... I was 1 course away from qualifying for an English Major. I didn't bother, because it's not what I'm passionate in. I assure you that I easily sailed through plenty of upper-division undergraduate courses. Likewise, I worked my way through a fair number of upper-division math and science classes; my specialization was in Theoretical Computing.
I did some "actual scholarship" for a few of the upper-division English courses; pouring through musty old volumes that were last reviewed by human hand a half century or more prior. The gotcha with this? So long as I cited appropriately, and aligned myself with the cultural and political viewpoints of the overseeing professor, I was easily assured an excellent grade. It was enough that it appeared that I did the work and parroted the correct thoughts.
I did some "actual scholarship" for a few of the upper-division English courses; pouring through musty old volumes that were last reviewed by human hand a half century or more prior. The gotcha with this? So long as I cited appropriately, and aligned myself with the cultural and political viewpoints of the overseeing professor, I was easily assured an excellent grade. It was enough that it appeared that I did the work and parroted the correct thoughts.