Undergraduate Program
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Senior Essay Option | FAQ
Undergraduates are offered courses that provide both the core of a liberal education in the humanities and, for those who intend to pursue careers in teaching and scholarship, the basis for advanced study of literature. These courses range from historical surveys of English and American literature and introductory courses in critical method to advanced courses and seminars in particular periods, authors, genres, and literary issues.
English Major
Majors in the department are required to study at least one foreign language beyond the elementary level and to supplement their English courses with at least two introductory (non-English Department) courses in the humanities and/or social sciences (fields such as history, philosophy, political science, history of science). Appropriate course selections in these fields are worked out with the guidance of a departmental advisor, who is normally assigned at the beginning of the sophomore year.
To supplement the regular offerings of the curriculum, undergraduate majors who have completed six hours of English beyond the introductory courses may arrange independent reading or research with the consent of a faculty member. In certain cases, undergraduates may be admitted to graduate seminars.
Download the English Major Requirements Checklist
English Minor
Download the English Minor Requirements Checklist
Honors in English
All English majors who earn a cumulative average of 3.6 in English are eligible to graduate with honors. The average is based solely on the following kinds of course work:
- All courses offered by the English Department at Hopkins, including independent study and directed reading courses, summer courses, graduate courses, and any courses cross-listed with English. Intersession courses do not count since they do not receive letter grades. “Covered” freshman grades also do not count.
- Courses from other departments at Hopkins when permission has been granted to you individually to count them toward the literature component of the major . This does not include foreign language or general humanities requirements for the major. It does include literature courses offered by departments other than English that have been specifically approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) as counting toward the major in your individual case.
- Courses taken at other institutions (transfer credits, study abroad programs, summer courses, etc.) that have likewise been approved as fulfilling the literature requirements for the major.
Obviously, departmental GPA must be calculated on the basis of all courses that fall within any of these categories. You may not limit the categories or number of included courses so as to boost your results. Even if you have taken more than the number of English courses needed to fulfil requirements for the major, you must include all of those courses when calculating your departmental GPA.
If you think you may be eligible to graduate with honors, download an online honors checklist form from Academic Advising at www.advising.jhu.edu, then fill out the checklist and have it approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students who plan to graduate in May should submit the form by no later than March 23rd. Students who plan to graduate in January should submit the form by no later than December 1st. Students who need to include Spring grades in their senior year in order to qualify for honors may submit an honors checklist after they have received their final grades (i.e., after March 23rd). In that case, honors will not be listed in the commencement program but will be listed on the transcript.
Senior Essay option
The English Department offers qualified majors the option of writing a senior essay. This is to be a one-semester project undertaken in the fall of the senior year, resulting in an essay of 30-35 pages. The senior essay counts as a three-credit course which can be applied toward the requirements for the major.
Each project will be assigned both an advisor and a second reader. In addition, students writing essays will meet as a group with the DUS once or twice in the course of the project.
The senior essay option is open to all students with a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher in English Department courses at the end of the fall term of their junior year. Project descriptions (generally of one to two pages) and a preliminary bibliography should be submitted to a prospective advisor selected by the student from the core faculty. All proposals must be received at least two weeks prior to the beginning of registration period during the spring term of the junior year. Students should meet with the prospective advisor to discuss the project in general terms before submitting a formal proposal. The advisor will determine whether the proposed project is feasible and worthwhile. Individual faculty need not direct more than one approved senior essay per academic year. Acceptance of a proposal will therefore depend on faculty availability as well as on the strength of the proposal itself.
When completed, the senior essay will be judged and graded by the advisor in consultation with the second reader.
The senior essay will not be part of the Department’s honors program, which will continue to be based solely on a cumulative GPA of 3.6 in English Department courses.
Read the undergraduate FAQ for more information.
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