Mission
The Department of English aims to instruct students in reading examples
of the best literature in English as well as in writing expository prose
(on literary and general subjects), fiction, and verse. We try to meet
these goals by teaching courses which explore genres such as poetry; literary
periods such as the Romantic; the works of single authors like Shakespeare
and Faulkner; and special topics such as film, nature writing, women and
literature, Afro-American literature, multi-ethnic literature, post-colonial
literature, and literary criticism. In these different types of courses,
we encourage students both to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of the
literary work and to consider its relation to ethical, cultural, and spiritual
issues. We intend to give English majors adequate breadth in English and
American literature, hoping to ensure that those who wish to pursue advanced
degrees will be prepared. We also try to help non-majors improve their
ability to interpret and appreciate literature.
As part of our teaching, we want students to see us making literature
an important part of our lives -- reading it because we love it, discussing
it with colleagues, writing about it for peers, and generally sharing its
richness. Thus through instruction and example, we hope that our students,
too, will enjoy literature as an important part of their lives and will
incorporate it into their thinking about the modern world and human possibility.
|
