History of the English Language
English · 3 hrs Lecture
Offered: Fall/Winter Only
ENGL-3812 prerequisites
1 course appears in this chain, up to 1 level deep. Every route through it involves a choice, so nothing is forced.
Part of this course's requisite text couldn't be parsed into structure, so the chain below may be incomplete. The full wording is under “Requisite courses”.
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any one of
6 credit hours of First-year English
including ENGL-1001
permission of the Department Chair
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Taking ENGL-3812 is a prerequisite for 1 course directly.
- ENGL-3814Topics in the Englishes of the Past
Where ENGL-3812 counts
Counts toward 1 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:
- LING 3-YEAR BA
Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 71 of 141 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.
Description
This course offers a concise survey of the English language as a medium of literature from Old to Modern English. It introduces students to the metalanguage used to describe linguistic change and emphasizes the connection between such change and literary expression. Students read excerpts from Beowulf, Chaucer, and Shakespeare, among others, to discover the profound shifts that occurred in the structure and use of English over the last millennium and half. Students also explore the consequences of those shifts for literary practices over the centuries. The course challenges students to enhance their awareness of the time-bound character of both language and literature.
Requisite courses
6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) or permission of the Department Chair [prerequisite(s)].
Restrictions
Students may not hold credit for this course and ENGL-2811.
From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.