ASPIRATIONAL GOALS FOR ENGLISH MAJORS

1) Knowledge

a)      of major works, authors, literary periods, cultural contexts, and genres of Anglophone literature (including film for some students), primarily British, American, and Africana

b)      of writing and speaking as intellectual, rhetorical, and aesthetic acts embedded in broader social discourses

c)      of narrative, form, style, and tropes as ways of knowing

d)      of interpretive strategies, including some literary critical approaches

e)      of a second language (at least to the intermediate college level)

2) Ability

a)      to think critically and creatively

b)      to comprehend and enjoy reading diverse texts with discernment and sensitivity

c)      to invent and analyze arguments and language

d)      to use the tools and methods of literary study and research

e)      to write in different genres with clarity, power, and beauty

f)       to speak effectively in formal and informal settings to diverse audiences

g)      to listen, discuss, and argue effectively

3)  Ethical Reflection

a)      through reading that cultivates a moral imagination

b)      through reading that encourages empathetic engagement with other lives and cultures

c)      through grappling with ethical complexities in literary texts

d)      through analyzing culture

e)      through applying intellectual and moral understanding to one’s own life