses must equal 20 units. (One of the courses may be fulfilled with a creative writing workshop).
Fulfill ALL of the following requirements:
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 1137531
    OR     2048191
  • 1137561
  • 1140701
  • 2242001
    OR     2254791
AND
Elective courses must be taken for at least three units, and the total number of courses must equal 20 units. (One of the courses may be fulfilled with a creative writing workshop)
Completion requirement
This field of study (subplan) is printed on the transcript and diploma and is elected in Axess. Students should meet with the undergraduate director concerning the Literature and Philosophy focus. This track is for students who wish to explore interdisciplinary studies at the intersection of literature and philosophy while acquiring knowledge of the English language literary tradition as a whole. In addition to the degree requirements required of all majors and listed above, students must complete at least 40-50 additional units of approved courses, including:
Fulfill ALL of the following requirements:
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 1221471

Prerequisite: introductory philosophy course

AND
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 2040344

This course should be taken as early as possible in the student's career, normally in the sophomore year.

AND

Aesthetics, Ethics, Political Philosophy: one course from PHIL 170 Ethical Theory series.

Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1222661
  • 1222696
  • 2074961
  • 2274581
  • 2086841
  • 1222841
AND
Complete at least 1 courses in the following Course Sets:

Language, Mind, Metaphysics, and Epistemology: one course from PHIL 180 Metaphysics series.

AND

History of Philosophy: one course in the history of Philosophy.

Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1221561
  • 1221581
AND
Two upper division courses of special relevance to the study of Philosophy and Literature. Both of these courses must be in the English department. A list of approved courses is available on the Philosophy and Literature web site.
AND
Two additional elective courses in the English department.
AND
One capstone seminar course of relevance to the study of Philosophy and Literature. A list of approved courses is available on the Philosophy and Literature web site.
Completion requirement

This field of study (subplan) is printed on the transcript and diploma and is elected in Axess. This program is designed for students interested in combining the study of English literary history and theory with the use and study of contemporary methods and concepts of data science, computation and statistics. In addition to the degree requirements for all majors listed above, students in this track must complete at least 41 additional units of courses in data science and relevant English department elective courses chosen in consultation with their advisor.

Fulfill ALL of the following requirements:
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 2143841
  • 2257971
    OR     2085111
AND
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
  • 1056441
  • 1056451
AND

Fulfill ONE of the following required Statistics Courses

Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 1253981
    OR     1173351
AND

Fulfill ONE of the following required Ethics Courses

Complete at least 1 of the following Courses:
  • 2213951
  • 2181541
  • 2197651
AND

18-20  Electives Units from the English Department

Elective courses must be taken for at least three units, and the total number of courses must equal 20 units. These units may be taken as Literature or Creative Writing courses. Students may substitute ONE course for a relevant class taught elsewhere in the University, in consultation with your advisor.

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