English and Creative Writing
Chair: Peter Orner
Vice Chair: Patricia Stuelke
Director of Creative Writing: Thomas O'Malley
Professors C. G. Boggs, M. A. Chaney, A. S. H. Chee, C. M. Dever, V. E. Francis, J. S. Kim, A. L. McCann, P. M. Orner, D. E. Pease, J. Sharlet, M. B. Taylor, B. E. Will; Associate Professors K. J. Brown, J. E. Dobson, G. Edmondson, A. L. Evens, S. A. Moodie, T. O’Malley, A. Raza Kolb, P. R. Stuelke, M. F. Zeiger; Assistant Professors J. C. Beckman, A. Garrison, A. A. Khan, M. S. Olzmann, M. P. Ritger, N. Tanoukhi; Senior Lecturers W. H. Craig, K. A. Crouch, C. L. Harner; Lecturers S. Crane, R. Clark, J. Godley, A. Jetter
To view English and Creative Writing courses, click here.
The English Major
Requirements: The Major in English requires the successful completion of eleven major courses. Major courses, unless otherwise stated, are all courses with the ENGL (English) or the CRWT (Creative Writing) course code. These courses must meet the following distributive requirements:
1. Two courses from Group I; two courses from Group II; one course from Group III; one course from Group IV.
2. Two courses from the Literary History sequence (ENGL 1, ENGL 2, ENGL 3). These courses may also satisfy Course Group requirements.
3. One Junior Colloquium (ENGL 61 – ENGL 65). This course may also satisfy a Course Group requirement.
4. One Senior Seminar (ENGL 71 – ENGL 75, ENGL 97, CRWT 60, 61, or 62). This course may also satisfy a Course Group requirement.
5. One course designated as a Culminating Experience. For students seeking a degree with Honors, this will be ENGL 98 or CRWT 98. All other students will count a Senior Seminar (ENGL 71– ENGL 75, CRWT 60, 61, or 62) in satisfaction of the Culminating Experience requirement.
Students electing the major in English should also note the following:
1. Transfer credits can be used in the major only with approval from the Department Vice Chair. Transfer credits normally do not satisfy any of the English major distributive requirements.
2. Two substitute courses (relevant courses from other Dartmouth departments) are permitted within the major, replacing two elective English classes. Substitute courses cannot satisfy English major distributive requirements. The Department Vice Chair, in consultation with the Committee on Departmental Curriculum (CDC), decides which courses are appropriate substitutes in the English major.
3. Students are encouraged to seek out a faculty advisor to consult about major planning prior to declaring the major. Any non-visiting English faculty member at the Assistant, Associate, or Professor level may serve as advisor. English majors should meet with a major advisor regularly, especially if they deviate from their original major plan.
4. Students formally elect the major in English by submitting a proposed plan of major courses through DartWorks (on DartHub), filling out a major planning worksheet (available in the English and Creative Writing Department offices as well as on the Department website), and meeting with a faculty advisor to get approval. Once approved by the advisor, the signed worksheet must be submitted in the Department offices.
Concentration in Creative Writing
The Creative Writing Program’s sequential course of study and small workshops allow students to pursue and develop their craft from the introductory level to the advanced. The creative writing experience at Dartmouth combines intensive writing workshops with the study of literature from a writer’s perspective. The concentration in Creative Writing does not change graduating requirements for students majoring in English, but it is a prerequisite for honors with a focus in Creative Writing.
For students in the Class of 2023 and beyond, the Concentration consists of four courses taken as part of an English major plan of study as follows:
1. One introductory course, CRWT 10, CRWT 11, or CRWT 12. (Only one introductory creative writing course may count toward the Concentration in Creative Writing.)
2. One intermediate course, CRWT 20, CRWT 21, or CRWT 22.
3. One course from the range of creative writing special topics seminars, CRWT 40 and CRWT 41. (Substitute courses with a focus on creative writing from other departments may be considered. Please consult with the Director of Creative Writing.)
4. One advanced workshop, CRWT 60, CRWT 61, or CRWT 62. (The advanced workshop is a requirement for the completion of the Concentration in Creative Writing.)
All intermediate and senior workshop courses (CRWT 20, 21, or 22) and CRWT 60, 61, or 62) require application and permission of the instructor.
Students who wish to elect the Creative Writing concentration should contact a Creative Writing faculty advisor and request a meeting to plan their course of study. Students are encouraged to select an advisor based on the area of creative interest.
Modified Majors
Students may propose a modified major in English by designing a program of study in consultation with an English and Creative Writing faculty advisor. One may modify the major with a selection of courses from other departments and programs, or one may modify a major in another department or program with a selection of English and Creative Writing courses. In both cases the modifying courses must qualify for major credit in their home department or program. The Culminating Experience requirement should be satisfied according to the primary department’s rules. Proposals for modifying the major in English should explain the rationale for modifying the standard major.
