Undergraduate Catalog 2008-2009

Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0.
Completion of the university writing skills requirement.
Two 200-level literature courses (202-299) with a minimum GPA in those courses of 2.5.
Students should bring their current UB DARS report directly to the English department.

Acceptance Information

Deadlines: Rolling

We do not limit the number of students accepted to the major.

Degree Requirements

Please see Degrees and Policies.

We limit enrollment into our lower and upper division courses so that we can offer good students the opportunity to study closely with their teachers. We offer courses both in traditional areas of literary studies and in cross-disciplinary approaches to literary texts so that students may use English as a general preparation for any career that requires writing skills, literacy, research methods, and cultural awareness.

Working poets and novelists teach literary classes; distinguished scholars and critics offer seminars from Beowulf to best-sellers. Courses in literature and psychology, literature and the law, and cultural studies also further the department's commitment to the methods and insights of diverse fields.

The typical class size for:

Freshman/introductory courses: 24
Lower and upper level courses: anywhere from 15 to 100, with most classes at 30-35
Honors seminars: 5-15

In the Department of English, what do teaching assistants (TAs) do?

TAs teach the freshman composition sequence (ENG 101 - ENG 201), and some 200-level literature courses; they may also serve as section leaders in large lecture courses.

Suggested Introductory Courses

• ENG 221-ENG 222 World Masterpieces
• ENG 231-ENG 232 British Writers
• ENG 241-ENG 242 American Writers
• ENG 251-ENG 260 Literary Types

For course descriptions, please see Courses.

The English department has been consistently ranked in the top thirty English departments in the United States. The faculty consists of nationally and internationally prominent scholars and writers who also take teaching very seriously, including six faculty members who have won the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching or have been made Distinguished Teaching Professors. Their interests range from early modern literature to postmodernism and include cultural studies, postcolonialism, psychoanalytic theory, film, gender studies, visual studies, poetics, Marxism, documentary, Native American literature, ecocriticism, mythology, and much more.

We recommend that students meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (303 Clemens Hall, 716-645-2575 ext. 1011), to discuss their future program and the requirements of the department.

See a list of our Undergraduate Faculty.

Notable Program Features

The English Department physically houses the Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Culture, an interdisciplinary research center which studies various aspects of Freudian theory. It also houses the North American Centre for Interdisciplinary Poetics, a web-based free exchange Poetics forum. The English Department regularly sponsors readings and events like the Poetics Plus Poetry Series, Exhibit X Fiction Series, Early Modern Reading Group, and the Buffalo Film Seminars. Each of these provides students with an interesting opportunity to learn about specific aspects of poetry, literature and film, and, often, the chance to meet famous writers in each field.

Undergraduate Research and Practical Experience

The English Department is one of three collaborating departments (along with Communication and Media Study) which are a part of the relatively new Journalism Certificate Program. This program provides students with a strong educational foundation in writing and reporting for publication, emphasizing hands-on workshops and internships designed to transition students into the professional world.
Students in the English Department not only learn to write critically but can test their skills at writing fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. They may participate in internship opportunities by writing for student publications as well as for outside media outlets.

Internships
The English department awards academic credit to students who submit an acceptable writing internship proposal for work either on campus or in the community, and who successfully complete their chosen project.

Honors, Awards, and Scholarships

Honors Program
The English department offers an honors program for serious students who enjoy doing intensive work and would like the challenge and excitement of exchanging ideas and research with fellow students and instructors in a seminar setting. Planning and writing a thesis is another opportunity the honors program offers. Students may qualify for the honors program when they are accepted into the English major if (1) they have taken at least two lower-division and two upper-division English department courses with a minimum GPA of 3.5 and (2) they submit a writing sample.


George Knight Houpt Prize
Awarded to a graduating English major who has exhibited excellence and proficiency in his or her work in the English department. The prize is $950. Criteria include a high GPA in English, high overall GPA, recommendations from faculty, and a piece of written work submitted by the student.

Arthur Axlerod Memorial Award
This prize is for poetry only and is open to all University at Buffalo undergraduates. There are two prizes of $500 each.

Scribblers Prize
For the best piece of creative writing by an undergraduate woman. The prize is $600.

The Joyce Carol Oates Prize
The prize of $1000 is for the best piece of fiction by a university undergraduate or graduate student.

The Albert Cook, Mac Hammond, and John Logan Prizes
Awarded for the best offerings in poetry, fiction, or drama. There are three prizes of $500 each.

The English Department Essay Contest
The prize of $200 is for the best critical essay written in a U.B. undergraduate English class (other than ENG 101, ENG 102, or ENG 201).

The English Department regularly sponsors readings and events like the Poetics Plus Poetry Series, Exhibit X Fiction Series, Early Modern Reading Group, and the Buffalo Film Seminars. Each of these provides students with an interesting opportunity to learn about specific aspects of poetry, literature, and film, and often the chance to meet famous writers in each field. Undergraduate majors have formed a literary society that calls itself Shakespeare's Fools, and there is an undergraduate literary publication entitled NAME. Information about these can be found at the undergraduate office at 303 Clemens.

See the UB Student Association.