About

Mission Statement

The English Department offers a variety of interrelated areas of study in a broad range of liberal arts and professional programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The mission of the Department is to help students as readers, writers, and thinkers at all levels of study to appreciate the nuances of and connections among texts (literary, rhetorical, visual, etc.), and to use written and oral language to participate effectively in a wide range of academic, aesthetic, and professional contexts. The Department's programs prepare students for productive lives as critical thinkers, informed citizens, and ethical leaders.

The English Department pursues the ideal of a socially conscious education. It aims to scrutinize preconceptions about race, gender, ethnicity, class, age, and sexual orientation. It values critical literacy and communication as resources for democracy, resources that invest citizens with the cognitive skills needed to analyze and critique those forms of language which work for and against the ideals of community, cooperation, justice, and equality.

We strive to achieve these goals via high quality teaching that reflects innovations of thought and scholarship, that uses current technologies to facilitate learning, and that responds to the cultural diversity of the student body. By maintaining state, regional, and national accreditation, we ensure that our majors are prepared to enter their chosen professions or pursue further study in their chosen fields.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

As part of the English Department's commitment to providing a high-quality education to our students, we offer specific learning outcomes for both our B.A. and B.S.Ed. degree programs. We assess these outcomes each semester through a multiple-choice disciplinary knowledge test, an exit survey, and student portfolios. View the learning outcomes for our B.A. and B.S.Ed. degree programs.

Videos

The videos gathered here showcase the English Department's varied programs, curricula, and faculty research, as well as our work with affiliated organizations such as the Women's & Gender Studies Program and the Frederick Douglass Institute.