Home

Program Mission
The English Program encourages students to develop sophisticated ways of understanding, creating, and responding to texts.

Program Description
Students in the English major study the historical development of literary and rhetorical traditions, of literatures written in English, as well as world and European literatures in English translation. The department stresses critical thinking, the analysis of texts, clear and effective writing, aesthetic appreciation, and theoretical sophistication. We value small class sizes and personal contact between faculty and students. English majors and minors can expect to work closely with their academic advisors to plan a course of study, and faculty work as mentors, guiding students to consider such opportunities as a semester of study abroad. In addition to fostering a lifelong appreciation of literature and language, a degree in English provides a range of personal and professional opportunities. Surveys of employers consistently stress the value of the skills we teach: the ability to communicate effectively with others, to think critically and creatively, to read carefully, and to write with clarity and purpose. KSC English majors have gone on to graduate and professional schools; they are working in the field of teaching; they work as writers; and they are employed in publishing, journalism, business, public relations, library science, and many other fields.

Program of Study
The English major at Keene State College is organized around six core courses: English 200 & 300 (the introductory sequence), a pre-1800 course, a Differing Cultural Perspectives course, and English 395 &495 (the advanced sequence). The department also offers a range of electives for majors.

The Introductory Sequence: English 200 focuses on developing interpretive skills, critical awareness and confidence in preparation for more advanced work in English and the humanities. The course introduces students to methods of criticism as well as theories of textual study. The second course in the introductory sequence, English 300, offers English majors a sense of how, when, and why literary genres change over time. These two courses emphasize close reading, resourceful writing, and  developing a more sophisticated awareness of historical, cultural and intellectual context.

Pre-1800 Courses: Pre-1800 courses investigate literary traditions and cultural contexts that are significantly different from contemporary contexts. Students learn the appropriate interpretive tools and assumptions for approaching pre-1800 texts as well as examine continuities and connections existing between past and later traditions.

Differing cultural Perspectives Courses: Differing Cultural Perspectives (DCP) courses investigate discursive traditions that have been historically marginalized and examine the ways in which these traditions serve as tools for cultural survival and resistance. DCP courses recognize the significance and integrity of those literary and expressive traditions produced by cultures whose collective humanity and aesthetic identity have been historically devalued, denied, or dismissed by academic and literary discourse as well as by legal and social practice.

The Advanced Sequence: The first course (English 395) in the advanced sequence focuses on a particular aspect of the field of English studies through primary and secondary texts, as well as historical and cultural contexts. English majors then take the advanced seminar (ENG 495) to complete the year-long sequence.

Electives: The English department faculty offer a range of courses in the college’s liberal arts curriculum. Every semester, including in the summer sessions, our faculty offer a wide range of courses in writing and literature. In these courses majors and non-majors have the opportunity to study classical literature, medieval and Renaissance literature, American and British literature, American Indian literature, Russian literature, and Caribbean writers. In addition, English faculty members offer courses in interdisciplinary programs such as Women’s Studies, American Studies, Environmental Studies, and Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Whether you are working on an English major or minor, or looking for an interesting integrative studies elective in language, literature and culture, the English faculty invite you to join us!

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »