Instilling Appreciation for the Written Word
Our Mission
The USCA English Department provides students with an understanding and appreciation of the written word, both as writers and as readers of significant literature. To that end, the department has three major purposes:
- provide students throughout the university with experience in thinking creatively and critically and in writing articulately about ideas in general,
- provide a variety of electives for students engaged in either a liberal arts education or a professional program of study, and
- provide English majors with background for graduate studies in English or preparation for careers that draw on communication skills and critical thinking abilities.
Because of its size, USCA has all of the intimacy of a small college, and yet because it is part of an eight-campus system, it has features that one could find only at a larger school. The USCA English faculty is an active group of scholars and writers who bring their expertise and enthusiasm to the classroom every day.
Why Study English and Writing?
A major in English and Writing is designed to be flexible enough to provide students with an adequate background for graduate studies in English or preparation for such professions as law, medicine, the ministry, advertising, communications, technical writing, and library science.
Students will develop the ability to derive meaning from what they read, particularly literary texts, as well as the ability to write analytically about literature and its history. Upon completion of their studies, students will demonstrate:
- the ability to do a close reading of genres (e.g., poetry, fiction, drama, or film);
- a general knowledge of major movements, periods, and authors in British and American literature;
- a working knowledge of literary terms;
- an understanding of literature in its cultural context;
- the ability to locate, read, understand, and apply literary criticism and scholarship; and
- the ability to write analytically and articulately about literature, offering evidence of clarity, coherence, and style.
The Details
The Department of English offers three major degree programs and four minor programs as well as a range of programming and opportunities for English majors.