Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes for English Majors

Upon completion of the English major, students will demonstrate:

  1. a broad knowledge of literature in English from diverse cultures and historical periods;
  2. the ability to interpret literature through close reading and understand its place within the context of history, genre, identity, and culture;
  3. the ability to analyze literature through various critical and theoretical frameworks and conduct research involving both primary and secondary sources;
  4. the critical thinking skills needed to develop coherent arguments and then defend those arguments in clear, effective prose.

Outcomes for English Majors with a Concentration in Writing

Upon completion of the English Major with a Concentration in Writing, students will be able to demonstrate those learning outcomes listed above for the English major; in addition they will demonstrate:

  1. knowledge of the literary terms, key concepts, and craft elements of one or more genres of imaginative writing;
  2. the ability to read literature as a writer, using texts as models for their own imaginative writing;
  3. the ability to conceive of, develop, and write well-crafted literary projects in a variety of forms;
  4. the ability to think critically about their own work and the work of others, through revision and collaborative peer review.

Outcomes for English Minors

Upon completion of the English minor, students will demonstrate:

  1. a basic knowledge of literature in English from diverse cultures and historical periods;
  2. the ability to interpret literature through close reading and understand its place within the context of history, genre, identity, and culture;
  3. the critical thinking skills needed to develop coherent arguments and then defend those arguments in clear, effective prose.

Outcomes for Writing Minors

Upon completion of the Writing Minor, students will demonstrate:

  1. knowledge of the literary terms, key concepts, and craft elements of one or more genres of imaginative writing;
  2. the ability to read literature as a writer, using texts as models for their own imaginative writing;
  3. the ability to conceive of, develop, and write well-crafted literary projects in a variety of forms;
  4. the ability to think critically about their own work and the work of others, through revision and collaborative peer review.