English

"What do you read, my lord?"
"Words, words, words."

As Hamlet's reply to Polonius amply indicates, we live in a world of words - written, spoken, read, recited, analyzed, debated.

In the English Department, students learn to appreciate the inherent value of reading and writing, to value the beauty and power of language. At the same time, our students are trained to sharpen their skills for an ever-competitive job market by developing the ability to write clearly and persuasively, to think critically and creatively, and to engage in thoughtful analysis, skills that are essential to success in our contemporary, global marketplace.

The department launched an exciting new curriculum effective Fall 2010 that revitalizes the EN11-12 introductory core courses, creates more than a dozen new 100-level literature courses, reorganizes advanced literature courses, and offers an expanded list of concentrations for majors and minors.

While there are many ways to pursue English, we have some basic goals that apply to all of our many, varied programs.

We want to impart to students a sense of the history of English language and literature, in its local, national, and transnational forms, as well as their interconnections. We want students to become acquainted with various types of imaginative literature such as the novel, the short story, poetry, and drama. We want students to acquire skills in close reading, textual analysis, thesis development, and argumentation. We want to foster the ability of students to reflect on texts as global citizens and as members of an academic community.

Students will develop their analytic and organizational skills through the interpretation of literature and through their own writing. Students will gain additional experience in the organization and effective articulation of ideas in writing, including in some cases preparation for careers as professional writers or for careers where strong writing skills will be an asset. Students will gain an appreciation of the value of the writing process, including revision. Students will be exposed to a variety of writing experiences, including the application of research methods.

Finally, we want to address issues such as literacy studies, using new media for composing or reception of text, and training teachers for the language arts.

Come and join us!