Courses in the Department of English are designed to enrich students’ understanding of life and the arts through the study of literature in English. Courses are organized in various ways and at a number of different levels. At the 100-level, English Department courses teach rhetoric and composition and provide intensive introductions to fiction, drama, poetry, and to the contested issues generally enlivening the study of literature. Our 200-level courses include intermediate-level courses in writing, period surveys of British, American, and other literature written in English, together with introductions to folklore, film study, and English linguistics. The 300-level courses are advanced electives in creative writing, historical studies of the poetry, drama, and fiction of various periods, courses in literary theory, studies of major literary figures such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton, courses in minority and ethnic literature, and other specialized approaches to literature, as well as a senior seminar “Topics in Literature.” A detailed English Department Handbook can be obtained in the departmental office.