In Fall 2020, all students who wish to take introductory-level English courses (ENGL 114-130), first-year seminars, junior seminars, senior seminars, and some creative writing workshops must preregister for placement during the online preregistration periods listed below.
First-year seminars: Preregistration will take place August 3 at 9.00 AM EST through August 5 at 5.00 PM EST; decisions will be available on Friday, August 7 at 12.00 PM EST.
A list of the seminars to be offered in fall 2020 are available in Yale Course Search. Click “First Year Seminar ” under Yale College Attributes for a list of all first-year seminars.
All other English courses: Preregistration will take place Friday, August 7 at 12.00 PM EST through Wednesday, August 12 at 5.00 PM EST; decisions will be available on Monday, August 17 at 4.00 PM EST.
Departmental representatives will be present via Zoom on Monday, August 10, 2.00-3.30 PM EST to answer questions about selection of introductory English courses.
Sign in to join the English Introductory Course Information session on August 10, 2.00-3.30 PM EST.
For questions about advanced courses, please contact the instructor or sign up for office hours with the DUS or ADUS.
During the preregistration period, Yale College students may select their preferences by following the links posted below. Please preregister only for the course or two that you most want to take, so that everyone will have a chance to be placed.
Selections may be revised up until 5.00 PM EST on August 12. After the deadline, the application process will close, and places to introductory courses will be assigned on the basis of a computerized lottery designed to maximize student preferences.
For advanced seminars, if a course is oversubscribed, students will be admitted according to the preferences of the instructor. In most cases, such preference is guided by year and major. Please see course sites on Canvas for details.
Class assignments will be pushed to student schedules by 4:00 PM EST on Monday, August 17. If you are not assigned to a class due to oversubscription but hope to be able to add it, please contact the instructor and ask if there is a waiting list. If you are unexpectedly unable to take a class you have been assigned, please notify the instructor immediately.
For questions about the preregistration process, please email Erica Sayers at erica.sayers@yale.edu.
Introductory Courses
Students are permitted to enroll in one course from each category below. Follow the links to the preference selection site for each course. After entering your Yale NetID and Password, you will be able to view a list of available sections of the courses and rank your preferences.
Introductory Course Descriptions
Introductory Writing Courses
ENGL 114 Writing Seminars
ENGL 115 Literature Seminars
ENGL 120 Reading and Writing the Modern Essay.
Introductory Creative Writing Course
ENGL 123 Introduction to Creative Writing.
Foundational Courses/
Introductory Literature Courses
Junior Seminars
ENGL 150/LING 150 Old English I. Emily Thornbury. M 1.30pm-3.20pm
Preregistration via Canvas.
YC English: Medieval
ENGL 217/HUMS 179 Shakespeare’s Political Plays. David Bromwich. MW 4.00pm-5.15pm
YC English: Renaissance
ENGL 220 Growing Up in the Victorian Novel. Stefanie Markovits. TTh 1.00pm-2.15pm
YC English: 18th/19th Century
ENGL 230 Paleography and Empire, 1500-1800. Kathryn James. MW 9.00am-10.15am
YC English: Renaissance
ENGL 236/AMST 230 Dystopic and Utopian Fictions. James Berger. T 9.25am-11.15am.
ENGL 237/EVST 237/HUMS 234/LITR 323 Animals in Literature and Theory. Jonathan Kramnick. TTh 11.35am-12.50pm
YC English: 18th/19th Century or 20th/21st Century with permission
ENGL 245/HUMS 347 Land, Liberty, and Slavery from Hobbes to Defoe. Feisal Mohamed. T 9.25am-11.15am
YC English: Renaissance
ENGL 250 Romantic Poetry. Leslie Brisman. MW 11.35am-12.50pm
YC English: 18th/19th Century
ENGL 265/AFAM 228/AMST 385/HUMS 241 James Baldwin’s American Scene. Jacqueline Goldsby. MW 6.00pm-7.15pm
Preregistration via Canvas.
YC English: 20th/21st Century
ENGL 280/AMST 390/HUMS 319 Poetry, Film, Music and Art: John Ashbery’s Work. Karin Roffman. Th 1.30pm-3.20pm
Preregistration via Canvas.
YC English: 20th/21st Century
ENGL 285/AMST 321/FILM 334/RLST 333 Mormonism. Kathryn Lofton and John Durham Peters. M 1.30pm-3.20pm
YC English: 18th/19th Century or 20th/21st Century with permission
ENGL 346/HUMS 253/RLST 233 Poetry and Faith. Christian Wiman. Th 1.30pm-3.20pm
YC English: 20th/21st Century
ENGL 356 The Young Adult Dystopian Novel. Jill Richards. TTh 1.00pm-2.15pm
YC English: 20th/21st Century
ENGL 361/THST 329 Theater Now. Marc Robinson. T 1.30pm-3.20pm
Preregistration via Canvas.
YC English: 20th/21st Century
ENGL 395/HUMS 380/LITR 154 The Bible as a Literature. Leslie Brisman. MW 2.30pm-3.45pm
Senior Seminars
ENGL 305 Shakespeare and Religion. David Kastan and Ben Card. TTh 11.35am-12.50pm + 1HTBA
YC English: Renaissance
ENGL 321 Austen and Brontë and the New Woman Novel. Katie Trumpener. T 1.30pm-3.20pm
YC English: 18th/19th Century
ENGL 330 Henry James. Ruth Yeazell. M 3.30pm-5.20pm
YC English: 18th/19th Century
ENGL 377 Contemporary British Fiction. Caryl Phillips. M 9.25am-11.15am
YC English: 20th/21st Century
ENGL 378 Challenges to Realism in Contemporary African Fiction. Stephanie Newell. Th 9.25am-11.15am
YC English: 20th/21st Century
ENGL 379 The Postcolonial Epic: Ulysses and Omeros. Joseph N. Cleary. Th 3.30pm-5.20pm
YC English: 20th/21st Century
Creative Writing Workshops
ENGL 404 Reading Fiction for Craft. Adam Sexton. MW 2.30pm-3.45pm
ENGL 406 Reading Poetry for Craft. David Gorin. MW 4.00pm-5.15pm
ENGL 425 Writing the Television Drama. Aaron Tracy. M 3.30pm-5.20pm
Other creative writing and journalism courses may require an application in advance. Please see our Creative Writing & Journalism Courses page for details.