The English major encourages intellectual independence by stressing creative, critical thinking combined with informed reading and interpretation made evident in clear speech and writing.  Members of the Department seek to teach language and literature from a range of perspectives.  Approaches include close reading of texts, performing texts, identifying historical and theoretical contexts -- all strategies of reading that find their parallels in creative and expository writing.  Small classes and various opportunities for independent study, including a senior honors program, are designed to engage professor and students in a lively intellectual exchange.  The program provides graduates with a depth and breadth of literary knowledge while teaching them to explore problems creatively, to be sensitive to life's diversity, and to read the world critically and thoughtfully. 

Thus, English is an ideal liberal arts major; it also provides an excellent basis for those beginning careers in teaching, law, medicine, journalism, government, and business, as well as for those pursuing graduate study in literature or creative writing.