Literature Minor
Students who minor in literature take courses that examine a variety of literary and visual texts and cultural artifacts from around the world, produced from pre-antiquity through the present. The literature minor requires a total of seven literature courses; literature minors do not have to satisfy certain major requirements such as second-language proficiency, distribution requirements, or a senior seminar.
Students must complete LIT 1 or its equivalent prior to declaring the minor. In order to declare the minor, students meet with a department advisor to complete and submit a Proposed Study Plan and Declaration of Major/Minor petition. All students considering a minor should consult with a department advisor as early as possible to make an academic plan.
Course Requirements
The minor in literature requires seven courses.
Lower-Division Courses
Take the following course:
| LIT 1 | Literary Interpretation | 5 |
This is a writing-intensive course.
Plus one of the following options:
- One course from the LIT 60 or LIT 61-series, or
- One course from the LIT 80 or LIT 81-series
LIT 60/LIT 61-series courses focus on categories, methodologies, and problems of literary study.
LIT 80/LIT 81-series courses focus on topical, thematic, and comparative studies of literary and filmic texts.
LIT 60/LIT 61 and LIT 80/LIT 81 courses are also recommended for non-majors.
Upper-Division Courses
Five upper-division courses are required.
Take the following course:
Upper-Division Literature Electives
Students take four 5-credit upper-division electives chosen from LIT 109-189, excluding courses from the LIT 179 series (creative writing courses). Independent studies and internships may count toward the electives with department approval. The literature minor does not require second-language proficiency or a senior seminar.
Course Substitution Policy
Students may substitute up to three upper-division courses. A maximum of two combined courses may come from another University of California campus and/or a UC Education Abroad Program. A maximum of one course may come from another UC Santa Cruz department. Courses taken at other four-year institutions will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
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 by email (litdept@ucsc.edu). Courses accepted from other departments may not be used to satisfy the literature distribution requirements.