The option in English provides students with a broad and intensive education in the rich traditions of literature in English from the Middle Ages to the present day, with aparticular emphasis on British and American writing. The English faculty expects undergraduate option students to become familiar with a range of literary forms, genres, and styles of expression; to understand how authors and texts can be shaped by historical contexts; to appreciate differences in literary expression across time periods and national traditions; to develop critical reading skills through analysis and interpretation of literary texts; and to become effective writers in matters of style, organization, and interpretive argument.