Learning Goals & Outcomes

The English Department prepares students to contribute to scholarly and popular discourses through mastery of the following five goals:

• Expertise in "close reading" of texts. Students will be able to analyze the form, content, and cultural meanings of worksof literature and a wide array of other forms of communication and cultural expressions.

• Ability to analyze texts in context. Students will be able to understand texts in relation to a variety of contexts, including historical moments, as well as literary, cultural, and theoretical traditions.

• Ability to conduct in-depth research on complex subjects.

• Ability to write clear, polished, and persuasive prose.

• Ability to present ideas effectively through persuasive oral communication.