Department of English Undergraduate Program
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"Studying undergraduate English at Sydney University offers you the opportunity to read, learn about and discuss English language and literature, in all their variety, across a vast historical range. The intellectual and cultural components of language and literature are explored, as well as techniques of close reading of texts and the development of scholarly skills for their interpretation and evaluation, in essay-writing and oral presentations. These studies not only prepare our students for a variety of careers (for example, in the media, teaching, and, increasingly, in business and the other professions, where literate and articulate graduates are now highly valued), but for lifetimes enriched by intelligent and informed reading." Dr Margaret Rogerson |
The English department offers units of study in English and Australian Literature at both Pass and Honours level. English constitutes a single subject area and Australian Literature another.
Pass units of study are offered at both Junior and Senior levels, while Fourth Year Honours is offered as an additional full year of study.
If you wish to take A Major in English you will need to complete at least twelve credit points (two units of study) at Junior level and at least thirty-six credit points (six units of study) at Senior level.
It is possible to take more units in English, if you wish. Subject to degree regulations, students may take up to 78 credit points in English (18 junior and 60 senior) out of the 144 required for the degree. The number and variety of our units of study makes this easy to do.
On the other hand, students may wish to take just one or two units of study in English, to supplement other areas of interest.
You may cross-list units of study from other subject areas as part of your English major, up to a value of 18 credit points. In addition, several English units of study are cross-listed to other subject areas such as Media and Communication, Gender Studies, and Medieval Studies. The complete list of cross listed units can be found by following
this link.
If you wish to take A Major in Australian Literature you will need to complete at least three junior Arts units and at least thirty-six credit points (six units of study) of senior or advanced Australian Literature.
The department of English normally repeats one Junior level 6 credit point unit in the evening in each semester. At Senior level at least one 6 credit-point unit is offered in the evening in each semester. You will need to check the Department's Timetable webpage to see the evening offerings for this year.
In 2009 the department will be offering the following undergraduate units of study as part of the University of Sydney Summer School.
WRIT1002 Academic Writing
ENGL2657 Myths, Legends and Heroes
ASLT2602 Australian Literature 1960-1988
Please check the University's Summer School website for more information.
Once you have passed two junior units of English you are qualified to begin your major. To major in English, you must pass at least 36 points of senior or advanced units of English – that is, six such units, each worth 6 points.
The first components of your major must be two senior units, chosen from any of those that the Department offers. Depending on your results in these two units, there are several different ways in which you can complete your major. In any case, you can take four more senior units of English. But if you gain a credit or above in two senior units, you are qualified to take any of the advanced units that the Department offers. Moreover, once you gain a credit or above in two senior units, and also complete 96 points overall in your degree, you are qualified to take the two special-entry units that the Department requires for honours preparation. You may certainly take these two units as part of your major even if you do not intend to qualify for an honours year in English.
Whichever six senior English units you choose as your major will introduce you to a comprehensive selection of the major texts, literary genres, historical periods, and critical debates fundamental to the study of English literature and the English language. You may choose to specialise in one period, or genre, or some other facet of the discipline, or to range as widely as you like across several. You can also count up to three cross-listed units in your English major, including all units of Australian Literature, and some units of Medieval Studies, International and Comparative Literary Studies, Linguistics, and several other disciplines.
Each senior English unit addresses the discipline through a single broad topic. There are twenty or so senior units, offered in biennial rotation, five or six each semester. Some units are confined to particular genres, or periods, or approaches; others are not.
Each advanced English unit addresses the discipline through a more strictly defined topic. Five or six advanced units are offered each semester from among the following fields:
- medieval languages (including Old English and Middle English)
- medieval literatures (in English, and English translations from Latin and the medieval European vernaculars)
- Early Modern English literature and language (including the Renaissance, the Restoration, and the eighteenth century)
- English literature and language from the long nineteenth-century (including Romantic and Victorian literature)
- twentieth-century and contemporary literature, or film, or both
- English language and literary theory (including linguistic, literary, critical, and cultural studies)
The two special-entry units fortify the senior and advanced units of the major by addressing matters essential to the systematic study of English. The special-entry unit offered in March considers literary criticism and literary theory. The special-entry unit offered in July considers the historical and physical constitution of texts and the methods of research and scholarship characteristic of English studies. The two special-entry units are designated advanced units.
For more information about a major in English, you should consult either of the following:
A/Prof. Will Christie
Undergraduate Student Adviser
Woolley room S362
Phone 9351 2374
Dr Bruce Gardiner
Honours Coordinator
Woolley room S321
Phone 9351 6857
Once you have passed any three junior units offered by departments within the Faculty of Arts you are qualified to begin a major in Australian Literature. To major in Australian Literature, you must pass at least 36 points of senior or advanced units of Australian Literature – that is, six such units, each worth 6 points.
Moreover, once you gain a credit average in two senior units of Australian Literature, you are qualified to take the two special-entry units that the Australian Literature program requires for honours preparation, ASLT3602 in the March semester and ASLT3601 in the July semester. These two units are co-taught with the two English special-entry units. You may also take these two special-entry Australian Literature units as part of your major even if you do not intend to qualify for an honours year in Australian Literature.
Whichever six senior Australian Literature units you choose for your major will introduce you to a comprehensive selection of the major texts, literary genres, historical periods, and critical debates fundamental to the study of Australian literature. You can also count up to three cross-listed units in your Australian Literature major, including all units offered by the Department of English and by the program in Australian Studies.
For more information about a major in Australian Literature, you should consult either of the following:
For more information about a major in English, you should consult either of the following:
A/Prof. Will Christie
Undergraduate Student Adviser
Woolley room S362
Phone 9351 2374
Dr Bruce Gardiner
Honours Coordinator
Woolley room S321
Phone 9351 6857