Due to the new core requirements being implemented next semester for freshmen English, the department has expanded its slate of upper-level class offerings for the fall semester.
The new core will stagger first-level English classes to be offered in spring semester freshman year and fall semester sophomore year, making the English faculty free to offer more 400-level classes this coming fall semester, since there are no freshman classes to teach.
There are 10 300-level and 13 400-level classes being offered next semester, as opposed to nine of each offered this semester.
“Fall is a sort of outlier in that there will be a lot more 400-level courses offered,” Associate Professor of English Stephen Smith said. “But in the spring, we’ll be back at it with the freshmen, and the upper-level classes will be back to normal.”
Despite some concerns that the new core would lead to a lack of classes for junior and senior English majors once the freshman classes are back in session, Assistant Professor of English Dwight Lindley said such fears are unfounded.
“There won’t be any diminished semesters in terms of upper-level offerings, if you heard that, it’s an urban myth,” Lindley said.
“In the new core, the English department’s 300-level surveys in British and American literature will no longer satisfy the tier two literature requirement,”
The new core removes the requirement to take a 300-level English survey course, according to Chairman of the English department Michael Jordan.
“This means we will be able to teach the 300s primarily to majors at a higher level.” Jordan said. “We have dreamed about something like this for years.”
At least some English majors are happy about the temporary expansion of the upper-level English world.
“The extra upper level offerings has made it hard to choose classes, but in the best way possible,” said sophomore English major Kirsten Hall. “Also, I’m hoping that more options will make it easier to get into classes.”
