Literature B.A.

Information and Policies

Introduction

The Literature Department at UC Santa Cruz fosters innovative and comparative approaches to reading and interpretation in courses  in a variety of languages that encompass traditional literary history, cross-cultural inquiry, current theoretical debates, and new media.

Literature majors learn to read, think, and write critically. These skills have wide applicability, and offer pathways into related disciplines such as history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, politics, and the history of art and visual culture. These analytical and communicative skills are equally applicable in a variety of professional settings. Literature majors enter careers ranging from law and journalism to management, government, international studies, publishing, technical writing, and teaching at all levels. The literature major prepares students for careers in digital storytelling and electronic media; film, television, and video; theater and the visual arts; and many other fields.

The Literature Department faculty requires that all literature majors have basic proficiency in a second language. Proficiency in more than one language enhances understanding of any literature and culture. Graduate programs in literature and other humanities disciplines generally require competence in at least one language other than English.

Program Learning Outcomes

Following is a summary of the program learning outcomes for the Literature B.A.:

Students who complete the literature major should emerge with the following knowledge and skills:

1. A capacity for critical analysis of texts that is attentive to:
   • the formal structures, genres, and rhetorical strategies of different kinds of writing, public discourse, and media;
   • the historical and social contexts of such texts;
   • the role cultural and linguistic differences play in the interpretation of texts read in translation and in a language not one's own.
2. Effective written communication that demonstrates the following abilities:
   • to evaluate multiple interpretations of texts;
   • to write effective argumentative prose;
   • to situate texts in relation to a critical/theoretical tradition;
   • to design and initiate a substantive independent project of research or creative activity.
3. Experience reading a variety of texts:
   • from a breadth of world cultures and traditions;
   • from different historical periods, including the pre-modern;
   • originally written in languages other than English.

Academic Advising for the Program

Faculty advisors are available in the Literature Department office throughout each academic term; students may make appointments in advance to meet with them. Staff advisors are available by appointment and on a drop-in basis. Students are encouraged to consult with an advisor once per quarter.

Transfer students should also consult the section Transfer Information and Policy.

Advisors for the literature program are available at litdept@ucsc.edu, (831) 459-4778, or by visiting the Literature Department office in Humanities 1, room 303.

Getting Started in the Major: Frosh

All students considering a literature major or minor should consult with staff and/or faculty advisors at the Literature Department office as early as possible, and declare the major or minor before the end of their sophomore year. Transfer students are urged to declare their major or minor during their first quarter at UC Santa Cruz, and should also consult the section Transfer Information and Policy.

Transfer Information and Policy

Transfer Admission Screening Policy

Students planning to apply to UC Santa Cruz in this major are not required to complete specific major preparation courses for consideration of admission to UC Santa Cruz.

Students transferring from California community colleges may use an articulated equivalent of LIT 1 to satisfy the LIT 1 course requirement. Students transferring from other colleges may petition to use an introduction to literature course to satisfy the LIT 1 course requirement. Another literature course may be applied toward the LIT 60/LIT 61 or the LIT 80/LIT 81 course requirement. Lit 61W, Writing and Research Methods, is a course designed for transfer and any other students who feel the need for strengthening fundamental writing, interpretation, and basic research skills.

Transfer students planning to major in literature are strongly recommended to complete the equivalent of one year of college-level study of a language other than English before entering UC Santa Cruz.

Transfer students planning to major in literature with a language literature concentration are strongly recommended to have completed two years of college-level language study (or comparable ability) to allow for a two-year graduation.

Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students

Transfer students may declare the literature major or minor after completing LIT 1 or its transfer equivalent, and are urged to declare the major during their first quarter at UC Santa Cruz.

For information about declaring the literature major or minor, please see the section How to Declare a Major.

A student may receive credit toward the lower-division requirements of the major or minor for up to two courses taken at other institutions.

Students who attend another campus of the University of California may petition to apply a maximum of three upper-division courses toward the literature major, or two upper-division courses toward the literature minor.

