This program is offered by the University of Illinois at Chicago. The field focuses on the study and practice of various forms of writing in English. It includes:

• the study of written works in English—whether by writers from the United States, Britain, former colonies, the Commonwealth nations, or elsewhere—whose aesthetic achievement and cultural significance qualifies them as literature;
• the study of literary criticism and theory, of the relationship between literature and popular culture, and of allied narrative forms such as film, performance, electronic communications, and other new media

Students who major in English develop broad reading and writing skills that make possible both an analytical engagement with, and a critical understanding of, diverse fields of cultural and aesthetic production. The English major offers excellent preparation for careers in writing, editing, publishing, teaching, government, law, and advertising.