Welcome to the Department of English
Reading and writing are fundamental to a university education and lifelong learning. The study of literature is the study of reading and writing at its highest level. Literature broadens our awareness of historical and cultural perspectives — of international, national, regional, and local conditions and points of view. It enlarges the human imaginative, intellectual, and perceptive capacities. By raising questions, literature confirms humanity's spiritual and ethical values, its knowledge and its wisdom. Reading attentively and writing analytically — with accuracy and precision, with a sense of organization and of accountability, with an understanding of how to incorporate evidence into observations — enable us to see and respond to what others think and to see and think clearly for ourselves. They are skills of unlimited practical value, for traditional and non-traditional students alike. In a world where graduates often change jobs and even careers, these skills increase adaptability and marketability. In a global environment, the act of imaginative understanding, which is at the heart of literary study, develops the capacities students need in their encounters with diverse cultures.
The study of literature reinforces the core vision and purpose of a University whose students will "develop the knowledge and skills, vision and wisdom to lead and to serve" and become prepared "to engage the world as informed, ethical, and productive citizens."
