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English Department Procedures to accomplish the following:
To Declare a Major, Minor, or Concentration Declaring the major or minor Review the major and minor requirements. After obtaining the necessary form from the Registrar and meeting with your current advisor to discuss your academic progress, meet with the chair of the department to declare the major. Bring the paperwork to the English Department office (417 Barnard Hall) and you will be assigned a major adviser. Leave the carbon copy of the completed paperwork with the English Department and return the rest to the office of the Registrar. It is not necessary to declare a concentration, but you can at this time. However, you can only add a Writing concentration after you have applied and been accepted. To declare the minor, file the appropriate form with the Registrar after having completed the minor requirements.
Major with a Concentration To declare a specific concentration, first review the major requirements and the requirements for the desired concentration. After consulting with the appropriate professors and your own major adviser, file an new, amended Major Declaration form with the Registrar, signed by the chair. Note: The writing concentration is an exception: students enter only by permission and usually at the end of their Junior year. Declaring a double, combined, or special major Double Major A double major means that you intend to complete the major requirements in two departments with no overlapping courses. You have the option of completing the senior project requirements in both departments (writing one essay for each major) or of doing a double major with one integrating senior project. For both options you will need a sponsor in each department. You declare a double major any time during the second semester of your sophomore year or any time thereafter. The forms are available from the Office of the Registrar. Use the Major Form for a complete double major; if you are doing one senior essay, use the Double Major-One Integrating Senior Project Form. See your English adviser for his or her signature of approval. After you have taken the necessary steps in the other major department, including selecting your second major adviser, file copies of the appropriate forms in both departments, and return the original to the Registrar. Both departments must agree on your departmental honors nomination and, if you are doing a single essay, on your senior essay grade. Combined Major A combined major is a program of study which allows you to create your own major from course offerings in two or more departments. It culminates with an integrating senior essay, requiring advisers from the two departments. Unless that particular course combination is listed in the Barnard Catalogue, you must petition the Committee on Programs and Academic Standing and receive the approval of the chairs of the sponsoring departments. Obtain forms and instructions from your Class Dean in the Dean of Studies Office. Both departments must agree on your senior essay grade and your departmental honors nomination. Special Major A special major is a major designed by you and not normally offered at Barnard; that is, it is not listed in the catalogue. A list of courses that satisfy the special major must be approved by the Committee on Programs and Academic Standing. A special major does not necessarily involve more than one department. If it does, both departments must agree on the senior essay grade and departmental honors nomination. Obtain forms and instructions from your Class Dean in the Dean of Studies Office. Major Advisers When they declare, Majors are assigned an adviser from the full-time faculty in the English department. (This holds for students declaring double and combined majors as well.) If you would like to have a specific professor as your adviser, make arrangements with that professor prior to filing the Major Declaration Form. Not every faculty member in the department may be accepting advisees. If you would prefer to simply be assigned to a faculty adviser, indicate this to the department chair or the department administrator when you declare. You will be assigned based on your academic interests and professor availability. Should your adviser go on leave, you will be assigned to another professor for the duration of your adviser's absence. This will be determined on the basis of professor availability. Transfer, Summer and Study Abroad Credit The Department of English adheres to the policy set by the Committee on Instruction (COI) in 1997, the spirit of which is “to ensure, insofar as possible, that credit received for summer-school work is equivalent to credit received for academic-year work.” This also applies to credit received for coursework at other institutions, completed either prior to a student's matriculation at Barnard or while studying abroad. In all cases, majors should consult with their advisers to ensure a timely completion of the major requirements. Summer Credit The Department will vet for pre-approval completely documented requests for summer-school credit received before May 31st. Requests received after this date may not be pre-approved, and you will not know whether your course will receive 3 points of credit until the Department reviews your course materials in the fall. In either case the documentation required and the minimal criteria are the same. To obtain credit for summer classes, please consult the Registrar's website Documentation consists of:
N.B. Courses offered in Columbia’s summer session are treated differently from courses in other programs. If you are certain that you will not apply a Columbia summer course towards completion of a major in English, approval by the English Department is unnecessary. Transfer Credit What is considered acceptable transfer credit? Requests for transfer credit should be submitted as soon as possible after a student's matriculation at Barnard. Please complete all documentation prior to submitting your request. Documentation consists of:
Study Abroad Credit Requests for credit for courses taken while studying abroad should be submitted well in advance of a student's departure. Please complete all documentation prior to submitting your request. Documentation consists of:
Foreseeable problems and suggested solutions: If you can not obtain a syllabus or reading-list, or if the writing required in a course does not meet the above criterion, request the e-mail address of the instructor and write to him or her directly. In the case of a syllabus or reading-list, explain what the Department needs in order to grant your application for credit. In the case of the writing requirement, inform the instructor of the policy of the Department and ask if you may submit additional (or lengthier) written work so as to satisfy it. (Do not fail to add that this additional work will not affect his or her assessment of your work for a final grade.) Advanced Placement Credit Barnard awards Advanced Placement (AP) credits toward the 120-credit requirement for the B.A. degree. The department does not credit an AP course toward the major or the minor. AP credit does not carry exemption from ENGL BC 1201 First Year English: Reinventing Literary History. Students who have passed the AP in English with a grade of 4 or 5 are awarded 3 credits toward the Barnard degree. For information on AP credit for other courses, consult with the appropriate academic department. Enrolling in Courses Requiring Permission or Restricted in Size: Certain English courses are limited in size or have restrictions on who is admitted. There are two ways Barnard handles controling registration for such courses:
