The Literature concentration invites students to engage in the critical study of literature in English produced in a range of historical eras and geographical locations. In addition to poetry, prose, and drama, students will also encounter contemporary and historical texts that challenge their definitions of literature. Students will learn new ways of approaching familiar figures while also gaining exposure to writers and thinkers whose work has not always been recognized. Students can expect guidance in developing their critical and analytical writing skills and in becoming conversant with theories and methods for analyzing texts.

To change your major to English with a concentration in Literature, you can either call the College of Liberal Arts Academic Advising Center at 970-491-3117 or send an email to cla_advising@colostate.edu. More information is available on https://advising.libarts.colostate.edu.

Effective Fall 2022

For graduation, an English major must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.000 in all Composition (CO) and English (E) courses.

Freshman
AUCCCredits
CO 150College Composition (GT-CO2)1A3
E 240Introduction to Poetry 3
E 270Introduction to American Literature (GT-AH2)3B3
Arts and Humanities13B6
Biological and Physical Sciences3A7
Quantitative Reasoning1B3
Electives 5
 Total Credits 30
Sophomore
 
E 276British Literature--Medieval Period to 1800 (GT-AH2)3B3
E 277British Literature--After 1800 (GT-AH2)3B3
E 310Researching and Writing Literary Criticism 3
E *** English Elective 3
PHIL *** Philosophy Elective 3
Additional History Elective – Select one course from the following: 3
3D 
HIST XXX
  
Black Cinema and Media  
History of Political Thought  
World Theatre History I  
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion1C3
Historical Perspectives3D3
Social and Behavioral Sciences3C3
Electives 3
 Total Credits 30
Junior
 
E 341Literary Criticism and Theory4A,4B3
E 344Shakespeare 3
Select one course from the following: 3
Writing Arguments (GT-CO3)2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3)2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3)2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3)2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3)2 
Second field2 6
Upper-Division English/Composition Electives (See list below) 3
Electives 12
 Total Credits 30
Senior
 
Select one course from the following: 3
Chaucer4C 
Topics in Literature and Language4C 
Individual Author4C 
Second field2 6
Upper-Division English/Composition Electives (See list below) 12
Electives3 9
 Total Credits 30
 Program Total Credits: 120

Upper Division English/Composition Electives (15 credits total)

Select at least one course from each Category (1-4) below and at least one course from the Additional Upper-Division English/Composition Electives list below. Selected courses may only count toward one Category. 

Category 1 – Historical Approaches: Literature of the British Isles before 1830, or American or European Literature before 1900

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
E 331Early Women Writers3
E 424English Renaissance3
E 425Restoration and 18th Century Literature3
E 426British Romanticism3
E 430Eighteenth-Century English Fiction3
E 440American Literature Before 19003
E 443English Renaissance Drama3
E 444Restoration and 18th-Century Drama3
E 451Medieval Literature3
E 460Chaucer3
E 463Milton3
E 475American Poetry Before 19003

Category 2 – Historical Approaches: Literatures of the British Isles after 1830, or American or European Literatures after 1900

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
E 332Modern Women Writers3
E 334LGBTQ+ Literature3
E 345American Drama3
E 350The Gothic in Literature and Film3
E 420Beat Generation Writing3
E 421Asian-American Literature3
E 422/ETST 422African-American Literature3
E 423Latino/a Literature3
E 427Victorian Age3
E 43119th-Century English Fiction3
E 43220th-Century British Fiction3
E 433Literatures of the American West3
E 438/ETST 438Native American Literature3
E 441American Literature Since 19003
E 445Modern British and European Drama3
E 455European Literature after 19003
E 478Modern Poetry3
E 479Recent Poetry of the United States3

Category 3 – Breakthroughs: Ideological, Racial, Cultural, Gendered 

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
E 330Gender in World Literature3
E 331Early Women Writers3
E 332Modern Women Writers3
E 333Critical Studies of Popular Texts3
E 334LGBTQ+ Literature3
E 338Ethnic Literature in the United States3
E 339Literature of the Earth3
E 421Asian-American Literature3
E 422/ETST 422African-American Literature3
E 423Latino/a Literature3
E 428Postcolonial Literature3
E 438/ETST 438Native American Literature3
E 456Topics in Critical Theory3

Category 4 – Genre Approaches

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
E 334LGBTQ+ Literature3
E 337Western Mythology3
E 345American Drama3
E 350The Gothic in Literature and Film3
E 403Writing the Environment3
E 430Eighteenth-Century English Fiction3
E 43119th-Century English Fiction3
E 43220th-Century British Fiction3
E 443English Renaissance Drama3
E 444Restoration and 18th-Century Drama3
E 445Modern British and European Drama3
E 460Chaucer3
E 463Milton3
E 475American Poetry Before 19003
E 478Modern Poetry3
E 479Recent Poetry of the United States3

