Under the Literature concentration, students ground their study of literature in a series of introductory courses in major themes and historical approaches, intermediate courses in Shakesepeare and literary theory, and a senior seminar that requires the development of a research project. Students complement these core courses with a selection of electives that engage specific genres, authors, and periods, as well as different disciplines (e.g. Literature and the Environment) and literatures of diversity (e.g. Native American Literature). M.A. students select graduate seminars in American, British, and world literatures as well as other disciplines, their course work culminating in either a traditional thesis or a portfolio of seminar papers revised in collaboration with a committee. The Literature concentration imparts an understanding of not only the aesthetic richness of canonical and emerging literatures but also the historical and cultural forces that have contributed to their making. The classes are of a size that makes discussion an important part of a student’s experience.