The English major at Humboldt State University offers students a solid foundation in the humanities with emphasis on the skills in reading, writing, and reasoning that can serve as a basis for graduate-level study, as well as for many careers. The faculty can assure students of individual attention in the design and planning of their particular Pathways. Since the richness of historical knowledge, criticism, the study of language, close reading, and written expression can never be exhausted, the underlying goal of the major is to provide students with the flexible skills needed to approach fresh contexts rather than with a fixed body of knowledge.