• The core proficiency in our discipline lies in gaining familiarity with a wide range of authors and literary works. The specific goals listed below strive to achieve a balance between coverage (of different genres of writing, as well as of different historical periods) and intensive, focused study. The latter provides the advanced critical skills necessary for literary study while the former provides the materials on which these skills are exercised.
  • Students majoring in English at Johns Hopkins are expected to:
    • Acquire familiarity with literature in English from a variety of historical periods and national settings
    • Develop an understanding of various literary modes and genres, including prose fiction, poetry, drama, autobiography, and non-fiction
    • Explore selected topics and issues in depth and with sophistication
    • Learn to express themselves with fluency and precision, and to present complex arguments in a rigorous and coherent fashion.