Students may not use upper-division coursework taken at non-UC colleges or universities to satisfy upper-division literature major or minor credit.

Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process

Major Qualification

Students must complete LIT 1 or its transfer equivalent in order to declare the literature major or minor.

Transfer students should also consult the section Transfer Information and Policy.

Appeal Process

Students notified that they are not eligible to declare the literature major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the department chair within 15 working days from the date of notification. Within 15 working days of receipt of the student's appeal, the department will notify the student and their college of its decision regarding the appeal.

How to Declare a Major

Students must complete LIT 1 or its transfer equivalent in order to declare the literature major. In order to declare the major, students meet with a department advisor to complete and submit a Proposed Study Plan and Declaration of Major/Minor petition. All students considering a major should consult with a department advisor as early as possible to make an academic plan.

Students who have not completed LIT 1 or its transfer equivalent and who are approaching the campus declaration deadline (their sixth quarter, for students admitted as frosh) may petition to declare the literature major. The petition will be approved or denied, or the student will be provided with conditions (completion of LIT 1 or its equivalent with a grade of C or better) that must be resolved within one additional quarter of enrollment.

Letter Grade Policy

Letter grades are required for 75 percent of the upper-division courses applied toward the literature major. The senior seminar or senior thesis must be taken for a letter grade.

Course Substitution Policy

Students who participate in a UC Education Abroad Program and/or attend another campus of the University of California may petition to apply a combined maximum of three upper-division courses toward the literature major, or two upper-division courses toward the literature minor.

Students may petition to receive literature elective credit for a maximum of one upper-division course taken in another department at UC Santa Cruz. In order to petition for a course from another department to substitute for a literature elective, students should submit a current course syllabus to the literature undergraduate program coordinator. Courses accepted from other departments may not be used to satisfy the literature distribution requirements.

Study Abroad

The University of California’s Education Abroad Program (EAP) operates study centers in countries throughout the world, all associated with host institutions of high academic standing. EAP serves more than 1500 upper-division students from the nine UC campuses every year. Students who participate in a UC Education Abroad Program may petition to apply up to three upper-division courses from EAP toward the literature major, or two upper-division courses toward the literature minor.

Honors

Honors in the literature major are awarded to graduating seniors who have earned a 3.70 to 3.89 grade-point average in their upper-division literature courses. Highest honors in the literature major are awarded to graduating seniors who have earned a 3.90 or higher grade-point average in their upper-division literature courses. Honors are not awarded in the minor.

Creative Writing Courses

Any qualified student may take creative writing courses for credit toward graduation. Only students accepted into the creative writing concentration, however, may use Literature/Creative Writing courses LIT 179A, LIT 179B, LIT 190V, LIT 190W, and LIT 195C to satisfy major requirements.

Senior Checklist

Three quarters before anticipated graduation, all literature majors must complete a checklist in collaboration with a department advisor. The purpose of the checklist is to confirm progress toward graduation and the satisfaction of all major requirements. Completion and approval of a senior checklist are required for graduation.

Credit for Repeated Courses

Courses that vary significantly in material or methodology from one presentation to the next may be repeated for credit and are so designated in the course description in the UC Santa Cruz General Catalog.

Individual Study Credit for the Major

Students may apply a maximum of two of the following courses–LIT 195 (Senior Essay), LIT 198 (Group Tutorial), and/or LIT 199 (Tutorial)–for satisfaction of literature major requirements. LIT 195 may be used only once for satisfaction of literature major requirements.

Intensive Literature Major Option

The intensive literature major requires students to complete upper-division literature coursework in a second language. The intensive literature major is especially useful for students who plan to apply to graduate programs in literature and other humanities disciplines, or for students going into international and multilingual professional schools; those programs typically require students to do academic work in at least two languages. In order to satisfy an intensive literature major, students complete all of the requirements for a general literature, language literature, or creative writing concentration (including the critical approaches and distribution requirements); students must also complete at least two additional upper-division courses in a second-language literature studied in the original language, for a total of 14 courses (12 upper-division courses and two lower-division courses).

