|
|
| GOALS: The English curriculum is designed
to stress the interrelationships among language, texts, and culture. Majors
are expected to develop their ability to identify and become conscious of
the beliefs, assumptions, conventions, and critical stances necessary to
study these connections. Majors will not only read widely in diverse texts,
but also become skillful in interpreting them, in applying their findings,
and in expressing their ideas.
STRUCTURE: Courses have been grouped into four interactive categories: Fundamental Issues; Culture; Texts: Strategies for Reading and for Writing; and Independent Study. Students may choose a number of different emphases within the major to meet their personal goals. In picking electives, some may choose a balance of courses among the categories, others may choose to emphasize courses in the "Culture" and "Texts: Strategies for Reading" categories; still others may choose to emphasize writing by taking more courses from the offerings in "Texts: Strategies for Writing." The English major thus offers a number of options in putting together individual programs. METHODS: Teaching at Wooster is not simply about the dissemination of information but about finding ways to help students develop their own abilities. Rather than listening to a lecture for fifty minutes, students are more likely to be discussing issues raised in their reading, working in small groups on their own writing, or constructing and working on projects in which they will apply their knowledge and sharpen their skills in critical thinking, independent research, organization, and effective communication. THE MAJOR: Students are required to take at least eleven courses, five of which are specified while six are electives. The required courses include an introduction to the major and to contemporary ways of thinking about English studies, a writing course for English majors, a seminar to prepare students for Independent Study in English, and a two-semester senior Independent Study project. THE MINOR: Students are required to take six courses, one of them being English 120. Requirements include four elective courses and a writing courses as well. COURSES: English courses range from the study of 19th- and 20th-century American and British literature to more specialized courses in the Cold War, Beat Literature, Poetry Since World War 11, and the Revenge Tragedy. Writing courses include introductory sections of Fictional and non-ficitonal writing and courses in Journalism and Magazine Writing. Many classes use technology. AFTER THE MAJOR: Our graduates choose a wide range of Careers and Professions, linked only by a tendency to require independence, self-motivation, and excellence in critical thinking and communication.
| |