Dr. Adam Wood, Department Head
Room 2109, West Hall

The Department of English offers three tracks that lead to a B. A. degree in English and two programs that lead to an M. A. degree in English. The Department also offers minors in Literature and Language, Journalism, Creative Writing and Contemporary Literature, and Professional Writing.

The tracks in the English Department build upon the basic knowledge, skills, and values provided by the University Core Curriculum while preparing students for a wide range of careers as well as for graduate study in numerous fields. The Literature and Creative Writing Track offers two paths (literature and creative writing) appropriate for careers that rely upon critical thinking, deep reading, and creative endeavors as well as for graduate study in law, theology, and English. The English Education Track allows students to pursue double majors in English and Secondary Education and graduate with certification to teach as well as a B.A. in English and a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education. The Journalism Track offers three paths (news, magazine, and editing) that prepare students for careers in print journalism, editing, and in-house news writing. Students in every track are encouraged to gain work experience related to their major through internships or the VSU Cooperative Education Program. Each of the English Department’s tracks and paths emphasizes the importance of critical thinking skills; encourages an appreciation of diverse cultural perspectives; and develops a greater understanding of the cognitive, emotive, and aesthetic dimensions of language as an avenue of self-knowledge, cultural understanding, and social responsibility.

Selected Educational Outcomes

Each program in the English Department targets various individual outcomes. All English majors develop the following abilities:

  1. To explain and analyze literary works within their cultural, historical, and literary contexts.
  2. To write and speak with clarity, precision, and sophistication.
  3. To conduct appropriate forms of research and to integrate their findings into coherent works of their own composition.
  4. To identify the critical and/or rhetorical principles that inform writing and to use them to create written works appropriate to their audience and purpose.

Examples of Outcome Assessments

The English Department assesses its students' ability to meet these outcomes in various ways, including the following:

  1. An original senior capstone project, supported by an oral presentation.
  2. An assignment analyzing a literary work within its cultural, historical, and literary contexts.
  3. An Undergraduate English Major Exit Questionnaire.