Declare English

Review concentration requirements by looking at the Guide for Concentrators or the Harvard College Handbook for Students.

An overview of the different academic programs at Harvard (concentration, joint concentration, double concentration) is available through the Registrar's Office.

Complete the English Concentration Plan of Study

Draft an eight-term plan of study outlining the courses you plan to take to fulfill your degree requirements. This plan is non-binding and is a useful tool to explore and understand the balance and content of your studies. You'll use this document to discuss your plan, interests, and questions with a concentration adviser. 

Plan of Study

As part of your plan of study, you should select a concentration adviser. This will be a faculty member you work with for the duration of your English concentration. It can be someone you’ve taken a class with or someone you share an interest with. We’re happy to make recommendations, and your adviser might change if your interests shift or if faculty go on leave. But we’d like you to have an adviser in place when you declare. Send emails, attend office hours, get to know our faculty. All non-creative writing faculty are eligible to be concentration advisers.

Submit your concentration declaration request in my.harvard

How to create a declaration or change of concentration request

If you are declaring a double concentration, please be mindful of these additional steps and forms (Students pursuing double concentrations who are writing English Department senior theses should normally plan to designate English as their honors field. [Even if a student is writing theses in both their concentrations, only one can have that status.] If there is a compelling reason to designate the other concentration as the “honors field,” please see the Director of Undergraduate Studies.)

To ensure a departmental experience rich in both breadth and depth, we encourage you to work with your faculty concentration adviser to explore your interests in depth and to explore as many subfields of English literature as possible:

• Medieval (c. 700-1550)
• Renaissance (c. 1550-1688)
• Enlightenment (c. 1688-1800)
• Romanticism (1780-1830)
• Nineteenth Century British (c. 1815-1900)
• Modern British (1900-present)
• Early American (c.1700-1850)
• American Renaissance & Post-Bellum (1850-1900)
• Modern American (1900-present)
• African American (1800-present)
• Transnational Anglophone (c.1750-present)
• Drama
• Literary Theory
• Creative Writing

Make an appointment with one of our undergraduate program advisers. At this meeting, we’ll review your plan of study document, approve your declaration request, and discuss advising in the concentration. Any student declaring a joint concentration must meet with the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies or the Undergraduate Program Administrator.

Professor Anna Wilson
Associate Professor of English
Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies
She/her
Office: Barker 266 
anna_wilson@fas.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Drop in or reserve a time Wednesdays 2:00-4:00, or by appointment at other times. In person or remote slots available.

Lauren Bimmler
Undergraduate Program Administrator
She/her/hers
lbimmler@fas.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Generally available between 9am-5pm, M-Th
Email with any inquiries or to set up a Zoom advising appointment; I encourage you to set up an appointment if you want to meet in person, but you’re welcome to stop by to say hello.

Upload your approved English Concentration Plan of Study form to my.harvard.

How to upload documents to my.harvard