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Any english majors out there?

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Dhane
Posts: 3866 - Karma: 1,722
Just out of curiosity, how many of you are english majors? currently working towards my degree and was wondering what classes you guys have taken that really interested you or you really enjoyed. I'm about to create my fall schedule and am looking for some course that would be fun to take yet go towards an english degree. i know that this varies a lot by college, but there are some great classes out there and maybe if i get enough positive feedback here at school could bring a class into existence. I'm taking wilderness lit right now and love it, a good course and professor makes all the difference.
Apr 4 2011 12:33PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
why the fuck would you ever want to major in english
Apr 4 2011 12:35PM
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Dhane
Posts: 3866 - Karma: 1,722
why would anyone ever want to major in math? it takes different strokes to move the world
Apr 4 2011 12:35PM
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apictureofspidey
Posts: 61 - Karma: 11
I'm probably going to end up majoring in English. I don't know what courses to recommend you because it depends what stuff you want to read.
I took an American Lit. course last semester and it was pretty cool. Read Jefferson, Paine, Emerson, Ginsberg, Kerouac etc. which was pretty interesting. Also taking a cultural studies class this semester which is pretty cool.

If you're just starting in university/college i'd try and read as much of the "classics" as you possibly can just to give yourself a good foundation... Joyce, Tolstoy, Nabokov etc. etc.
Apr 4 2011 12:40PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
me.
Apr 4 2011 12:42PM
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Aenigma
Posts: 11256 - Karma: 424
My favorite classes so far have been 20th C American lit and 20th C British lit, although I'm looking forward to Theories and Methods in Linguistics and a 400-level Creative Writing class next fall.
Apr 4 2011 12:45PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
So what do you plan on doing with an english degree?
Apr 4 2011 12:50PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
I'd have to say that mayoring in your native language seems kind of a waste if you have to pay for your tuition. On the other hand, I was almost an English major, but decided to study something a bit more universal, in English. Still not my passion, but it's looking out to be a damn good choice.

Like Barefoot asked, what are your plans?
Apr 4 2011 12:56PM
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SkreechA
Posts: 78 - Karma: 9
If your looking for an english major on here, i think this guy is your best bet. He writes one of the most compassionate, educational things i've ever seen. I don't know who spiked his drink or spiked his doses of LSD with pure knowledge.. but his words are beautiful and true.
Apr 4 2011 12:58PM
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Flying~Squirrel
Posts: 6494 - Karma: 192
im still in high school but im doing special studies in english and logic.
Apr 4 2011 12:59PM
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comeatmebro
Posts: 10720 - Karma: 66
lol this.





i am yet to meet somebody who actually likes their english classes, or even attends them unless they need to.

Apr 4 2011 1:11PM
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-JME-
Posts: 679 - Karma: 33
YES. English and art, 1 semester left
Apr 4 2011 1:12PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142

I majored in English lit. It was an excellent choice if you're really into it. I highly recommend it to people who love that shit and want to become better equipped to appreciate it.

Here is the best possible advice for anyone majoring in English (well anything, probably, but ESPECIALLY English):

Do not pick classes based on their subject. Pick classes based on the professor teaching them.

Seriously, a good prof can make just about ANY specific class interesting. I took a higher level class where the prof, who was hilarious and sort of an oddball, decided it would be fun to teach only the works of Sir Philip Sidney. Nothing else. It was great. All my best experiences in undergrad were because of the prof. So, go find some people who are finishing their degree, ask like 10 of them to recommend professors and why they liked those professors. Choose your classes accordingly.

Be willing to choose non-english classes if the profs are good, too; maybe my favourite class was a classical studies course on Greek tragedy.

Apr 4 2011 1:16PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
engineering ftw. best degree you can get out of a 4 year school.
Apr 4 2011 1:23PM
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General_Ripper
Posts: 3327 - Karma: 189
Yea, us number jockeys thing different than the word guys, they are a different breed.

