<p>Hi! I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about what it's like to major in English at UCLA? I've tried looking around but about all I can get is vague stuff like, "UCLA's English department isn't as good as UCB's" and so forth.</p>
<p>I've heard that if you major in English at UCLA, apparently you have to take a lot of pre-req classes?</p>
<p>Any info would be great. =)</p>
<p>[UCLA</a> General Catalog 2009-2010 English Undergraduate Study](<a href=“http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/catalog/catalog09-10-310.htm#446605832_pgfId-212347]UCLA”>http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/catalog/catalog09-10-310.htm#446605832_pgfId-212347)</p>
<p>Take a look and ask questions away.</p>
<p>UCLA does have a strong liberal arts program, and one of my most insightful professors has always been my English and Humanties professors at UCLA.</p>
<p>I applied as an English major (transfer) as well, and I would love to hear more about it.</p>
<p>Mind you, I graduated from UCLA – ouch – more than 30 years ago, but have remained part of the English Dept. family. I have maintained long-term friendships with a number of my professors – the last of whom, Charles Batten, retired (or at least was planning to retire) last year. Professor Rodes, whom I had for my senior seminar “Chase of Wit”, was still teaching as an emeritus professor until a few years ago. Incredibly talented and reknowned scholar.</p>
<p>Having maintained contact with UCLA, the English Department, and former professors, as well as getting to know current and recently graduated students in English through alumni work I do, I am happy to report that the English Department remains as incredible and stimulating – with a pool of professorial talent – as it was when I was there.</p>
<p>The Department was at one time in Royce; migrated to Rolfe; and has found it’s new home in the Humanities building, next to Powell. Nicely restored, and if anything, you must visit the new English Reading Room. It is gorgeous!</p>
<p>[UCLA</a> Department of English : English Readnig Room](<a href=“http://www.english.ucla.edu/resources/err/about.asp]UCLA”>http://www.english.ucla.edu/resources/err/about.asp)</p>
<p>I went back to the UCLA English department website and discovered the professors mentioned above are still listed (they remain involved, as you can probably guess, whether they are still teaching or not). Also reminded me that one of my Shakespeare professors, Prof. Braunmuller, is still prowling the halls – he was pretty mindblowing back in the day. Discovered yet another program in which he was involved last year – undergraduate program for English majors to study Shakespearian plays, visiting both London’s Globe Theatre as well as Stratford-upon-Avon.</p>
<p>[Bruins</a> in Bardland: Blogging Shakespeare Abroad - Web Exclusive - UCLA Magazine Online](<a href=“http://www.magazine.ucla.edu/exclusives/bruins-in-bardland-blog/]Bruins”>http://www.magazine.ucla.edu/exclusives/bruins-in-bardland-blog/)</p>
<p>As stated in the link: “And because students are able to use their financial aid to take these classes, you get students who might never otherwise go to England, like a community college transfer student, in the third row at the Royal Shakespeare Company.”</p>
<p>“Students in the program spend a week shuttling among the theaters in London, then 10 days living in Stratford-upon-Avon Shakespeare’s hometown and the location of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Then there’s a final week in London. Live theater is a valuable addition to a Shakespeare class because the Bard’s work can’t be understood just by reading his plays, said Braunmuller.”</p>
<p>I have to admit, I would have loved to have had this opportunity back at UCLA – I did have the opportunity much later, when I lived in England, and later when I brought my husband back to visit. There is nothing more exciting than seeing Shakespeare brought to life in London and Stratford-upon-Avon!</p>
<p>@BruinLifer:</p>
<p>Thanks for the link…I don’t know how I missed it, haha. x__x I’m glad to hear that UCLA does have a strong liberal arts program. :D</p>
<p>@jcarroll6:</p>
<p>Maybe I’ll see you at UCLA sometime! :P</p>
<p>@UCLA77:</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for the extensive information/the links. 
When I visit the campus during spring break, I’ll be sure to check out the room if I can. And that program is indeed awesome. O___o (And on a side note: living in England sounds fun! :D)</p>
<p>I love love love LOVE the English reading room!</p>
<p>UCLA’s English, History, and other Humanities curriculum literally changed the way I approach to my day-to-day life. Going in as a prospective biz econ major in my first year, I shunned every writing and reading classes in the beginning, even contemplating taking those “useless, time-consuming, and unpractical” reading and writing classes at a local community college for some easy As. Back then, as young and immature I was, I really cared less about taking those liberal arts classes, instead opting for some finance, accounting, and numbers-oriented classes.</p>
<p>But fortunately, a voice of reason prevailed within me, and by the end of my second year, I was hooked. My writing had dramatically improved (you wont notice from the hastily written posts of mine here 
) as a result of my gradually increasing interest in the world of humanities classes.</p>
<p>So when your mom or dad, or even your older sibling, tells you of the important value of taking those liberal arts classes, you should listen. THey have done wonders for me in my life.</p>
<p>Bruinlifer – brilliant! I love hearing stories like that!</p>
<p>Oddly, back when I was majoring in English, students majored in the subject more for the educational and academic purpose rather than as a stepping stone to something else. Back then, the majority of the English majors continued on for their masters, focusing on a particular area of interest, or worked on teaching credentials. I was one of the few that went on to law school. Those at UCLA that wanted to go to law school were next door majoring in Political Science (with a sub-concentration in public law) – like my husband.</p>
<p>Now, there’s a large group of English majors that go to law school. In reflection, I strongly believe my background made law school much less challenging than it was for students taking Poli Sci as an undergraduate major, because the major involved so much reading and writing, as well as critical analysis. It made law school exams a breeze.</p>
<p>As an English major, I think the only class I struggled in was the required Milton course. I found his works beyond boring. Fortunately, I had a brilliant professor that I spent much time with (office hours are absolutely necessary to help with periodic mind blocks) who was able to refocus me. (I ended up with an A-, God knows how). I had the same professor during the same quarter for a James Joyce course (which at the time was a graduate course I was permitted to take). One of the reasons I wanted to study English was to unlock my mind to Ulysees, which took less than a week in class. He was a Joycean scholar. Died about 15 years ago. His name was Robert Adams. I bring this up because he was one of the founding editors of the Norton Anthology of English Literature – the English major’s bible.</p>
<p>[Robert</a> Adams, 81, A Literary Scholar And Classics Editor - Obituary; Biography - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/18/arts/robert-adams-81-a-literary-scholar-and-classics-editor.html?pagewanted=1]Robert”>http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/18/arts/robert-adams-81-a-literary-scholar-and-classics-editor.html?pagewanted=1)</p>
<p>In short, there are some really great professors in the English Dept.</p>
<p>@BruinLifer:</p>
<p>Ooh, that’s cool.
