English – Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA)
The English BA Program opens opportunities for personal enrichment as well as professional growth. The English BA degree develops students’ proficiency in writing, reading, critical thinking, and speaking skills necessary for success in both academic work and careers. Our graduates go to graduate and professional schools, publish books, educate others, travel abroad, start their own businesses, and, in short, achieve their professional goals and personal aspirations. Our courses are geared towards helping our students succeed by offering a wide array of traditional and contemporary topics, in addition to providing real-world experiences through our internship and capstone courses, with access to the area’s cultural resources. Our faculty, whose professional interests include composition and rhetoric, gender studies, culture studies, creative writing, linguistics, film, and literature, are dedicated to ensuring the success of our students.
Student Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to
- produce substantive writings that draw on interdisciplinary, critical approaches applied to a vast array of primary sources.
- engage in research using contemporary research methods, including print and electronic technologies, as well as various modes of citation (MLA, Chicago Style, APA).
- analyze texts for claims, arguments, evidence, and style.
- read and interpret texts according to different critical frameworks, including historical and theoretical methodologies.
- synthesize life experience, class materials, and experiential learning (e.g., film screenings, conference attendance, community tutoring, etc.).
- participate in assignments demanding self-assessment of learning and composition methods.
- enroll in course sequences sharing common literary and methodological texts studied from differing contexts.
- complete a capstone course that requires students to synthesize content knowledge as well as complete an independent project that reflects their progress as a writer and thinker.
- demonstrate knowledge of major literary genres, subgenres, and periods (including major authors for given periods), as well as demonstrate a sound understanding of basic literary terms and categories.
- demonstrate knowledge of 20th and 21st-century literary theory and analyze media through these critical lenses.
- demonstrate knowledge of World, British, American, and African-American literatures.
- demonstrate understanding of major linguistic processes and subsystems.
Curriculum and Program Requirements
The English Program offers courses in Technical Writing, African-American Literature and Film, British and American Literature, Literary Theory, Post-Colonial and Diaspora Literatures, Critical Race Studies, Linguistics, and Children Literature and Media. Advanced seminar and internship courses help students synthesize their diverse skills and knowledge, as they take the next steps toward their career goals.
Program of Study (PDF) | (DOC)
Students in the bachelor’s program complete a 120-credit hour plan of study to earn the degree.
Please see our English Major Program Guide for more details about our program, our faculty, and all our opportunities.
English Research Library Guides (PDF) | (DOC)
Notable UDC Writers
Faculty Spotlight: English Program
Bethany Monea joined the English department in the Fall of 2023 as an Assistant Professor of Community Writing. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and her research and teaching focus on community writing and media, digital literacies, high-school-to-college transitions, and participatory and arts-based research methods. Her work has been published in Written Communication, English Journal, Computers and Composition, Kairos, English Teaching: Practice & Critique, Qualitative Research, and elsewhere. She is committed to building justice-oriented partnerships between university and community-based researchers, writers, and artists and is always open to exploring new collaborations. You can reach her at bmonea@udc.edu.
Enrolling in the English Program
- Learn more about applying for admissions to the English Program
- Learn more about scholarship opportunities for English students
- Learn more about job opportunities in English
- Learn more about UDC Career Services
- Learn more about the Division of Arts and Humanities
- Learn more about the College of Arts and Sciences
The Writing Center @ The Point
The College of Arts and Sciences English Program announces the opening of The Writing Center @ The Point.
The Writing Center @ The Point offers undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to work one-on-one with trained tutors on writing projects of any level. Consultations might address essays and presentations for IGED courses, lab reports and senior theses for major programs, as well as materials for job- and fellowship applications. The Writing Center @ The Point is committed to social justice and equity, and our goal is to serve as the campus resource for students’ writing, critical thinking, and digital literacy.
Appointments may be made for in-person or online sessions. To access our schedule, virtual rooms, and tutor contacts, please click here.
(Tutors are also accessible through the free online tutoring service Upswing. )
Location: 4250 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Bldg. 71, 4th Floor, Event Space 8
Contact: Dr. Helene Krauthamer at hkrauthamer@udc.edu
Contact information
College of Arts & Sciences
Phone: 202.274.5194
Helene Krauthamer, English Program Coordinator
Email: hkrauthamer@udc.edu Phone: 202.274.5626
English Newsletter
Program Faculty
Faculty bios and areas of expertise. Click here
DAAH Bookshelf
Stay current with the professional activities of Program faculty and their colleagues within the Division of Arts and Humanities. Click here for more information.
Student Organizations and Activities in the English Program
Sigma Tau Delta, the English Program’s Honors Society, and the Literary Club bring students together to exchange ideas, serve the community, and engage with professionals working in areas of interest. Click here for more information.