My old roommate is an english major. He fucking loves that shit and reads/writes all day. He has no idea what to do with his life when he graduates in a month or so, but he doesn't regret his choice what so ever so thats pretty cool.
Apr 4 2011 1:30PM
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-JME-
Posts: 679 - Karma: 33
^ definitely important to take classes based on professors. As you move up there are so many interesting classes to take on certain periods/authors/books as well. There was a class a year ago at CU just on David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, imo the greatest modern novel.. Workshops are sick too if you're doing creative writing
Apr 4 2011 1:30PM
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andrewg
Posts: 4746 - Karma: 18
why the fuck would you ever want a major pshh
Apr 4 2011 1:31PM
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General_Ripper
Posts: 3327 - Karma: 189
ha.
Apr 4 2011 1:34PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
I would never want to be an engineer. At least stereotypically I would not fit into that group. Every CE I meet I almost hate with a passion. Maybe it's just a Finnish thing, who knows.
Apr 4 2011 1:39PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
no way. an engineering degree can get you into almost any decent job or med/law school or a masters program.
Apr 4 2011 1:39PM
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General_Ripper
Posts: 3327 - Karma: 189
No most engineers suck ballsack. I have like 2 friends in all my classes, only normal kids in the bunch
Apr 4 2011 1:42PM
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General_Ripper
Posts: 3327 - Karma: 189
Btw, what year are you?
Apr 4 2011 1:53PM
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gnarnia.
Posts: 1346 - Karma: 55
i love english, and at my school you need to major in a core subject and minor in education if you want to be a teacher. so theres an example of what you can do with an english major.
Apr 4 2011 1:58PM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
high schooler still :(
Apr 4 2011 2:13PM
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[BRI]noceros
Posts: 2319 - Karma: 40
I plan on majoring in English, but I have no idea what I want to do with it. I'll probably minor in Spanish and Film too. We'll see where it takes me, I'm only a Senior in high school, so not too worried yet. I've always heard it's better to spend your four years studying what you love than studying for a high-paying career.
Apr 4 2011 2:17PM
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Gnarshred
Posts: 5670 - Karma: 18
yeah man, I'm a computer engineer, it only gets compounded the nerdier into it you get... I literally have 1 real friend in my department. sucks a lot. All my friends are english or philosophy majors... I don't fit in here, but I love it, what can I say!
Apr 4 2011 2:21PM
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Dhane
Posts: 3866 - Karma: 1,722
i plan on becoming a teacher and have aspirations to eventually move onto professor status if i still love english as much over the next 2 years. and J.D, your advice is much appreciated. as im progressing through my studies im finding the teachers that i love and hate and am since basing my schedule around that. and i could have expected engineering majors weaseling there way into this thread haha. it seems every college thread there are a handful of stoked engineers just full on forcing it on people. good luck with that one guys, something i could never do.
Apr 4 2011 2:26PM
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bigbromskier
Posts: 1175 - Karma: 330
at the same time college can be seen as an investment--you put money into it, and in return you hope to get the most for your money, if seen from a financial standpoint. the other part is that you have to make the most of your investment of time in the hopes that you get the greatest gain of knowledge/experience to justify your investment. it's like buying a car: if you pay top dollar for some car, you might as well make it the best car you can get for whatever type of investment you put into getting it.

that's the way I see it; you might as well make it pay off in some way or another. and if you plan on being 100k in the hole with no defined job prospect to show for it, then was your investment really worth it? might as well make those 4+ years worth your time, to me at least.
Apr 4 2011 2:28PM
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General_Ripper
Posts: 3327 - Karma: 189
haha soo true.

and 1337, I wouldn't talk shit until you are at least 3 years in. In my class 3 out of 4 droped the major before the 3rd year...........just sayin
Apr 4 2011 2:31PM
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Gnarshred
Posts: 5670 - Karma: 18
it sucks being stuck in that limbo. Real people think Im super lame because I'm an engineer, and engineers think I'm really weird because I do normal shit...

haha have you made any strides on surviving?? My friends are dropping like flies from the school of engineering...
Apr 4 2011 2:38PM
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snowdon
Posts: 2480 - Karma: 391
This is great advice, and very true. A good teacher makes anything enjoyable - case in point, I hate math. I'm not stupid but I just don't get it, I struggle with it, and it's always been that way for me. Yet, I aced my last math class and left feeling confident, all because I had a really good teacher who set up the material in a way that made sense to me. I took a religion/mythology class that I thought was going to be boring as hell, because I don't care about religion. It turned out to be my favorite class at the U so far. The teacher was awesome, and the class was honestly entertaining. So talk to your friends for recommendations, go on websites like pickaprof, and don't be afraid to change classes after the first day if you can tell you'll hate the teacher.
Apr 4 2011 2:39PM
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General_Ripper
Posts: 3327 - Karma: 189
Yea I graduate in a month. I was going to drop out my sophomore year to become a ski bum (wasn't because of grades its because I hated it), but I sucked it up and deff happy about the decision. I'm pretty stoked on getting the degree, but I really have been lagging on looking for jobs. I got one lined up from a summer internship but I want to keep my options open.
Apr 4 2011 2:47PM
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HermioneGranger
Posts: 1933 - Karma: 101
I'm a history major, but I take many english classes to supplement the raw facts. Next fall I am taking a course on Women Writers, it covers the major themes of courtship, marriage, and motherhood. Also, I recently took a class on literary representations of childhood. Go english!
Apr 4 2011 3:10PM
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steevner
Posts: 4502 - Karma: 47
For the most part, people are usually right about engineers. A vast majority of them are idiots who know their way around a calculator. They were likely nerds in high school, and think they're the shit because they're in a solid program which will lead them to a well paying job. I would say four out of five engineering students are the idiots who know their way around a calculator, and the other one you can actually hold a conversation with and doesn't give off that engineer vibe.

