Bachelor of Arts (English Literatures)

The English major introduces students to a broad range of literary texts; novels, poetry, essays, drama, short stories, film, diaries, and letters, all drawn from medieval to contemporary popular culture. The major offers a rich international curriculum. Students read literatures written or performed in English from Australia, Africa, the Caribbean, New Zealand and the Pacific, Canada, India, and the UK.  They are encouraged to enquire into the politics of the production and reception of these texts, in order to understand the aesthetics and valuation of literature as related to questions of race, gender, sexuality, class, and nation.  The English major enhances reading, writing and speaking skills, enabling students to analyse what they read, and articulate their response to reading with critical acumen and cultural sensitivity. 

Within the major, students can study broadly across genres and literary periods, or they can follow streams of subjects in areas including Australian literature, Postcolonial literatures, Indigenous Australian/Canadian/New Zealand literatures, Gender Studies, and Literature by historical periods.  Further specialisation is possible within each stream, e.g. Canadian within Postcolonial, Medieval and Renaissance within Historical, or Modern and Contemporary within Historical.  Interest in theory can also be followed through a combination of gender, postcolonial and modernist subjects.

English is often combined as a double major with Communication and Cultural Studies, but students may combine it with any other approved Arts major.  It is often taken as the Arts major in the Arts/Law double-degree, and it is an ideal second major for journalism students in the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies.

English for Teaching Careers
Students intending to teach in primary schools should take at least two English subjects.  Students intending to be secondary English teachers need at least 28 credit points of English.  In both cases, one of the English subjects will need to contain the word “Literature” in the title.  (This regulation is imposed by the NSW Education Department.)

Major Study

A major study in English Literatures is made up of at least 54 credit points: 6 at 100-level, 24 at 200-level, and 24 at 300-level.  Of the 54, at least 46 credit points will be in subjects having the prefix ‘ENGL’, with at least 6 credit points at 100-level, and16 credit points at 300-level of ENGL subjects. The remaining 8 credit points may be either an ENGL subject, LANG305, or PHIL255 (see below).   At 300-level, Pass Conceded or Pass Restricted grades will not accrue credit points towards the major.

Pre-Requisites for 200- and 300-Level Subjects
To gain entry into 200-level English subjects, students must have at least 36 credit points at 100-level, including at least 6 credit points of English (ENGL prefix).  For entry to 300-level subjects, students must have at least 16 credit points at 200- level, including at least 8 credit points of English (ENGL prefix).

Minor Study 
A minor in English Literatures will consist of at least 28 credit points from the Course Structure of the English Literatures major.  Not more than two subjects may be taken at 100-level. Students may not cross-count any subjects from the minor in any other minor or major study.

Honours

See Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Study Program