Literature, BA

Literature (BA) Offered by the Department of Literature, College of Arts and Sciences. Admission to the Program Formal admission to the major requires a grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and departmental approval. 120 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better Completion of college writing requirement Completion of university mathematics requirement General Education Requirements A total of ten courses, consisting of two courses from each of the five foundational areas At least one course from Area Five: The Natural and Mathematical Sciences must include a laboratory science component No more than two courses may be taken in the same discipline Major Requirements 42 credit hours with grades of C or better, with at least 21 credit hours at the 300 level or above Tracks: Literary Studies, Cinema Studies, Creative Writing, or Transcultural Studies Course Requirements Core (18 credit hours) Survey Courses (6 credit hours) Complete two survey courses from the following: LIT-210 Survey of American Literature I (3) LIT-211 Survey of American Literature II (3) LIT-220 Survey of British Literature I (3) LIT-221 Survey of British Literature II (3) LIT-225 African Literature FA1 (3) LIT-235 African-American Literature FA2 (3) LIT-240 Asian American Literature FA2 (3) LIT-245 The Experience of Poetry FA1 (3) LIT-246 Cinema and the Twentieth Century FA1 (3) LIT-250 Literature, Film and Globalization FA3 (3) LIT-252 Survey of Literary Theory (3) LIT-267 Literatures of the Global South FA3 (3) LIT-281 Power, Discourse, and Popular Culture FA2 (3) Literature before 1900 (6 credit hours) Two courses in literature written before 1900 Note: Creative Writing Track students must complete at least one course in literature written before 1800. Required (6 credit hours) LIT-480 Senior Project in Literature (3) LIT-498 Senior Seminar in Literature: The Value of Literature (3) Tracks (24 credit hours) Complete one of the following tracks: Literary Studies One course (3 credit hours) from the following: LIT-107 Creative Writing Across Genres FA1 (3) LIT-121 Rethinking Literature FA1 (3) LIT-125 Great Books that Shaped the Western World FA2 (3) LIT-146 Critical Approach to the Cinema FA1 (3) One additional survey course (3 credit hours) from the following: LIT-210 Survey of American Literature I (3) LIT-220 Survey of British Literature I (3) Literature before 1800 (6 credit hours) Two additional courses (6 credit hours) in literature written before 1800 One course (3 credit hours) from the following: LIT-215 Writers in Print/in Person FA1 (3) LIT-346 Topics in Film (3) LIT-367 Topics in World Literature (3) LIT-400 Creative Writing: Fiction (3) LIT-401 Creative Writing: Poetry (3) LIT-403 Creative Writing: Nonfiction (3) LIT-446 Advanced Studies in Film (3) LIT-467 Advanced Studies in World Literature (3) Electives (9 credit hours) Three additional courses offered or approved by the Department of Literature Cinema Studies Required (6 credit hours) LIT-146 Critical Approach to the Cinema FA1 (3) LIT-246 Cinema and the Twentieth Century FA1 (3) Two courses (6 credit hours) from the following: LIT-346 Topics in Film (3) LIT-446 Advanced Studies in Film (3) (topics) Film or Interdisciplinary Topics (6 credit hours) Two additional 300- or 400-level courses in film or interdisciplinary topics Electives (6 credit hours) Two additional 300- or 400-level courses offered or approved by the Department of Literature Creative Writing Required (6 credit hours) LIT-107 Creative Writing Across Genres FA1 (3) One additional survey course from the list above Three courses (9 credit hours) from the following: Note: Students may take the same creative writing course no more than twice. LIT-400 Creative Writing: Fiction (3) LIT-401 Creative Writing: Poetry (3) LIT-403 Creative Writing: Nonfiction (3) Electives (9 credit hours) Three additional courses offered or approved by the Department of Literature Transcultural Studies Required (6 credit hours) LIT-250 Literature, Film and Globalization FA3 (3) LIT-281 Power, Discourse, and Popular Culture FA2 (3) World Literature (3 credit hours) Complete one course (3 credit hours) from the following: LIT-367 Topics in World Literature (3) LIT-467 Advanced Studies in World Literature (3) Two courses (6 credit hours) from the following: LIT-346 Topics in Film (3) LIT-367 Topics in World Literature (3) LIT-381 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Literature (3) LIT-446 Advanced Studies in Film (3) LIT-467 Advanced Studies in World Literature (3) LIT-481 Advanced Interdisciplinary Approaches to Literature (3) Electives (9 credit hours) Three additional courses (9 credit hours) offered or approved by the Department of Literature Combined BA and MA in Literature American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor's/master's programs. See Combined Bachelor's and Master's Degrees for more information. In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor's/master's programs: Undergraduate literature majors should consult with the MA program director prior to applying. Admission decisions follow the procedures used to evaluate graduate applicants to the MA in Literature. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. Students will be admitted formally to MA status only if they have completed all requirements for the BA in Literature with at least an overall 3.00 grade point average and a 3.20 grade point average in literature courses.