Two years of college-level language study (or comparable ability) are needed before a student is prepared to enter an upper-division language-literature course. In select languages (Greek, Latin, Middle Egyptian hieroglyphics, Sanskrit), less time is needed for this purpose.

General Literature Concentration

Course Requirements

The general literature concentration of the Literature major requires: (1) basic proficiency in a second language; and (2) 12 courses in literature.

• Basic language proficiency: One year (three quarters or equivalent) of college-level study of a non-English language or demonstrated reading ability at this level.
• The 12 required courses must include two lower-division and 10 upper-division courses.

Lower-Division Requirements

• Basic language proficiency: One year (three quarters or equivalent) of college-level study of a non-English language or demonstrated reading ability at this level.

Lower-division courses are introductions to critical reading and writing. Students should complete their lower-division coursework before beginning upper-division work.

• Two lower-division courses are required:

Plus

One LIT 60/LIT 61-series course

or

One LIT 80/LIT 81-series course

Upper-Division Courses

Ten upper-division courses are required:

Plus

• Eight additional upper-division literature courses.

These eight courses must between them fulfill the distribution requirements specified below. Some courses may be used to fulfill more than one distribution requirement, as specified below.

Upper-division courses provide detailed treatment of literary and theoretical problems, themes, and periods. Students are strongly encouraged to take courses across chronological periods and national boundaries, and to balance small seminars with lecture courses.

Distribution Requirements

• Two upper-division courses on literature written before 1750.
• One upper-division course on non-Western literature or literature in a global perspective.
• One upper-division course on poetry and poetics (may not be a creative writing course).
• A senior seminar (a course in the LIT 190 series) or a senior thesis (LIT 195), which satisfies the campus comprehensive requirement (see below).

The course descriptions in the General Catalog specify the distribution requirements satisfied by each course.

Some courses satisfy more than one distribution requirement.

Students can consult Distribution Requirement course offerings for each of the above categories.*

*Revised 3/23/23 to incorporate course lists previously published on Literature Department's website into the General Catalog.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major’s upper-division disciplinary communication (DC) requirement. Literature majors must satisfy the disciplinary communication requirement by passing:

Comprehensive Requirement

Students must successfully complete LIT 101 before taking any comprehensive requirement.

Seniors must select one of the following options to satisfy the campus exit requirement:

Senior seminar.

The senior seminar (courses in the LIT 190 series) may be counted as one of the required upper-division courses. Several senior seminars are offered each quarter; extensive writing is required in all seminars.

Senior thesis.

Students who wish to propose a senior thesis (30–40 pages) must apply to a Literature Department faculty sponsor at least two quarters before the projected date of graduation. The application must include a proposed subject, a brief outline, a bibliography, and a sample of previous written work. Only those students who have received written permission from a faculty supervisor may complete a thesis to satisfy the senior exit requirement.

A student whose application has been approved may receive course credit toward the major for one independent study (LIT 195A or LIT 195B), and may count LIT 195A or LIT 195B as one of the upper-division courses required for the major.

Planners

The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.

Four-Year Major Planner

Courses required for the major fulfill the TA General Education requirement. Other GE requirements may be fulfilled depending on the choice of electives. The MF, SI and SR requirements are never fulfilled.

Transfer Student Planner #1 (for transfer students who have completed literature's lower-division and one-year language requirement at the time of transfer)

Transfer Student Planner #2 (for transfer students who have completed no literature requirements or language coursework at the time of transfer, but have completed most general education requirements)

Language Literature Concentration

The language literature concentration examines literature within the frameworks of particular languages or national and regional traditions, and requires that texts be read in the original language. Enrollment in upper-division language literature courses normally requires completion of two years of college-level language coursework, or the equivalent.

Course Requirements

The language literature concentration of the literature major requires: (1) completion of two years of college-level language coursework, or the equivalent; and (2) 12 courses in literature.

• The 12 required courses must include two lower-division and 10 upper-division courses.

