New English majors to face new requirements, no thesis

College of Arts and Sciences students declaring English majors this spring will be spared a senior thesis but faced with a new language and literature requirement. The revised major intends to emphasize language and literary history while de-emphasizing large survey courses. It calls for the abolishment of the senior writing requirement, the implementation of a language and literature requirement, the standardization of concentrations and added flexibility in fulfilling core literary historical requirements. The plan represents "the largest philosophical change in the culture of undergraduate English," English Undergraduate Chairperson Elisa New said. As pre-registration begins today, both prospective and current English majors will be able to take advantage of the revised bill of requirements, which covers three areas: language and literature, literary history and a six-course concentration. The revised major requires 13 course units, a small increase from the previous 12-course-unit major. In outlining the reasons underlying the elimination of the 20-25 page senior thesis, English Chairperson Wendy Steiner noted that students were "not using it well," adding that the requirement was originally intended to be a culmination of a student's work in a concentration. Majors may fulfill the new Language and Literature requirement by completing English 19: "The History of English Language," a designated medieval literature course, any Linguistics course or a fifth semester of a foreign language. "Instead of seeing language as an obstacle to the recovery of themes, students will see language as itself -- a building block of literature," New said. She added that the "historitization" of concentrations may encourage some majors to step outside of the 20th century realm and embrace other eras. And in accordance with the enhanced "historical texture" theme, the creative writing concentration will include a significant genre component. Concentrators may choose to focus on prose or on poetry and poetics, and select among the critical, creative and drama tracks. Students will have ample opportunity to double-count courses by "combining literary, historical and concentration requirements," New said. The majority of these requirements may be completed by enrolling in small seminar courses, which provide an intimate setting for faculty to teach subjects "closer to their own hearts," she added. "We have an incredibly talented faculty teaching some of the most competitive students in America, but they're not teaching the materials they want to teach," New said. The new major plan originated at last year's faculty retreat, where members expressed frustration over the number of survey courses offered each semester. In order to bridge student interest with the faculty's "intellectual passion," the department will encourage students to seek more in-depth coverage at the intermediate and advanced levels when core courses overlap with areas of concentration, New added. Students hoping to gain an introduction into the canon and literary method of a particular area of study are advised to enroll in courses comprising the new 20, 60, 40, 80 series-- formerly the 200-203 series. English Undergraduate Advisory Board member Amanda Karsten lauded the department's efforts to incorporate flexible requirements. "The greater choice allows students to be mature -- not just robots fulfilling major requirements," the College senior said. But College sophomore and prospective English major Angie Sharma said she worried that an additional course requirement may render double-majoring an impossibility. "We already have so many requirements," she said. "It's a little annoying to have to take another class." And College sophomore Ashley Curran-Morris expressed sympathy for students faced with a slew of graduation requirements. "If you're running out of time to fulfill your general requirements, you better rush to declare [the major] this term," she added. New admitted that the new major may be more "rigorous," adding that some students who "aren't interested in literary history," may abandon their desire to major in English and seek refuge in other departments.