A formal proposal for a modified major must be submitted to the Vice Chair of the Department of English and Creative Writing. Proposals to modify another major with English and Creative Writing courses must be approved by the Vice Chair of English and Creative Writing before going to the primary department or program for final approval as a major program. Proposals to modify the major in English with other courses must be submitted, along with an authorizing signature from the secondary department or program, to the Vice Chair of English and Creative Writing and the CDC. The Vice Chair’s signature signifies final approval of a modified major in English.
Modified major in which English is the primary subject:
This major requires the successful completion of eleven major courses, including seven courses in the Department of English and Creative Writing. All of the distributive requirements governing the regular English major, as outlined above, apply to the modified major. Along with the English and Creative Writing courses taken in satisfaction of the major distributive requirements, a modified major includes four courses from the modifying department or program (or from multiple departments and programs), which substitute for four elective English and Creative Writing courses in the eleven-course major.
Major in another department or program modified with English:
To modify another major with English, a student must take four English and Creative Writing courses that count towards the major in English. These four substitute for four courses from the primary department or program, and cannot include transfer credits.
The Minor in English
The minor in English requires the successful completion of six courses in the Department of English and Creative Writing, selected from all English and Creative Writing courses qualifying for major credit. No substitutions and no more than one transfer credit will be permitted.
The Major in English with Honors
There are two Honors tracks within the English Major: Literary and Cultural Studies, and Creative Writing.
The Major in English with Honors – Literary and Cultural Studies
English majors who have completed at least six major courses by the end of their junior year and have a grade point average (GPA) in the major of 3.5 or higher and an overall college GPA of 3.0 or higher may apply for the Honors program in literary and cultural studies. Eligible students should meet with their prospective thesis advisors and apply by submitting to the Committee on Departmental Curriculum (CDC) their record in the major along with a formal proposal of an Honors thesis in the spring term of their junior year.
The Honors Program in English in literary and cultural studies consists of the successful completion of the following requirements. Students who do not meet requirements 1, 2, and 3 will not be allowed to advance to ENGL 99.
1) Honors majors writing a thesis in literary and cultural studies must complete the Honors Seminar, ENGL 97, in the fall term of their senior year.
2) Students must complete a Senior Seminar in English (ENGL 70 – ENGL 75) in addition to ENGL 97 prior to or concurrent with enrollment in ENGL 98.
3) The Course Group IV requirement should be satisfied before the term in which the candidate completes the Honors thesis and submits it for evaluation.
4) The thesis is to be completed during two terms of ENGL 98 and ENGL 99. For students who satisfied their senior seminar requirement before their junior year, ENGL 97 or ENGL 98 may count as their Culminating Experience in the major. ENGL 99 constitutes a twelfth course in the major program, separate from all other requirements outlined above.
The Major in English with Honors – Creative Writing
English majors who have completed at least four courses in the creative writing concentration and six major courses by the end of their junior year and have a grade point average (GPA) in the major of 3.5 or higher and an overall college GPA of 3.0 or higher may apply for the Honors program in Creative Writing. Eligible students should apply by submitting their record in the major to the Creative Writing Honors Director along with a formal proposal of an Honors thesis and a writing sample in the fall term of their senior year.
The Honors Program in English in Creative Writing consists of the successful completion of the following requirements:
- Students must complete an advanced workshop in CW (CRWT 60, CRWT 61, or CRWT 62) prior to enrolling in CWRT 98.
- The Course Group IV requirement should be satisfied before the term in which the candidate completes the Honors thesis and submits it for evaluation.
- The thesis is to be completed during two terms of CWRT 98 and CWRT 99. CWRT 99 constitutes a twelfth course in the major program, separate from all other requirements outlined above.
For complete information about the Honors Programs in Literary Studies and Creative Writing, including further regulations, deadlines, and advice, please consult the English Honors Director or the Director of Creative Writing.
English Study Abroad
The Department of English and Creative Writing offers one Foreign Study Program (FSP), offered bi-annually at Queen Mary University of London. The English and Creative Writing FSP takes place during the fall academic term. Participation in the FSP is open to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors. To participate in the program, students must have completed all first-year requirements and one English course (other than ENGL 7) with a grade of B or better. Students wanting to study creative writing in London must also complete an introductory creative writing course in the relevant genre (CRWT 10, CRWT 11, or CRWT 12) with a grade of B or better. In rare circumstances, the director of the FSP can authorize exceptions to these prerequisites.
Students enrolled in the English and Creative Writing FSP register for ENGL 90, ENGL 91, and ENGL 92, and those three courses will appear on the student's transcript when the FSP is completed successfully. ENGL 90 and ENGL 91 carry major and minor credit and may be used to satisfy Course Group requirements in the major; ENGL 92 carries one non-major college credit. A student may petition the Vice Chair to receive three major or minor credits in English for work completed during an English and Creative Writing FSP. The Course Group requirements satisfied by ENGL 90 and ENGL 91 depend on the particular courses taken at the FSP host institution and should be determined in consultation with the Department Vice Chair. For specific information on FSPs and major requirements please consult the FSP directors and the English and Creative Writing Department’s website at https://english.dartmouth.edu.
The Department of English and Creative Writing website and the Registrar’s Timetable of Class Meetings also have up-to-date information on course offerings.