I

NTRODUCTION

General Description of the Faculty

As a major in English at the University of Virginia you will have access to a large and varied group of experts engaged in exploring different aspects of literature. Our department has never tried to concentrate on any one area of literature or on a single critical orientation. Rather, we have worked to gather a lively diversity of professors with strengths in every facet of literary endeavor. In addition to those who concentrate their study in historical periods from medieval to modern, the faculty also contains: film critics, specialists in scholarly editing, post-colonial critics, feminist critics, theorists, African-Americanists, and specialists in the relation of literature to culture. Many faculty members pursue inter-disciplinary research.

For those majors who wish to develop special skills in writing our staff includes practicing journalists, fiction writers, and poets, as well as literary scholars and critics.

General Description of Course Offerings

Each semester the English Department offers in the neighborhood of 120 courses and sections of courses covering the widest possible range of topics and employing a variety of pedagogical approaches. Determining which courses are right for you can be a daunting task. Here are some guidelines.

All English courses begin with the designation "EN" -- which stands, of course, for "English." The letters after "EN" are abbreviations used to indicate the kind of course being offered. Some abbreviations indicate historical periods. Thus,

ENMD = Medieval Literature
ENRN = Renaissance Literature
ENEC = Eighteenth-Century Literature
ENNC = Nineteenth-Century Literature
ENMC = Modern and Contemporary Literature

All courses in American literature, regardless of historical period, are designated ENAM. Other abbreviations indicate a specific type of course. Thus,

ENGN = Studies in a Particular Genre
ENCR = Studies in Criticism
ENWR = Courses in Writing
ENSP = Special Topics
ENLS = History of the English Language

ENLT = Introductory Courses in Literature. Beginning with the fall semester, 2007, one of these courses will be required as a prerequisite to the English major. The designation ENGL is reserved for the major survey sequence, independent study courses, and courses in the distinguished majors program. Note: After August, 2007, ENLT-M courses will no longer be offered. Students who have taken an ENLT-M course may count it as the prerequisite; students who have not yet taken the prerequisite will be able to fulfill it with any ENLT 200-level course taken at UVA except ENLT 249 after matriculating here.

As for the numerical designations, 200-level courses are introductions to literary study. Classes are small, with no more than 22 students and often as few as 12 or 15. There is an emphasis on basic research, writing, and interpretive skills. 200-level courses cannot be used to fulfill major requirements.

Courses marked 300 and above are all "major" courses, though they are generally not restricted to English majors. (You are not required to take a 200-level course before taking a 300-level course, though it helps.) Enrollments in most 300-level courses range from 25 to 125 students.

Two of our 300-level course sequences deserve special mention. ENGL 381, 382, and 383 ("History of Literatures in English") comprise the basic core survey of literary history that is required of all English majors. For purposes of planning, students should be aware that ENGL 381 and 383 are given only in the fall semester and ENGL 382 only in the spring. You may take them in any order.

ENRN 321 and 322 are our two primary courses in the plays of William Shakespeare. These are not required courses, although most English majors elect to take at least one of them.

Courses at the 400-level are advanced seminars in the major. Those marked 500 are open to both undergraduate and graduate students; you should meet with the instructor before you enroll in one of these courses to make sure that you understand the expectations and requirements. Courses at the 800- and 900-level are restricted to graduate students.

Channels of Information

Because the ratio of English majors to faculty members is about ten to one, you should have opportunities to establish friendly, informal contact with the staff. In particular, you should try to get to know the faculty advisor you are assigned when you declare your major.

The very best way to make sure you keep up with everything you need to know about being an English major is to visit the Undergraduate Office in Bryan 236. There you may gather printed announcements about new courses or about degree applications, procure applications for independent study and honors, and learn about choosing a graduate school to suit your talents and interests. This office is the clearing-house for all the department's messages to you. Consequently, you should grow accustomed to dropping by - frequently. For important, up-to-date information, be sure to consult the English Department's web page regularly.

After you declare your major, you will be subscribed to "engl-majors," the department's electronic mailing list for undergraduate majors. Important news, updates, and reminders will be posted to this list throughout the academic year. Please make sure that the department has a current e-mail address for you.