Professors: James Basker (Richard Gilder Professor of Literary History), Christopher Baswell (Ann Whitney Olin Professor), Mary Gordon (Millicent C. McIntosh Professor in English and Writing), Lisa Gordis, Achsah Guibbory, Kim Hall (Lucyle Hook Professor of English), Maire Jaanus, Peter Platt (Chair), Anne Lake Prescott (Helen Goodhart Altschul Professor), William Sharpe, Maura Spiegel (Term)
Associate Professors: John Beller (Visiting), Aaron Hamburger (Visiting), Ross Hamilton (Director of Film Concentration), Saskia Hamilton (Director of Women Poets at Barnard), Jennie Kassanoff, Julia Leigh (Visiting), Ellen McLaughlin (Visiting), Sigrid Nunez (Visiting), Richard Panek (Visiting), Cathleen Schine (Visiting)
Assistant Professors: Bashir Abu-Manneh, Catherine Barnett (Visiting), Elizabeth Benedict (Visiting), Myla Goldberg (Visiting), Julia Jordon (Visiting), Monica Miller, Eliza Minot (Visiting), Sean Singer (Visiting)
Senior Lecturers: Pamela Cobrin (Director, Writing Program), Patricia Denison (Acting Chair, Theatre Department), Peggy Ellsberg, Cary Plotkin, Timea Szell (Director of Creative Writing), Margaret Vandenburg (Director of First-Year English)
Lecturers: Constance Brown, Mary Cregan, John Pagano, Tom Ratekin, James Runsdorf, Elizabeth Schmidt, Aaron Schneider, Manya Steinkoler
Senior Associates: Quandra Prettyman
Associates: Shelly Fredman, Mary Helen Kolisnyk
For a complete list of
faculty on leave see:
http://www.barnard.edu/provost/facleavelist.html
The offering in English is designed to foster good writing, effective speaking, and heightened understanding of culturally significant texts. Students majoring in English are encouraged to develop their responsiveness to the literary imagination and their sensitivity to literary form through disciplined attention to language and to critical and scholarly methods.
For all students, including transfers, "a minimum of six semester courses must be completed while the student is in residence at Barnard". Non-majors may satisfy the distribution requirement in the Humanities (Part A) and in Culture and Societies (Part B) by electing appropriate courses listed under Language and Literature.
A major program consists of at least ten courses:
1. Majors should complete the following requirements by the end of the junior year:
a) English BC 3193x or 3193y. Literary Criticism and Theory: an introduction to the methods of literary analysis. A prospective major should, if possible, elect this course in her sophomore year.
b) English BC 3159x-3160y. The English Junior Colloquium: an introduction to some major texts and ideas of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Sophomores may be admitted, but are advised to wait if possible. Students planning to go abroad for their junior year should see their advisers about substitutions for this requirement.
Students may substitute 3 courses for the 2 semesters for Junior Colloquium from among the following:
Only one of the three Shakespeare courses: ENGL 3163 or 3164 or ENTH 3136y
ENGL 3154 - 3158, 3165-3169
ENGL 3173y, and 3174 (or W4301), and 3179x
At least one of these 3 courses must cover material before 1660 (i.e., Medieval or Renaissance); at least one, material of the 17th or 18th century. One of these courses will also count towards satisfying the "before 1900" requirement. Students may also take 1 colloquium and 2 substitutions. For suggestions of specific courses, please see the English Department website.
2. In addition, a major will elect five courses so distributed as to extend her knowledge of English and American literature:
a) At least two
of these must be in literature before 1900:
ENTH 3136, 3137
ENGL 3141x
ENGL 3154 (Chaucer) through ENGL BC 3180 (American Literature 1800-1870)
b) Of the three remaining elective courses, two may be in writing (3105-3120), film (ENGL 3119-3201), speech (ENGL 3121), theatre (ENTH 3136-3140), or seminars on special themes (3140, ENTH 3144).
c) As a senior an English major will complete advanced work in two seminars (BC 3997, 3998). Seniors concentrating in Theatre or Writing will normally substitute the Special Project in Theatre or Writing (BC 3996) for one of the required seminars. Under special circumstances qualified senior majors may request permission to substitute Independent Study for one of the seminars (see BC 3999, below).
A minor consists of at least five English courses: one from either Chaucer (BC 3154 or BC 3155), Shakespeare (ENTH 3136, ENG BC 3163, or BC 3164), or Milton (BC 3167); two additional courses in literature before 1900 (See above 2a); and two electives (See above 2b).
All concentrations in the major except that in American Literature require 11 courses.
American Literature
Students interested in an American Literature concentration should consult with Professor Gordis (408d Barnard). In addition to ENG BC 3159, 3160 (or appropriate substitutes), and 3193, an American concentration consists of either 3179 or 3180, either 3181 or 3183, one other American literature course, and one senior seminar with a focus on American literature. (The Department requires two senior seminars for the major.)
Film
Students interested in a film concentration should consult Professor Ross Hamilton (419 Barnard). A film concentration consists of four courses:
1) Introduction to Film and Film Theory (FILM 3201x or Columbia's W3001)
2) A writing course, either Screenwriting (FILM 3119), Advanced Screenwriting (FILM 3120) or Film Criticism
3) A Film/Literature Senior Seminar (3997/3998)
4) The final course, which requires approval, is a film and literature class from among specific offerings at Barnard or Columbia.
These four courses will count in place of two electives and one Senior Seminar in the regular English major.
Theatre
Students interested in a Theatre concentration should consult Professor Denison (Room 412 Barnard). A Theatre concentration consists of four courses: three courses, either two Theatre History (THR 3150, 3151) and one dramatic literature seminar or one theatre history and two dramatic literature seminars and a fourth course, Special Project in Theatre (ENG BC 3996) in combination with a dramatic literature course. These four courses will count in place of two electives and one Senior Seminar in the regular English major. An eleventh course should be in dramatic literature in English, offered by the English Department or the Theatre Department (selected in consultation with the director of the Theatre concentration).
Writing
Open to a limited number of majors. Students enter the writing concentration by application only. Interested students must submit a portfolio of their work to the director of Creative Writing during the second semester of their junior year, no later than the program filing deadline. A writing concentration consists of at least four courses: two writing courses, of which one will be introductory (BC 3105-3113 and 3120: Creatvie Non-fiction) and one advanced (BC 3114-3118); a Senior project written either in a third writing course combined with a Special Project in Writing (BC 3996) or in an Independent Study (BC 3999); and a fourth course, either literature (in English or another language), or creative writing. Consult the Director of Creative Writing, Professor Szell (423 Barnard), for applicability of Columbia courses. These four courses will count in place of two electives and one Senior Seminar in the regular English major. (N.B. BC 3119: Screenwriting, and 3103 & 3104: Essay Writing do not count toward the writing concentration.)