What is English?
English refers to a broad field of study related to the reading, writing, studying and analyzing of English literature and language. The field includes the many and varied forms and genres of literature, writing, and rhetoric, and often considers how value and meaning are created, and information communicated, through these various texts. Our students majoring in English can choose from courses in all the major historical periods and genres of British and United States literature, in the work of individual authors (Shakespeare, Milton, Morrison, and others), in the three genres of creative writing (fiction, non-fiction and poetry), and in topics in rhetoric. Students can also choose from courses on the following additional subjects.
- African-American literature and culture
- Visual culture and media
- Ethnic studies
- Gender and sexuality studies
- Literature and science
- Literary and cultural theory
Why Study English?
You might like this program if:
- you enjoy composing texts that are varied in genre, style, and medium, including critical essays, short stories, poems, reviews, digital media, podcasts, and others;
- you find yourself compelled to make connections between literary texts and ideas that are both present across historical eras and pertinent to current realities;
- you are interested in how audiences treat and use texts, whether the texts are print or digital, technical, critical, and/or creative; and/or
- you want to solve problems through deliberate communication, in arenas that overlap with other areas of human life, like science, law, art, business, and the social sciences.
Potential Careers
Our graduates use their training in a variety of careers.
- Attorneys
- Publishers and writers of all types
- Public relations directors
- Foreign service specialists
- Entrepreneurs
- Teachers and education professionals
Opportunities for Graduate Studies
English majors often go on to postgraduate study not only in English but in such areas as:
- Law
- Medicine
- Business
- Education
- Other liberal disciplines