The English major is a flexible one, allowing students to pursue studies in literature, creative writing, folklore, linguistics, and professional writing. Regardless of which concentration the student declares, the program requires 120 hours of coursework with 36 hours in English (exclusive of first-year writing courses). Two courses are required of all majors, regardless of concentration: ENGL 290 (Introduction to Literary Studies) and ENGL 490 (Senior Seminar).

In addition, all majors in the College of Liberal Arts must declare a minor field, in which 18 hours are required, six of them at the 300- or 400-level. See the College Guide to Minors.

English Majors may elect not to specify a concentration if they prefer more leeway in their curriculum.

Here are the options:

The English Major offers students a general humanistic education as well as skills in communication and analysis that are essential in most careers. A broad education in English enables students to read closely and critically, to think analytically, to write and communicate, to weigh values, and to understand people and cultures. Students who do not specify a concentration will have the most leeway in their curriculum. If you prefer to have more focus and direction, you may specify a concentration.

ENGL 290 Introduction to Literary Studies (3 cr.)
Two ENGL survey courses*, to be chosen from 201, 202, 205, 206 (6)
ENGL 2XX/3XX (third soph. survey, 210, 211, 212, any ENGL 3XX) (3)
Three ENGL 3XX/4XX electives (9)
Two ENGL 4XX electives (6)
ENGL 423/424 Shakespeare (or other pre-1800 ENGL 4XX approved by the Asst. Dept. Head) (3)
ENGL 496 or other Major Figures (3)
ENGL 490 Senior Seminar (3)

The concentration in creative writing allows English majors to focus on developing their own creative voice and work. As they do this, they will develop an appreciation of the ways in which producing literary writing relates to literary scholarship in general. Students can explore a range of forms from fiction to screen-writing to creative nonfiction, or they can choose to concentrate on one form in particular, perhaps poetry or drama. Either way, students in the creative writing concentration will encounter a range of writing styles, while exploring both expressive and innovative uses of language. In company with other writers and artists and faculty mentors, creative writing concentrators will take the groundwork of the English major and create their own new work.

Whether you want to try traditional forms, avant garde language experiments, or compose your own fantasy novel adventure, the creative writing concentration will provide you the skills and mentoring to make your inspirations come to life on the page. Last but not least, the undergraduate creative writing club, Writers Bloc, is an important part of our program, designed with undergraduate writers in mind. The club offers workshops, readings, social gatherings, and more, affording creative writing students a community of writing peers with whom to continue developing their writing.

ENGL 223 Introduction to Creative Writing (3 cr.)
ENGL 290 Introduction to Literary Studies (3)
ENGL 2XX (Any non-CW soph. English course) (3)
ENGL 2XX or 3XX (Choose any non-CW English course at these levels) (3)
Any three ENGL 3XX/4XX electives (9)
ENGL 496 Major Figures or other advisor-approved ENGL 4XX course (3)
ENGL 490 Senior Seminar (3)

Option A.
Two 300-level CW workshops (ENGL 325, 326, 327) (6)
One 400-level CW workshop (ENGL 446 or 408) or ENGL 409 (Poetics) (3)

Option B.
One 300-level CW workshop (ENGL 325, 326, or 327) (3)
One 400-level CW workshop (ENGL 446 or 408) (3)
ENGL 409 (3)

(36 hours total in the major)

Students often find that a concentration in folklore studies, with its emphasis on discovering and understanding human culture, useful in careers in the law, politics, and the sciences. With its emphasis on openness to a variety of human experience and expression and the careful collection and analysis of those experiences and expressions, folklore studies is also often pursued as a minor for students majoring in pre-law, pre-med, biology, and anthropology. Both the major and the minor concentration are useful to students interested in pursing careers in the arts and culture industries as well as public sector work.

ENGL 290 Introduction to Literary Studies (3 cr.)
Two ENGL 2XX Sophomore Surveys.* Choose from 201, 202, 205, 206 (6)
ENGL 2XX (Soph. open topic: 210, 211, 212) or ENGL 3XX (321, 322, or 371) (3)
ENGL 332 Introduction to Folklore (3)
ENGL 335 Louisiana Folklore or ENGL 432 American Folklore (3)
ENGL 3XX/4XX (3)
ENGL 482 Folklore Genres (3)
ENGL 440 Folklore and Lit. or ENGL 470 Genres in Children’s Lit.: Fairy Tales (3)
ENGL 4XX Major Figures or ENGL 423/424 Shakespeare (3)
ENGL 4XX (3)
ENGL 490 Senior Seminar: project in Folklore & Lit. recommended (3)

The linguistics concentration encourages students to think about language and linguistic behavior of all kinds. Traditional literature courses, and indeed many of a student's college courses, deal with issues in natural language but do not focus on them. From phonetics to grammar to meaning, studying linguistics develops skills for recognizing and analyzing problems that arise from how natural languages function and how they are deployed. This concentration will also prepare students to enter graduate school in a variety of specialties.

