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English and Comparative Literature

The English major prepares students for many careers. English majors study British and American language and literature, creative writing, world and comparative literature and career and professional writing. Many go on to earn credentials and teach in high school or middle school. Some pursue further graduate study at the masters or doctoral level, or in law school. And many take jobs in industry, government or nonprofit organizations. Graduates of programs in English should succeed in any job that demands literate employees with excellent communication and problem-solving skills.

The outstanding faculty include poets, fiction writers and scholars of literature and language. These dedicated teachers have achieved recognition in their fields, nationally and sometimes internationally. Their energy helps the department support many active student organizations: the Bulwer-Lytton Society, the English Graduate Group, Reed literary magazine and the Student Society for Technical Communication. Each year, it distributes thousands of dollars in prizes and awards for scholarly and creative work. The department also supports the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, an internationally recognized research institution.

Through its Teacher Education Program, the department maintains strong ties with schools throughout the region. Its Career and Technical Writing programs also offer contacts with many Silicon Valley employers (see section on Career and Technical Writing).

In conjunction with the Center for Literary Arts, the department also sponsors visits by many distinguished authors (see section on Creative Writing). The department offers minors in Creative Writing, Technical Writing, Literature and Comparative Literature, in addition to a concentration in Career Writing.

BA - English

Lower division preparation

Core Requirements for the Major:

ENGL 056A English Literature to the Late 18th Century
ENGL 068A American Literature to 1865

Foreign Language Requirement:

Majors must complete one year of college-level foreign language. Any transferable foreign language may be used.

Lower division English electives (6 semester units), select two courses from the following:

ENGL 056B English Literature Late 18th Century to Present
ENGL 068B American Literature 1865 to Present
ENGL 071 Creative Writing

All students must satisfy the following prerequisite (or equivalent) prior to registering for the WST and 100W courses at SJSU {Academic Senate policy S05-8}:

ENGL 001B Composition 2
A "C" or better is required in English 1B (a "C-" is not acceptable).
or
Second Semester English Composition Equivalent Course
A course articulated to SJSU's English 1B is recommended, however any course approved for the IGETC second semester composition area would be accepted to meet this requirement (a grade of "C" or better is required).