BA English

The Department of English is dedicated to the study of the literatures and cultures of those parts of the world in which English is the primary language, and to the study of the history and structure of the English language itself. Although committed to no single method or approach, the department encourages an emphasis on British, American, and world literary history and requires of its undergraduate majors a firsthand acquaintance with many of the more influential writers who have helped during the past millennium to make English a global language that possesses richly diverse and highly influential literary cultures. Within the department, students are able to pursue a variety of approaches to the study of literary culture beyond the strictly historical literary criticism, for example, or those that draw on the resources of such disciplines as sociology, psychology, and philosophy. Within the B.A. degree in English, qualified students may elect a concentration either in creative writing or in world literature.