Additional Upper-Division English/Composition Electives

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
Any course not taken previously from Categories 1-4 above3
CO 302Writing in Digital Environments (GT-CO3)3
CO 401Writing and Style3
E 300/AMST 300American Lives-Methods in American Studies3
E 302Reading and the Web3
E 305Principles of Writing and Rhetoric3
E 311AIntermediate Creative Writing: Fiction3
E 311BIntermediate Creative Writing: Poetry3
E 311CIntermediate Creative Writing: Nonfiction3
E 320Introduction to the Study of Language3
E 322English Language for Teachers I3
E 323English Language for Teachers II3
E 324Teaching English as a Second Language3
E 326Development of the English Language3
E 327Syntax and Semantics3
E 328Phonology, Morphology, and Lexis3
E 329Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis3
E 370American Literature in Cultural Contexts3
E 401Teaching Reading3
E 402Teaching Composition3
E 405Young Adult Literature3
E 406Topics in Literacy3
E 412ACreative Writing Workshop: Fiction3
E 412BCreative Writing Workshop: Poetry3
E 412CCreative Writing Workshop: Nonfiction3
E 465Topics in Literature and Language3
E 470Individual Author3
E 501Theories of Composition3
E 502The Politics of Literacy3
E 503Investigating Classroom Literacies3
E 505AMajor Authors: English3
E 505BMajor Authors: American3
E 505CMajor Authors: World3
E 506ALiterature Survey: English3
E 506BLiterature Survey: American3
E 506CLiterature Survey: Comparative3
E 507Special Topics in Linguistics3
E 513AForm and Technique in Modern Literature: Fiction3
E 513BForm and Technique in Modern Literature: Poetry3
E 513CForm and Technique in Modern Literature: Essay3
1

Excludes E subject code courses.

2

The department requires majors to complete a second field. This may be met by completing the equivalent of the second semester of the second year course in a foreign language or by completing 12 hours of upper-division credit in a coherent field of study outside English.

3

Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level). 

Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program:
An English major must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.000 in all Composition (CO) and English (E) courses.

Freshman
Semester 1CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
CO 150College Composition (GT-CO2) X1A3
E 270Introduction to American Literature (GT-AH2)  3B3
Arts and Humanities  3B3
Biological and Physical Sciences  3A3
Quantitative Reasoning X1B3
 Total Credits   15
Semester 2CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
E 240Introduction to Poetry X 3
Arts and Humanities  3B3
Biological and Physical Sciences  3A4
Electives   5
AUCC 1B (Quantitative Reasoning) and CO 150 must be completed by the end of Semester 2.X   
 Total Credits   15
Sophomore
Semester 3CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
E 276British Literature--Medieval Period to 1800 (GT-AH2) X3B3
E 310Researching and Writing Literary Criticism   3
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  1C3
Historical Perspectives  3D3
Social and Behavioral Sciences  3C3
 Total Credits   15
Semester 4CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
E 277British Literature--After 1800 (GT-AH2)X 3B3
E *** English Elective   3
PHIL *** Philosophy Elective   3
Additional History Elective – Select one course from the following:   3
Historical Perspectives (Any AUCC 3D course not counting elsewhere in the program)
  3D 
HIST ***
    
Black Cinema and Media    
History of Political Thought    
World Theatre History I    
AUCC 3A (Biological and Physical Sciences), AUCC 3B (Arts and Humanities), AUCC 3C (Social and Behavioral Sciences), E 240, E 270, E 276 must be completed by the end of Semester 4.X   
Elective   3
 Total Credits   15
Junior
Semester 5CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
E 341Literary Criticism and Theory X4A,4B3
Select one course from the following:   3
Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) X2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3) X2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) X2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) X2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3) X2 
Second Field Course (See footnote on Concentration Requirements Tab)   3
Elective   6
 Total Credits   15
Semester 6CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
E 344Shakespeare   3
Second Field Course (See footnote on Concentration Requirements Tab)   3
Upper-Division English/Composition Course (see list on Concentration Requirements tab)   3
Electives   6
E 341 must be completed by the end of Semester 6.X   
 Total Credits   15
Senior
Semester 7CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Select one course from the following:   3
Chaucer X4C 
Topics in Literature and Language X4C 
Individual Author X4C 
Second Field Course (See footnote on Concentration Requirements Tab)   3
Upper-Division Electives   6
Elective   3
 Total Credits   15
Semester 8CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Second Field Course (See footnote on Concentration Requirements Tab)X  3
Upper-Division English/Composition Electives (See list on Concentration Requirements Tab)X  6
ElectivesX  6
The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study.X   
 Total Credits   15
 Program Total Credits:   120