1. First and foremost, literature invites us to contemplate and discuss profound insights into the human condition.
2. Classes develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills through open discussions that emphasize free exchange of ideas.
3. Scholarly and creative work feeds students’ personal creativity and love of language.
4. An approachable, intellectually stimulating faculty support student efforts to succeed in the classroom and out.
5. Life after graduation: skills and insights learned studying English lend themselves to varied professional goals without being merely pre-professional. 

1. ENG 265—A survey of American literary masters from the colonial era to the present.
2. ENG 237—An introductory course to the study of film as literature covering a range of filmmakers and genres.
3. ENG 310—The department’s beginning creative writing course provides students from across campus the means to express themselves through literature.
4. ENG 332/333—The department’s two Shakespeare courses examine representative samples of the Bard’s tragedies, comedies, histories, and romances.
5. ENG 357/358—Southern literature from the colonial period to the current day is the focus of these two courses. 

What Students Love About This Program

1. The opportunity to express their opinions and hear those of other students who share their passion for literature.
2. The consistently stimulating subjects that the readings and class discussions raise.
3. The freedom to explore one’s own ideas in writing and conversation and to have those ideas treated seriously.
4. Small classes that help to establish a comfortable intellectual climate in which to explore new ideas.
5. The opportunity to work with nationally and internationally renowned writers who become mentors and friends.

1. Professional education: our students regularly go on to law, medical, pharmacy, and graduate schools.
2. Teaching: many of our graduates become teachers in secondary schools across the nation.
3. Publishing: love of language and the ability to shape its beauty make a natural tie-in to the publishing world.
4. Nonprofit organizations: socially committed students often find careers at organizations committed to improving the state of humanity.
5. Business life: the ability to think and write clearly are skills in high demand in the business world.