Outcome Statements for English Majors

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1. Knowledge

The English major aims to increase students’ familiarity with:

a. modes, terms, forms, and genres of literary and visual culture;
b. a range of texts and authors exemplifying major traits and periods in literary and visual culture;
c. the history of literature, criticism, theory, and visual culture;
d. disciplinary specific principles of argument, research, and reference.

2. Skills and Abilities

The English major aims to improve students’ ability:

a. to master texts from a range of historical periods and cultures and to relate them to each other formally, thematically, culturally, historically, and politically;
b. to reflect critically on the cultural, psychological, and aesthetic bases of literary
response;
c. to write effectively and persuasively;
d. to find, assess, and correctly utilize an array of research materials from both print and electronic media;
e. to produce original poetry, prose fiction, creative nonfiction, or scripts;*
f. to synthesize a range of primary and critical materials to produce a coherent and original argument.

3. Perspectives

The English major aims to increase students’:

a. aesthetic pleasure in literature and visual culture;
b. desire to engage with a range of intellectual, cultural, or ethnic perspectives;
c. awareness of the possibility of self-transformation through literary and visual culture;
d. sense of responsibility with regard to intellectual honesty and integrity in the use of sources;
e. confidence in critical thinking and analytic skills;
f. willingness to embrace intellectual challenge;
g. engagement with a dynamic world in which they are citizens.

*will be true of students taking creative writing courses; will not be true of all English majors.