Learning Goals in the English Major

Literature is the most intense, experimental, and human use of language. English majors come to understand the power of language in its various contexts and learn to use it both consciously and imaginatively, whether as argument or art or both. All of our courses emphasize the art of writing and the benefits of close reading. Through this process our students develop articulateness, cultural literacy, and intellectual depth.

Our students graduate with a broad knowledge of literatures written in English across historical periods and geographical regions; learn to read texts closely and critically; become familiar with the history of theoretical approaches to literary analysis; learn how to locate and work with secondary sources; acquire rhetorical and logical skills in both written and oral argument; and develop a flexible framework for organizing knowledge about literary texts and their value as human achievements and reflections of the human condition.

The English major provides a foundation for students for students to thrive in a variety of professions. Our graduates have gone on to earn advanced degrees and pursue careers in fields such as publishing, journalism, education, media, and law.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students who graduate with an English major will be able to:

1. Read texts closely and critically.
2. Demonstrate a knowledge of literatures in English from different historical periods and geographical areas.
3. Locate, summarize, and critique secondary sources (literary criticism).
4. Demonstrate a knowledge of the main schools of literary theory
5. Write critical essays that include close reading, the application of theory, and engagement with the secondary literature.
6. Design and write a lengthy critical essay involving research.
7. Express complex ideas orally in a formal setting.

The major in English requires a minimum of ten courses. ENG 150 (formerly 202), the first required course for the major, focuses on the acquisition of skills in close reading and illuminates fundamental questions about literature: how texts have voices and tell stories; how formal elements shape meaning; and how historical and cultural contexts affect both textual production and reception. In ENG 250 (formerly 220), the second required course, students become familiar with different methodologies for approaching literature and explore the intersections of literature with other disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. Here students hone essential research skills and develop techniques for writing within the discipline. After completing ENG 150 (formerly 202) and ENG 250 (formerly 220), majors must take five courses at the 300 and 400 levels which explore different historical periods (medieval, Victorian, postmodern, etc.) and regions of the English-speaking world (Britain, North America, Africa, etc).

The culmination of the major is either an Honors thesis developed during two semesters of intensive work with a faculty director, or a one-semester capstone Senior Seminar. To write either the long essay for this seminar or the Honors thesis, students must engage in intensive individual research and detailed textual analysis, and they must produce a written argument that is complex, sustained, supported and persuasive.

Students may choose to do additional coursework to complete the Concentration in Creative Writing (Fiction or Poetry) or the Concentration in Race and Ethnicity. Students who are admitted to the Concentration in Creative Writing may then be admitted to Honors study. An Honors thesis in Fiction or Poetry supplements but does not replace the Senior Seminar.