Study Abroad

Many concentrators in English Literature and Creative Writing spend a semester or a year overseas, often in England, Scotland, or Ireland, or in France, Spain, or China through the Hamilton programs administered in Paris, Madrid, and Beijing.

If you hope to study abroad during your junior year, you need to plan your course load carefully so that you can fulfill the requirements of your concentration. If you plan to study in a country where English is not the chief language, you should fulfill as many of the requirements for your concentration as possible here at Hamilton before you go abroad; upon your return, you still may need to take more than the usual complement of required courses during your senior year.

In general, the Department encourages students studying in countries where English is not the native tongue to make the most of this opportunity to study in the language of the country, and to wait until after their return to Hamilton to finish taking courses in literatures in English. Pending Departmental approval, a course taken in a foreign-language literature and studied in the original language may be credited toward the requirements for the concentrations in English Literature and Creative Writing.

Transfer Credit

If you plan to study at another institution, either in the United States or abroad, and you intend to transfer credit to Hamilton, discuss your plans in advance with the chairs of the departments from which you hope to receive credit. If English is one of those departments, make an appointment to see the chair, Nathaniel Strout (Root 309, 859-4369), as early as possible when you make your plans. It will be helpful if you bring with you a copy of the course description for each course you plan to take, as well as the transfer credit petition form.

When you arrive at the institution where you intend to study, you may find, particularly if it is outside the United States, that some of the courses you planned to take are not available. If you can reach your advisor by fax or e-mail, you will benefit from a consultation. If you cannot, choose your new courses for yourself; you can seek approval for transfer credit after you return.

Remember: Courses in a foreign-language literature taught in English translation earn credit at Hamilton College in the Comparative Literature Department, not in the English Department. However, with the approval of the English Department, one course taken in a foreign-language literature taught in the original language may be counted toward the requirements for the concentrations in English Literature and Creative Writing.

When you return to Hamilton, you will need to see the department chair again to get transfer credit approval. Once again, bring copies of the syllabi, or course catalog descriptions, of any courses you have taken.

The Registrar, not individual department chairs, ultimately decides how much Hamilton credit to award for a course taken elsewhere.