Linguistics is valuable training for many different professions: the computer industry (developing search engines, speech recognition, and artificial intelligence); education (training teachers, teaching English as a Second Language; teaching English overseas; even training actors in pronunciation and intonation); speech therapy; translators and interpreters; the publishing industry (technical writers and journalists); testing agencies (preparation and evaluation of standardized exams); lexicography (developing dictionaries); and government or law (working for the Foreign Service, FBI, CIA, law enforcement, and legal firms on matters such as linguistic evidence, voice identification and the language of legal texts).

ENGL 290 Introduction to Literary Studies (3 cr.)
ENGL 2XX (3)
ENGL 2XX (3)
ENGL 2XX/3XX (3)
Any four ENGL 3XX/4XX Linguistics courses (351, 352, 353, 405, 425, 452, 455, 458) (12)
ENGL 3XX/4XX (3)
ENGL 3XX/4XX (3)
ENGL 4XX (Must be literature before 1800) (3)
ENGL 490 Senior Seminar: project in linguistics recommended (3)

The literature concentration is designed to provide students with a broad background in British and American literature and culture, as well as with the skills to interpret and write about texts and contexts. Many employers value the literature student’s preparation in reading and interpreting language perceptively, writing clearly, researching, and critical thinking. Work in literary studies helps to prepare students to succeed in a wide variety of fields: academics (including graduate school), teaching in public and private schools, advertising, government service, journalism, publishing, film, law, medicine, and business. Because literary texts focus, from ever more diverse points of view, on the lives of our fellow humans, specialists in literature are well-equipped to read and interpret human life and all that it encompasses.

ENGL 290 Introduction to Literary Studies (3 cr.)
Two ENGL survey courses, to be taken either as a national sequence (201 & 202 or 205 & 206); an early-lit. sequence (201 & 205); or a modern lit. sequence (202 & 206).* (6)

ENGL 2XX/3XX ( Open elective at either soph. or junior level) (3)

Two ENGL 3XX/4XX (6 hrs. of junior or senior-level electives)
Two ENGL 4XX (6 hrs. of senior-level electives)
(Nine of these twelve hours must be in literature)

ENGL 423/424 Shakespeare, or pre-1800 ENGL 4XX approved by Asst. Dept. Head (3)
ENGL 459 Literary Theory and Practical Criticism (3)
ENGL 496 or other Major Figures (3)
ENGL 490 Senior Seminar (literary focus) (3)

(36 hours total in the major)

In today's job market, graduates with a concentration in professional writing are in high demand by employers in business, industry, marketing, government, and publishing. Valuable skills such as writing, editing, web design, and desktop publishing equip students for careers related to the production of both print and digital media. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of positions for technical writers and editors will increase by 18% in the next 10 years, with an average annual salary for technical writers of $66,240. In addition to its diverse and practical curriculum, UL’s professional writing concentration includes an internship, which allows students to work in their field of choice and develop their professional portfolios, in preparation for their careers.

ENGL 290: Intro to Literary Studies (3 hrs.)
Two ENGL 2XX Sophomore Surveys (choose from 201, 202, 205, 206) (6)
ENGL 212: Literature and Other Media (recommended); otherwise 210, 211, or 223) (3)
Two ENGL 3XX /4XX electives (choose from 304, 351, 352, 353, 325, 326, 327, 457. (6) [Note: students opting for 325, 326, or 327 must have 223 as prereq. or permission of instructor]
ENGL 360 [OR a new Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) course in an area of the student’s interest (the number for the current Advanced Writing course will be assigned to the new Writing in the Humanities course; other WAC courses will be assigned as they are approved, but tentatively will begin with 356)] (3)
ENGL 365: Technical Writing (3)
ENGL 3XX/4XX: must be a writing course and could be a different WAC course. (3)
ENGL 462(G) /464(G): Special Topics in Prof Writing/Rhet Comp (on an appropriate topic) (3)
ENGL 463: Professional Writing Practicum (3)
ENGL 490: Senior Seminar. Focus on professional writing recommended. (3)

36 hours total in the Major