Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature

New York University

The study of English and American literature provides the kind of training that is central to a liberal arts education and useful in all professions. By learning to read critically and write with analytical precision, students who major in English prepare themselves to participate actively in their culture while forging a lifelong, enriching relationship with literature.The department offers two tracks in the major: the literature track and the creative writing track. Students take courses in a variety of historical periods as well as in a variety of topics and areas (such as literary history, critical theory, and literary culture). The major also provides opportunities for specialized research through seminars, independent study, and an honors program that culminates in the writing of a scholarly thesis during the senior year. In the major’s creative writing track, seniors can produce a special creative project in poetry, prose, or a hybrid genre. The department also offers its majors and minors a credit-bearing internship seminar for placements at magazines, publishers, literary agencies, and other organizations.

College of Arts & Science