Mission Statement

To prepare students for writing and teaching careers in a variety of professional environments, in which creativity, critical thinking, and a broad cultural perspective are required. English courses teach proficiency in literary analysis, professional and creative writing, cultural analysis and creation, and the mastery of rhetorical devices.

Our Students

• gain personally and professionally from an education in American, British, World, and other literatures by becoming intellectually more astute and literate;
• acquire highly marketable skills for job placement in the publishing industry, in creative and editorial positions, in education, in businesses, in government, and in nonprofit agencies;
• receive a solid preparation for graduate studies (education, fine arts, professional writing/communication, literature, library science, rhetoric and composition, as well as pre-law).

The more general, non-career oriented objective of the English program is to educate citizens to understand, think about, and argue complex cultural issues. Our courses are designed to broaden students' perspectives and to increase their cultural literacy. Graduates in English are taught to apply their knowledge in all personal, professional, and social situations in which ethical decisions demand a deepened knowledge of the human condition and an understanding of the past. Our emphasis on the broad variety of human experiences through internships, community-based (service) learning, as well as participation in forums on and off-campus, helps students to participate in meaningful ways in society. (See Teaching Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes)