BA in English in Princeton United States | Princeton University

The English Department provides an extensive selection of engaging courses that encourage students to re-examine literature's significance and impact as a form of expression. Some classes explore enduring literary formats like essays, novels, plays, and poetry, while others investigate historical English literature across diverse traditions—from medieval romances and African American writings to Shakespearean drama, Indigenous narratives, modernist works, 19th-century American literature, children's stories, 20th-century musicals, and American film. Additional courses introduce critical and theoretical frameworks, including phenomenology, psychoanalysis, ethics, textual analysis, and ideological studies, helping students recognize how language and literature intersect with power, persuasion, and representation. To complete the major, students must take 10 courses: one in literary and cultural history (LCH), a junior seminar (JRS), and eight departmental electives. LCH courses examine long-term cultural developments, while the JRS introduces research methods for advanced study. Among the remaining eight courses, five must fulfill distribution requirements, with three additional ENG or cross-listed options available. While no prerequisites exist, the department suggests starting with 200-level courses, though many 300-level classes also accommodate first-time English students.