The Registrar publishes a list of restricted enrollment classes each semester. Both this list and the on-line catalog course descriptions indicate which courses require additional procedures for enrolling. Unless other application instructions are stated, you will need to sign up for these classes. Generally, all seminars require sign-ups and creative writing courses require applications. The links below will take you to the procedures for enrolling in the following types of courses:
Departmental Sign-ups: Signing up for Senior Seminars (BC 3997 and 3998) and (as of October, 2009) the Junior Collquium (BC 3159 and 3160) will be done on-line through a special tab in eBear, even if you are studying abroad. The sign-up process for all other restricted enrollment courses begins shortly after our Program Planning meetings held near the beginning of the Program Planning period each semester. The sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin board across from our office between 403 and 406 Barnard Hall. You may not put your name on a list for more than one section of a class, unless you indicate first and second choice. You may not put your name over a name which has been crossed out as we have no way of knowing when it was added. If you do so, you will be placed at the bottom of the wait list. If you know you will not be enrolling in a class for which you signed up, please cross you name off its list. If you are studying abroad, are not currently studying on campus or are having any problems using the on-line sign-up system, contact Lucy Coolidge in the English Department office [lcoolidg (at) barnard (dot) edu]. Please note: even though you have signed up through the English Department, you will still need to register with the Barnard or Columbia Registrar's office in the usual way. Enrolling in Creative Writing: You do not have to be a Creative Writing concentrator or even an English major to take Barnard Creative Writing courses. However, all Barnard creative writing courses require a writing sample: 4-6 pages of fiction or personal narrative for prose-writing courses, 3 poems for poetry writing, a scene or short story with dialogue for playwriting. Please note: You may not apply for more than one writing course offered at Barnard at a time but you may apply to Columbia courses to maximize your chances of getting into a class. You may not, however, enroll in two creative writing courses simultaneously. Screenwriting is considered part of the Film Concentration and has its own sign-up process. However, if you are admitted to screenwriting in addition to a creative writing course, you are strongly advised to take only one writing class in any given semester. Turn in your writing sample to the Director of Creative Writing, Dr. Timea Szell. Attach a cover sheet (avaliable from our "Forms" webpage or in the Department office) to your writing samples and late it in Timea Szell's mailbox in 417 Barnard Hall. Writing Samples are due by the end of the Program Filing period during the prior semester. Class lists will be posted at the beginning of the semester. You may include a writing course on your program during advance program filing, but please understand that doing so does not guarantee your place in the class. The only thing that does is the Instructor's permission. In case you do not get into the class, please think of an alternative course. If the alternative course is an L-Course, please put it on your program and not the creative writing course. You may always add the latter during the first two weeks of the semester.
Enrolling in Literature Courses at Columbia:
Enrolling in The English Conference: Various topics presented by visiting scholars in courses that will meet for two to four weeks during each semester. Topics, instructors, and times will be announced by the department. Students must attend all classes to receive credit for this course. The conferences often are not restricted in enrollment, but do require signing up (see sign-up instructions above.) Because the course usually begins after the official enrollment has ended, students may still register up until the second session of the class. However, an add slip will need to be brought to the English Department office.—1 point. To be taken only for P/D/F. Departmental registration required. For past and current course information, click here. Enrolling in Independent Study/Special Projects: Students get one-point of credit for special projects required by certain concentrations or, with permission, in conjunction with a class by enrolling in ENGL BC 3996. Under unusual circumstances, a four-point project can be arranged (ENGL BC 3999). You may download the appropriate form and their instructions from our website. Once you have completed it and had it signed by both your instructor and the English Department chair, return it to the English Department office (417 Barnard) to be given a call number. Please note: Because the registration system updates over night, you must get your completed form to our office by 4 p.m. the DAY BEFORE THE LAST DAY OF PROGRAM FILING. Enrolling in Barnard EnGlish / film Senior Seminars: Because the English Department's Senior Seminars (ENGL BC 3197 & 3198: Studies in Literature) are required for the major, only senior English majors may enroll in these seminars. The only exception: Film majors may enroll in the seminar with a film focus, usually offered in the spring. Students (including those studying abroad or on leave) sign up for these courses through an automated system in eBear. During the open sign-up period, they log in and indicate which sections are their top three choices. Shortly after the sign-up period closes, the final class lists are posted in eBear and students may enter their assigned section to their program. For the seminar focusing on film, priority is given to Film majors and English majors with a Film Concentration. For the seminar focusing on American Literature, priority is given to majors with an American Literature Concentration. The open sign-up period may be scheduled before the beginning of college-wide Pre-Registration. Announcements and instructions are emailed to seniors and rising seniors via the department's class listserve for majors. Make sure you are on this list. If your status as a senior is in question or you are not sure you have declared your concentration, please resolve these matters with your adviser and the Registrar before the open sign-up period, or you won't be able to log in. For more information, contact Lucy Coolidge in the English Deptment office or by emailing her (lcoolidg [at] banard [dot] edu). page last updated 11/23/09 |
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