Gain a new perspective on your favorite authors and discover new ones with a concentration in literature.
In the literature concentration, you and your fellow students will explore literary works and their contexts, led by expert faculty who are innovative and committed teachers. Reading texts deeply, with an eye to the social and historical context in which they are created, will enhance your critical thinking and prepare you to untangle complex problems in any field you pursue after college. The poetry, fiction, essays, films, and plays we study offer rich sources of meaning that help us better understand the human condition as we work through them in class.
What You Will Learn
By the time you complete this program, you will know how to:
- study literature, using the methods and tools of literary analysis
- write clearly and think analytically
- untangle complex problems across many disciplines
- collaborate and share ideas with peers
We’re asked this question all the time. Our answer: A lot. You will learn skills that transfer across hundreds of possible careers and industries—some of which may not even exist yet. Our graduates go on to work in marketing, publishing, non-profit fundraising, speechwriting, as well as in countless other fulfilling occupations.
Explore Careers
What It’s Like to Study Literature
You’ll increase your powers of reading comprehension, analysis, interpretation, research, synthesis, and writing.
Many of the classes you’ll take emphasize the historical and political significance of literature and the ways it has grappled with pressing social and moral problems. This will help you envision a role for yourself as an effective agent in a participatory democracy.
Our courses offer:
- opportunities to participate in immersive learning projects
- senior seminars on special topics that range from food and non-human subjects to “American Bestsellers”
- advanced literature classes focusing on literature and gender, African-American Literature, American Ethnic Literature, Queer Literature, and Queer Theory
See "Major Requirements" below for some of the specific courses you'll take.
You’ll create knowledge in close collaboration with your classmates and faculty members who are respected, published scholars. Your professors bring to the classroom their excitement for researching and interpreting the cultural force of literature.
Professor Deborah Mix, for instance, is the author of A Vocabulary of Thinking, a book that identifies a contemporary literary tradition of women writers deeply inspired by Gertrude Stein. She has taught a number of courses that examine literary value and literary traditions, including recent courses on best-sellers and winners of book prizes.
Professor Adam Beach has published in prestigious journals on literary representations of slavery. He has taught several courses on literature and slavery, including the Digital Literature Review, an immersive-learning course in which students published an undergraduate critical journal on the topic.
Professor Emily Rutter applied her scholarly interest in social justice and literature in her recent special topics course, “Storytelling and Social Justice.” Learn more about how your literature major can help you change the world.
Read profiles of our faculty:
You’ll turn your analytical and writing skills toward the kind of activities you’ll pursue in the workplace after graduation.
Just a couple of the ways we do this include:
Promoting Change
English faculty and students are express their dedication to social and educational justice in many different ways—and you can help. You can work on a young-adult literature magazine that addresses diversity—or the lack thereof. You can learn to teach English to speakers of other languages. You can mentor young writers.
Creative Writing in the Community
Through this immersive learning course, English 409 students serve their community by teaching creative writing techniques and to write a text collaboratively.
English Language Learning
Dr. Lynne Stallings brings her students into the Muncie community and the Muncie school system to teach English Language Learners.
Indiana Writers Center
English students have the opportunity for a paid internship every summer in downtown Indianapolis with the Indiana Writers Center (IWC) to educate and inspire youth ages 6-16.
Rethinking Children's and YA Lit
In this free, digital, interactive literary magazine, teacher education, English, and journalism students invite readers to engage with children’s and young adult literature as a way to raise social consciousness and awareness.
Previous
Next
Major Requirements
Our program is designed to develop the advanced literacy and analytical skill that come from deep, contextualized reading in literature.
You must complete the University
Core Curriculum and 37 credits of literature-focused coursework
and electives.
Four semesters (or equivalent) of a modern or classical language at the college level are required.
Total Credits
120
Classes
A few of the classes you will take may include:
- English 230 Reading and Writing About Literature
- English 347 Twentieth-century American Literature
- English 491 Literature of African American Traditions
- Immersive courses such as the Digital Literature Review
- Senior seminars on topics such as Literature and Everyday Life
A current list of course offerings and descriptions can be found on our blog.
Course topics may vary per semester.
For a complete list of requirements and course descriptions, consult our Course Catalog.
View Catalog
Paying for Your Education
In addition to the dozens of scholarships the university offers its students, our department gives awards to acknowledge the excellence and achievements of our own majors and minors. Learn more.
Application Process and Requirements
Are you interested in pursuing this major? The first step is to review Ball State’s admissions criteria and apply as an undergraduate student.
Want to Learn More?
One of the best ways to understand why Ball State stands out is to come see it for yourself. You can schedule a visit through our Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Make sure to tell them you’re interested in our program. Or if you’d like to speak with someone in our department directly by phone or email, please contact us.