Dept. of English & Foreign Languages
English Program
English Faculty
English Major
Students majoring in English study literature, the use of aesthetically shaped language to confront human concerns; writing, the development of their own abilities to shape language for their own purposes; and language itself as the object of scientific analysis. This study prepares students to succeed in both making a living and making a life in careers such as education, law, medicine, theology, business, public relations, mass media, and public service.
English majors begin their upper-level studies with courses that investigate the movements that have shaped the ways we read, write, and think in America today. Students may choose courses that deal, for example, with the medieval view of the world or with the romantic spirit or with the rise of realistic analysis of society. Although the British-American heritage is central, African-American, Native American, European, and non-western contributions to our literary tradition are also examined in relevant courses.
As they move on to more advanced study, majors choose among courses offering a variety of approaches to literature. Some courses concentrate on a single genre such as drama. Some study texts in relation to the history and thought of a particular period or place. Some provide an in-depth examination of the work of a single author such as Shakespeare or Emily Dickinson. "Reading-Writing Seminars" approach particular kinds of writing-autobiography, for example--through practice: students write their own texts based on their experience, using methods and materials suggested by the literature they are studying.
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English majors become practiced writers who understand the language and its many applications. "Introduction to Languages," a requirement for the major, is an introduction to the history, structure, and varied usages of the language. All literature courses in the major curriculum are writing intensive: students develop the ability to write effective prose easily. Majors with specific interests in creative and expository writing may take workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Journalism courses prepare students for careers in media and public relations; Business Communications" equips those who enter the business world. Courses in grammar and rhetoric provide an understanding of the ways language works and of the influences (audience, styles, historical contexts) that have shaped discourse at different times.
Majors complete their studies through a Senior Seminar: with other advanced students and a faculty mentor, they use the perspectives they have acquired to examine various texts including writings produced by each member of the seminar. These final steps in the major combine a re-thinking of past studies with a definition of the student's individual interests and plans for the future.
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English majors will learn to:
- Write and speak fluently, correctly, and gracefully in a variety of situations, contexts, and forms and to use language with refinement to express meaning precisely..
- Read works from a variety of periods and cultures, including non-western as well as English, American (including non-majority), and European literatures. Be familiar with the literary tradition in English.
- Apply a variety of critical methods to a wide range of genres, styles, and levels of discourse.
- Use research to find information in a variety of formats and locations, integrate sources as support for original ideas, and document the researched information in Modern Language Association (MLA) style.
- Complete a senior thesis.
- Know the works of at least one major author in some detail, with a sense of the author's development, career, and importance.
- Understand how cultural, social, economic, political, and scientific events and movements have affected writers and their writing.
- Understand how literature provides insights into the moral, psychological, ideological, political, and aesthetic choices faced by individual people.
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NCATE Teacher Certification
Students majoring in English have the option of pursuing a B.A. in English with Teacher
Certification. In order to do so, they will take the approved sequence of education courses common
to all secondary education concentrations at Lander and a specially-designed course in the methods
of teaching secondary English. Students will include Readings in African-American Literature as
part of their General Education Core Requirement and Introduction to Language and Studies in
Rhetoric as part of their upper-level English coursework. The English with Teacher Certification
track at Lander is unique because of its required coursework in the teaching of writing and in
minority literatures. The B.A. in English with Teacher Certification has been designed in
consideration of NCTE standards for English Teacher Education programs and has been accredited by
NCATE.
English Four-Year Curriculum Plan
Traditional, Applied Emphasis, and Education curriculum pages from the LU 2006-07 catalogue (in Microsoft Word pages).