Lower-Division Requirements

• Language proficiency: Two years (six quarters or equivalent) of college-level study of a non-English language or demonstrated reading ability at this level.

Lower-division courses are introductions to critical reading and writing. Students should complete their lower-division coursework before beginning upper-division work.

• Two lower-division courses are required:

Plus

One LIT 60/LIT 61-series course

or

One LIT 80/LIT 81-series course

Upper-Division Courses

Ten upper-division courses are required:

Plus

• Eight additional upper-division literature courses.

These eight courses must between them fulfill the requirements specified below. Some courses may be used to fulfill more than one requirement, as specified below.

Upper-division courses provide detailed treatment of literary and theoretical problems, themes, and periods. Students are strongly encouraged to take courses across chronological periods and national boundaries, and to balance small seminars with lecture courses.

Language Literature Concentration Requirements

• Five courses in a single language literature.

French Literature (courses in the LIT 182 series)

The study of French and Francophone literatures, languages, and cultural practices of France, Africa, and the Caribbean.

German Literature (courses in the LIT 183 series)

The study of the literature, language, and cultural practices of the German-speaking areas of central Europe including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Greek and/or Latin Literature (courses in the LIT 184 and LIT 186 series)

The study of the literature, languages, and cultural practices of ancient Greece and Rome. Students may choose to concentrate in Greek or Latin or both.

Italian Literature (courses in the LIT 185 series)

The study of Italian literature, language, and cultural practices from the Middle Ages to the present.

Spanish/Latin American/Latino Literatures (courses in the LIT 188-LIT 189 series, LIT 190X)

The study of literatures, language, and cultural practices of Spain, Latin America, and Latino populations in the United States.

Each of these courses may also satisfy one or more distribution requirements (see below).

Distribution Requirements

• Two upper-division courses on literature written before 1750.
• One upper-division course on non-Western literature or literature in a global perspective.
• One upper-division course on poetry and poetics (may not be a creative writing course).
• A senior seminar (a course in the LIT 190 series) or a senior thesis (LIT 195), which satisfies the campus comprehensive requirement (see below).

The course descriptions in the General Catalog specify the distribution requirements satisfied by each course.

Some courses satisfy more than one distribution requirement.

Students can consult Distribution Requirement course offerings for each of the above categories.*

*Revised 3/23/23 to incorporate course lists previously published on Literature Department's website into the General Catalog.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major’s upper-division disciplinary communication (DC) requirement. Literature majors must satisfy the disciplinary communication requirement by passing:

Comprehensive Requirement

Students must successfully complete LIT 101 before taking any comprehensive requirement.

Seniors must select one of the following options to satisfy the campus exit requirement:

Senior seminar.

The senior seminar (courses in the LIT 190 series) may be counted as one of the required upper-division courses. Several senior seminars are offered each quarter; extensive writing is required in all seminars.

Senior thesis.

Students who wish to propose a senior thesis (30–40 pages) must apply to a Literature Department faculty sponsor at least two quarters before the projected date of graduation. The application must include a proposed subject, a brief outline, a bibliography, and a sample of previous written work. Only those students who have received written permission from the faculty supervisor may complete a thesis to satisfy the senior exit requirement.

A student whose application has been approved may receive course credit toward the major for one independent study (LIT 195A or LIT 195B), and may count LIT 195A or LIT 195B as one of the upper-division courses required for the major.

Planners

The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.

Four-Year Major Planner

Courses required for the major fulfill the TA general education requirement. Other requirements may be fulfilled depending on the choice of electives. The MF, SI and SR requirements are never fulfilled.

Transfer Student Planner #1 (for transfer students who have completed literature's lower-division, most general education requirements, and one year of language coursework at the time of transfer)

Transfer Student Planner #2 (for transfer students who have completed literature's lower-division requirements and two years of language coursework at the time of transfer)

Creative Writing Concentration

The Literature Department offers a sequence of creative writing workshops from introductory through advanced levels. Admission to the creative writing concentration is selective. Interested students are required to take one lower-division creative writing workshop at UC Santa Cruz (LIT 90, LIT 90X, LIT 91A or LIT 91B) before applying to the concentration; however, students are strongly encouraged to complete two lower-division workshops (at least one at UCSC) before applying. To apply for admission to the creative writing concentration, students should submit a completed application form (available at the Literature Department office and on the Literature Department website). Once accepted into the concentration, students are required to declare (or redeclare) the major in literature, with a concentration in creative writing.