In my case though, it’s more of my parents telling me I shouldn’t major in something ‘impractical’ like English. 
</p>
<p>@UCLA77:</p>
<p>Wow…thanks for all this information. It’s really lessened the fear I had about UCLA not having a good English department (compared to a liberal arts college). :)</p>
<p>I’m also planning on majoring in English if I choose UCLA! </p>
<p>I talked to a junior at UCLA who said that the English Dept. was “UCLA’s best kept secret.” I’d be interested to know what other current students have to say about it, too.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing anyone should do is to look at the major requirements for any major they plan on taking, especially if it is in the humanities. One may find that majors can vary from school to school, especially the requirements. Some school’s departments are very strict and don’t allow much for the “explore what you want” experience, while others are the complete opposite. The English department at UCLA offers a lot of interesting classes, however the major requirements are really extensive to the point where you’ll be spending more time fulfilling classes that are required-mainly historical & the classics, than taking ones that, for me, tend to be the more “interesting” classes.</p>
<p>The English department at UCLA is, simply put, amazing.</p>
<p>The pre-requisites for the major are supposedly “weeder” courses, but aren’t bad at all. The lectures are usually deeply informative about the historical context of the period, and you only have to write 3 papers per quarter (on average). But if you’re not interested about the social/historical influences behind literature, you won’t get much out of it. </p>
<p>It really also depends on the TA that you get for your weekly discussion, but that can be said for any class/major.</p>
<p>@liek0806:</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! I agree that UCLA seems to have a lot of required classes for the English major. @___@</p>
<p>@bright_eyes:
“Weeder” courses sound scary, haha. Thanks for the information! BTW, are you a current student at UCLA or something?</p>
<p>“Oooh, the 10 series, be afraaaiiiid!” They’re not really weeder classes. They’re just survey classes of British literature that get you ready for the required upper divs like Shakespeare, Milton, and Chaucer.</p>
<p>My experience with the English department (I am an English major) is that it has unusually good teachers. My match and science major friends are always jealous of how much I love my professors and TAs. I’ve had one bad professor and one bad TA in my two years thus far (Professor Bristow–I’m not a fan), whereas most of my aforementioned friends are excited to get a math professor who can actually teach. Plus, English upper-division classes have smaller class sizes, averaging 30-40 people from my experience.</p>
<p>In short, I’ve had a very good time with my English major thus far. As for English being impractical–it can be a very good degree for pre-law, pre-med, aspiring editors, politicians, teachers, and any number of other careers that require good communication, critical thinking skills, and open minds. I myself want to teach–sorry, nothing fancy. But the vast majority of my English-major peers are not going into education, so it is most certainly not the only pathway for an English major, never fear. ;)</p>
<p>And yes, the English Reading Room is magnificent, and that possibly-oldest-in-existence Chaucer portrait makes ivy league scholars everywhere jealous.</p>
<p>Yes, I am a current student.</p>
<p>This thread is great! I’m an incoming freshman who decided (somewhat on a whim) that I wanted to major in English, but lately, I’ve been reconsidering my choice, especially since people have been telling me that “I won’t stand out from the crowd” of applicants (I want to go on to law school after attending UCLA). Now I’m considering double-majoring in English and a science (Chem, Bio, or Biochem)… How hard do you think that would be?</p>
<p>I think that would be difficult, because they seem (to me) like two completely different disciplines, which might water down in-depth concentration in any one of the disciplines. Maybe something more compatible – minoring in a language works well with English, as does political science. But if you are great at both a linear and non-linear thinker, it’s possible. Generally in English, while there’s a certain amount of logic involved, it’s more of a creative thought process, as opposed to structured thought and evidence based conclusions. And while languages are based on formulaic structure, some basics in a language, particularly the romance languages, helps enormously when trying to pick apart and understand old, middle and early modern English as you’ll need to get a good grip on Chaucer and Shakespeare.</p>
Hi I’m planning to transfer to ucla in fall 2017(I’m a first year college student currently). I have a question about the major requirements for English majors. I saw that it said you needed 2 years of a foreign language required for the major. Would the IGETC requirement fulfill that(I completed 2 years of Spanish in highschool so I fulfill the IGETC language requirement but I’m not sure if it works for the major too). Someone please respond quickly ! Thanks for the help!!