English Major G.E. courses?

Question

I am still in high school in my junior year but will be an early graduate and I am planning on going to a junior college, then transferring to UCLA or CSUN. I am planning on majoring in English to become an English Professor. What courses do you recommend I take in junior college (for my G.E. courses) that would be great for an English major?

Answer 1

You will probably be required to take writing courses, so there will not be a choice there. When you have a selection of courses that could fulfill a certain requirement, here's what you should keep your eye out for:

(1) Literature classes (this is the obvious one)

(2) History classes (it will help you get an understanding of the history behind the books that you are reading. For example, if you are reading a book by a modernist author, it will be helpful to know about the Industrial Revolutiuon and WWI. This is the case for many books--you always want to be aware of the historical background (both the setting of the story and the era it was actually written).

(3) Philosophy classes. (Once you declare your major in English, you'll be required to take a course on Literary Theory, which is basically philosophy, which you will use to interpret texts once you become more advanced. Getting a jump start on understanding philosophy and being exposed to it right away couldn't hurt; it will also help you develop your critical thinking skills, which is a necessity as an English major).

(4) Psychology/sociology classes. (Psychology is important because one of the literary theories you'll learn later is psychoanalytic theory. Sociology will also help you when looking at mood, setting, characters, etc, and it will also help you to think critically about the world in general--this is important because writing is always a commentary on/ depiction of the world, so you need to understand how to analyze social relations).

I hope this helps, and good luck in college.

Answer 2

Build a solid foundation in English, American and World literature. Also, take writing courses, it will make paper writing easier for you.