The English Department has established the following learning outcomes for students completing the English major:

• English major students will analyze a broad range of literary issues, figures, texts, themes, techniques, and genres. They will place them in their cultural, philosophical, and historical context.

• English major students will read, analyze, apply, and incorporate research from critical and primary sources. These sources will reflect various theoretical and critical approaches.

• English major students will demonstrate, through a close reading of literature, an understanding of a wide range of cultural perspectives that include the diverse cultures of the United States. They will understand the social and cultural contexts of literary texts, such as the roles that race, class, gender, and sexuality play in shaping cultural perception.

• English major students will incorporate research in well-organized argumentative reports that competently develop a research question and use relevant source materials. They will be competent in grammar, spelling, diction, and the use of MLA style.