English and Modern Languages
Cynthia Westerbeck, Chair; Kellie Bond, Sara Kakazu, Lauren Peterson.
The Department of English and Modern Languages offers a major in English with emphases in literature, creative writing, and secondary teaching; it also offers minors in literature and writing in addition to language minors in Arabic, French, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish through our affiliation with Adventist Colleges Abroad. Both the major and minors provide a foundation for careers that emphasize critical thinking and skillful communication. English majors frequently work in non-profit and corporate communication, grant writing, education, journalism, digital and print publishing, library science, and government. The major is also a strong preparation for law, business, medicine, and the social and behavioral sciences. These and other professions place a high value on the ability to read critically, to write clearly, and to understand human experience.
In its general studies courses, the department aims to enhance the student’s ability to use language and understand literature. The writing courses give instruction in clear, effective writing, and the literature courses address significant and enduring issues that lead to a broad understanding of human experience.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a major in English will be able to:
- Analyze critically and contextually: Apply a combination of close reading skills, critical theory, cultural literacy, genre studies, and historical contexts to the analysis of texts from diverse genres and literary periods.
- Argue effectively: Find, evaluate, and employ evidence from primary and secondary texts to craft clear, compelling arguments.
- Communicate clearly: Present ideas effectively in discussion, oral presentation, and writing that take into consideration audience and purpose.
- Write creatively: Express ideas creatively in a variety of genres and within a collaborative community.
- Engage ethically: Apply the insights learned from reading literature to understanding social issues from diverse perspectives; employ the conventions of citation and attribution expected of responsible members of the community of scholars and writers.