Just to clarify, I am an engineer. I see the stereotypes alll the time. But that's not to say there aren't good people in eng... you just have to look for them.
Apr 4 2011 3:15PM
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charmander
Posts: 10636 - Karma: 370
this is what im probably going to end up doing
Apr 4 2011 3:22PM
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uosdwiSrjewoH
Posts: 4220 - Karma: 122
i really don't want to be a teacher. i'm an english major. fuck.


but i think i'm going to start a dual degree with bio. fuck ya.
Apr 4 2011 3:32PM
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Inbred_Redneck
Posts: 2776 - Karma: 28
Agreed, and most engineers i see cant design their way out of a wet paper bag, they are nothing but number crunchers with no visual or creative skills.

And almost all of the ones I've met dont know how to use basic powertools, or find their way around a piece of machinery.

I'm a Mech Engineer, but suck at math.


Apr 4 2011 3:50PM
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skiblandford
Posts: 1503 - Karma: 2
not bashing your english major or anything but what kind of jobs are out there for english majors besides teaching?
Apr 4 2011 4:06PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142
Uh I do. Pretty much all of them in fact. Where do you people FIND this information? Yeah and pro skiers all make a million bucks a year too. Christ.

Want to know which major dominates top paying jobs in North America? History majors. Randomly enough.
Apr 4 2011 4:55PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
I believe you, but I'll call you out anyway.

Source on the history fact?
Apr 4 2011 5:01PM
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VT_FLO
Posts: 3806 - Karma: 147
librarian. you could write but most english classes don't teach you how to write, they teach you to understand symbolism that dead people wrote 100s of years ago.

if you find the right program you can do journalism but all of these have very few jobs available.
Apr 4 2011 5:01PM
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Dosh
Posts: 1818 - Karma: 14
Why does everyone seem to think that if you major in English Literature you automatically have to become a teacher? Don't you realize that it gives you a critical view of everything that if applied correctly would be welcome in many professions? I majored in English Lit and Russian Lit and have my last class ever this Friday. So stoked! But after undergrad I need a break to decide on what I want to go back to school to study a bit later in life. I don't think it will be English though.
Apr 4 2011 5:05PM
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Mr.LemonPie
Posts: 4100 - Karma: 1,625
This is what I was about to say...you can't really talk much about the value of an engineering degree until you've done it...
Apr 4 2011 5:14PM
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KramerC
Posts: 619 - Karma: 21
^ o really so you getting a english degree has taught yo to think critically in economics and finance? Or has it just taught you to be a judging liberal.
Apr 4 2011 5:16PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
how did you manage to pull that off?

study real hard and lock yourself in a a room for 4 years until it made sense?

Apr 4 2011 5:28PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,142
I suck at math and am a tax lawyer. Figure THAT one out. (People don't understand that professions they think are heavily math-based actually have sweet fuck all to do with math)
Apr 4 2011 5:34PM
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Dhane
Posts: 3866 - Karma: 1,722
lol. calling the kettle black, are we? most kids think for themselves in college i have noticed. granted, many lean towards "judging liberal" but thats a bit of a sweeping stereotype.
Apr 4 2011 5:36PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
i understand that, engineers say that your first day on the job shows just how little you know (even though you devoted 4+ years of schooling to it!)

he still had to get through the math courses in the mech eng class despite admitting that he is bad at math...
Apr 4 2011 5:38PM
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charmander
Posts: 10636 - Karma: 370
lol

most college kids take what their profs say and run with it. following a crowd other than your parents' doesnt mean youre expressing individual thought.

a lemmings a lemming.
Apr 4 2011 8:18PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
one shouldn't condone an academic culture where one has to consider the political stance of their professor before writing a paper on a divergent partisan topic. individual thought at an university is an illusion. i once had a 20th century history that would interject her partisan opinions about the events in history we were discussing. i wish she kept those comments to herself. i also had a business management teacher call the national post a fascist rag. comments like that aren't necessary. if i had called the toronto star a communist rag i would have been on their shit list for the rest of the year.
Apr 4 2011 8:44PM
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Aenigma
Posts: 11256 - Karma: 424
Huh, this thread got off-topic pretty quickly.

Pick a major that you aren't going to burn out on halfway through college. I'm in my fourth year now, and just about every one of the people I know who were flaunting how much money they were going to make with their degrees hate life right now and aren't even looking for jobs after they graduate. Your degree isn't going to seem like a blessing when you finish school and begin a painful countdown until the day you pay off your loans and move on with life.

I'm studying photography and writing right now, am I going to pay that off five years after school? Fuck no. I'm just studying something that I enjoy and value, and I hope to continue doing in the future. If all goes well, I hope to work in a gallery, print shop, or little book store and love being at work every day.
Apr 4 2011 9:19PM
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