Academic Catalog and Handbooks

2024-2025 Edition

English

Department Chair: Jessica Harkins

Faculty: Christopher Bolin, Matthew Callahan, Jessica Harkins, Matthew Harkins, Elizabeth Johnson, John Kendall, Luke Mancuso OSB, Rachel Marston, Yvette South, Christina Tourino

The department of English offers traditional and innovative courses to meet the needs of both liberal arts and pre-professional students. We prepare majors for a wide range of careers as well as for further study of literature. We also work closely with the education department to help English majors with education minors meet state licensing requirements. The department encourages students to participate in the college's International Studies Programs or to pursue independent studies abroad.

By studying literatures in English, students gain insight into experiences and ways of thinking and feeling different from their own. As a result, they come to perceive the shared humanity of people as well as the differences determined by such circumstances as gender, race, and class. These insights foster cooperation and community, both in the classroom and in the larger world.

The English department teaches students to read thoughtfully and perceptively, to listen carefully, to analyze critically, and to express their ideas logically, clearly, and precisely. Through exposure to theoretical and critical debates, students learn various ways of interpreting and analyzing literature. By exploring literature, film and other forms of discourse, students develop an understanding of the growing and rapidly changing world of contemporary English studies. Courses include excellent writers who have been excluded from the literary mainstream in addition to traditionally respected British and American authors.

Through analytical and creative writing, students practice a variety of literary forms and develop their own talent. Through reading, writing, and discussing, students discover the values inherent in literary works and the theories which shape our interpretation of them. Students also come to a clearer and deeper awareness of their own values as they develop an individual voice to express them.

Assessment

The English Department conducts regular assessment of student learning in the major. Methods of assessment include: a yearly analysis of student sample essays.

Major

The English department offers concentrations in literature, creative writing, and English communication arts/literature for 5-12 education.