Minor in Literature
Objective: The minor in literature is designed to provide a coherent, formal, and officially recognized course of study in literature for non-literature majors, that is, for students whose primary field of study lies elsewhere but who desire to pursue study in literature for career reasons or for personal satisfaction. Literature is an integral part of the liberal arts curriculum and a literature minor would provide enrichment for students in a number of disciplines such as history, visual and performing arts, philosophy, political science, economics, pre-med, women’s studies, Holocaust studies, or Latin American studies. In addition, literature courses form core requirements for English and language arts teaching certification. It would therefore be highly desirable for students interested in certification to have formal recognition on their transcripts attesting to their having completed the minimum literature requirements.
Required Courses: The Literature minor sets out a coherent structure while allowing for student choice. It should consist of five LITT program courses, totaling 20 credits:
LITT 1101 (prerequisite for 3000-level courses): 4 credits
2 courses at the 1000 or 2000 level: 8 credits
2 courses at the 3000 level or above: 8 credits
Special features (prerequisites for courses in the minor, minimum grade requirements, etc): There are no prerequisites for the two courses taken at the 1000 or 2000 level. However, students must take LITT 1101, the only specific course required for all minors, before enrolling in courses at the 3000 level and above. LITT 1101, Literary Methodologies, is one of the core courses in the literature curriculum, providing necessary training in literary analysis. We require it as a prerequisite for upper-level work for our majors, and will require it of our minors, so they will face no disadvantage in our 3000-level courses. Minors, like majors, will be expected to get grades of C or better in order to receive credit for program courses.