In addition to the distribution requirements required for all literature majors, students in the creative writing concentration must complete four of their eight upper-division literature courses in creative writing, including a senior project seminar.

Course Requirements

Lower-Division Requirements

• Basic language proficiency: One year (three quarters or equivalent) of college-level study of a non-English language or demonstrated reading ability at this level.

Lower-division courses are introductions to critical reading and writing. Students should complete their lower-division coursework before beginning upper-division work.

• Three lower-division courses are required:

Plus

One LIT 60/LIT 61-series course

or

One LIT 80/LIT 81-series course

Plus at least one of the following

Upper-Division Courses

Ten upper-division literature courses are required:

Plus

• Eight additional upper-division courses.
These eight courses must between them fulfill the creative writing workshop and distribution requirements specified below. Some courses may be used to fulfill more than one distribution requirement, as specified below.

Upper-division courses provide detailed treatment of literary and theoretical problems, themes, and periods. Students are strongly encouraged to take courses across chronological periods and national boundaries, and to balance small seminars with lecture courses.

Advanced Creative Writing Workshops

Three advanced writing workshops, as follows:
Fiction/Prose students: Any combination of three iterations of LIT 179A and/or LIT 179C

Poetry students: Any combination of three iterations of LIT 179B and/or LIT 179C

Distribution Requirements

• Two upper-division courses on literature written before 1750.
• One upper-division course on non-Western literature or literature in a global perspective.
• One upper-division course on poetry and poetics (may not be a creative writing course).
• A creative project senior seminar (LIT 190V [Fiction] or LIT 190W [Poetry]) or a senior thesis (LIT 195C), which satisfies the campus comprehensive requirement (see below).

The course descriptions in the General Catalog specify the distribution requirements satisfied by each course.

Some courses satisfy more than one distribution requirement.

Students can consult Distribution Requirement course offerings for each of the above categories.*

*Revised 3/23/23 to incorporate course lists previously published on Literature Department's website into the General Catalog.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major’s upper-division disciplinary communication (DC) requirement. Literature majors must satisfy the disciplinary communication requirement by passing:

Comprehensive Requirement

Students must successfully complete LIT 101 before taking any comprehensive requirement.

Seniors must select one of the following options to satisfy the campus exit requirement:

Senior seminar

The senior seminar may be counted as one of the required upper-division courses. Extensive writing is required in all seminars. Creative writing senior seminars are offered only during spring quarter.

Senior essay

Students who wish to propose a creative writing senior essay (30–40 pages) must apply to a Literature Department faculty sponsor at least two quarters before the projected date of graduation. The application must include a proposed subject, a brief outline, a bibliography, and a sample of previous written work. Only those students who have received written permission from a faculty supervisor may complete a senior essay to satisfy the senior exit requirement.

A student whose application has been approved may receive course credit toward the major for one independent study (LIT 195C), and may count LIT 195C as one of the required upper-division courses for the major.

Planners

The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.

Four-Year Major Planner

*Not required for the major, but strongly recommended before applying for admission to the Creative Writing concentration.

Courses required for the major fulfill the TA general education requirement. Other requirements may be fulfilled depending on the choice of electives. The MF, SI and SR requirements are never fulfilled.

Transfer Student Planner #1 (for transfer students who have completed literature's lower-division and one-year language requirements, and one creative writing course, at the time of transfer)

Transfer Student Planner #2 (for transfer students who have completed no literature requirements, language coursework, or creative writing course at the time of transfer, but have completed general education requirements)

*Not required for the major, but strongly recommended before applying for admission to the Creative Writing concentration.