A rich variety of courses allows students to engage with all periods and genres of literature in English, as well as modern forms such as film and contemporary digital media. The department stresses critical thinking, incisive written and oral analysis, and a sense of initiative and responsibility for the enterprise of interpretation. With their advisors, English majors design a program of study that deepens their understanding of diverse genres, textual traditions, and periods. We encourage students to explore the history of cultural production and reception and also to question the presuppositions of literary study. The major culminates in an independently written essay, developed during a senior research seminar in the fall semester and individually mentored by a faculty member in the spring.
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