Bachelor of Arts in Literature
The Art of Insight
The study of Literature, one of the pillars of the Humanities, sharpens critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills. It enhances the ability to think out of the box and analyze data from multiple perspectives to arrive at innovative solutions.
Graduates of this program should be able to:
- Analyze and interpret a variety of texts across disciplines to offer insights and perspectives on the human condition.
- Produce critical and creative projects that communicate insights and perspectives on real-world problems.
- Generate platforms for engagement and dissemination of knowledge in aid of creative and practical solutions.
Career Prospects
A literature degree prepares students for any career requiring a strong liberal arts background, creative and critical thinking, and communicative competence in writing. Graduates will pursue careers in publishing, mass media, advertising, public relations, foreign service, domestic tourism, teaching, Law, NGO work, research, professional work in the arts, or any other fields requiring skills that deal imaginatively and critically with language and cultures.
Program Tracks
Students can choose between three tracks:
- AB Literature, Major in Literary and Cultural Studies
- AB Literature, Major in Literature Across the Professions
- AB Literature, Major in Creative Writing
Students who choose Literary and Cultural Studies Track are trained to:
- Examine various literary and cultural texts across historical periods and geographic and linguistic boundaries to embrace and affirm diversity;
- Produce critical texts that contribute to literary and cultural knowledge towards the formation of national identity in a transnational context.
Students who opt for the Literature Across the Professions Track will be able to:
- Demonstrate critical and communication skills and competencies to foster innovation and cultivate intellectual life across different industries;
- Apply critical and creative analysis in multidisciplinary and multiplatform environments to propose creative and practical solutions to real-world problems.
Students who select the Creative Writing Track will develop skills in:
- Examining various texts across genres and traditions to formulate their individual poetics that engages with and innovates existing cultural practices;
- Writing and disseminating creative texts that contribute to the formation of national literary identity and artistic heritage.
Program Overview
The AB Literature program offers an interdisciplinary and transformative learning experience that builds lifelong foundational skills:
| Course Requirements | |||||||
| Core Courses | 27 units | ||||||
| Concentration Courses | 24 units | ||||||
| Culminating Courses | 15 units | ||||||
| Major Electives | 9 units | ||||||
| Language Courses | 6 units | ||||||
| Total | 81 units | ||||||
AB LIT Core Courses (27 units)
| Course Code | Course Title |
| LITSTUD | Introduction to Literature and Literary Studies |
| LITTHEO | Introduction to Literary Theory |
| LITCULT | Introduction to Cultural Studies |
| LITCREW | Introduction to Creative Writing |
| LITPERF | Introduction to Performance & Performance Studies |
| LITPOCO | Introduction to the Postcolonial Tradition |
| LITPROF | Introduction to Literature & the Professions |
| LITITRA | Introduction to Translation |
| LITRESE | Literary Research |
AB LIT Concentration Courses (24 units)
| Course Code | Course Title |
| Literary and Cultural Studies Track | |
| LITPREG | Philippine Literature: Region and Nation |
| LITPTHE | Philippine Literature Theory and Criticism |
| LITAFRO | Literatures of Africa and the Middle East |
| LITASI1 | Literature of East Asia |
| LITASI2 | Literature of Southeast Asia |
| LITEURO | Literature of Europe |
| LITAMER | Literature of the Americas |
| LITTRAN | Literary Translation |
| Creative Writing Track | |
| LITGENT | Genre: Techniques |
| LITWOR1 | Workshop 1 |
| LITWOR2 | Workshop 2 |
| LITGCPO | Genre, Concept and Poetics |
| LITEDIT | Editing |
| LITMEDI | Writing for Media for Literature Majors |
| LITWORM | World Masterpieces |
| LITPHIM | Philippine Masterpieces |
| Literature Across the Professions Track | |
| LITAHUM | Literature and the Humanities |
| LITASCI | Literature and the Sciences |
| LITASOC | Literature and the Social Sciences |
| LITACUL | Literature and Cultural Studies |
| LITACRW | Literature and Creative Writing |
| LITRHET | Literature and Rhetoric |
| LITASI2 | Literature of Southeast Asia |
| LITTRAN | Literary Translation |
Major Electives (9 units)
Depending on their chosen track, the students elect three elective courses. Examples of previously offered Major Elective courses are: Literature and Diaspora, Gender and Literature, Literature and Law, Literature and Environment, Popular Literature, Children’s Literature, Literature and Film, Speculative Fiction, Affect Theory, Race and Ethnicity in Philippine Cultures, Erotica, Telenovela, Food and Consumption Culture, Beauty and Power, Shakespeare, Science Fiction, Screenplay, Travel Narratives, etc.
AB LIT Language Courses
| Course Code | Course Title |
| SPANONE | Spanish for Beginners |
| SPANTWO | Intermediate Spanish |
AB LIT Culminating Courses
| Course Code | Course Title | Brief Description | PRC1LIT | Practicum (6 units) | 200 hours of internship on or off campus, in creative writing centers, cultural institutions, publishing houses, national dailies, advertising agencies, non-profit groups, etc. | THS1LIT | Thesis Proposal (3 units) | Students are required to write and defend their proposals for literary and cultural scholarship, project/action research, creative writing project. | THS2LIT | Final Thesis (6 units) | Students will write, produce and defend literary and cultural research, project/action research, or creative writing project. |