Department of English

What does it mean to read? Skimming for a few key takeaway points? Getting lost in a captivating tale? It could be understanding how a book spoke to its historical context—or finding something that helps us navigate our lives today. Does it make a difference if we are reading a printed book or a phone screen? And how does one decide what makes a reading persuasive?

English explores myriad questions about the interpretation of texts across the fields of literary criticism and history, writing and rhetoric, and creative writing. Our students become expert readers who summon advanced methodologies to craft compelling accounts of the meanings and effects of texts. Forging workable agreements and sustaining meaningful conversations around different and contending views is central to our participatory epistemology. We do this in discussion-based classes and in our practices as writers. Our students and faculty write in many forms, including scholarly writing about literature, writing, and rhetoric; the keywording and coding of digital humanities; and creative writing in poetry, fiction, and new media. Whatever form our writing takes, in English we emphasize that reading and writing are central to understanding and engaging with our world to make a difference.

In our vibrant community, students and faculty pursue original and humanistic inquiry in a culture of small classes that trains students in navigating complexity and change, and opportunities for student-centered research and writing. The independent creativity and multilayered approach to problem-solving central to humanistic education are invaluable preparation for a fast-changing job market in which many skills are becoming automated.