English Major
(Requirements for English Major)

Overview
The English major at Wheaton prepares students to read closely, to think critically, to write clearly, and to express their creativity. The department is strongly committed to the interconnectedness of literature and writing as it seeks to develop lifelong readers and writers.

The English curriculum focuses on the study of significant texts (both canonical and non-canonical) from many genres, periods, and cultures. The curriculum emphasizes the historical framework of English and American literature and includes relevant works of ethnic and minority literature. In courses in creative and expository writing, students refine their writing skills as they learn how to create texts. In literature courses, students sharpen their writing skills as they learn how to evaluate and analyze texts.

English majors are expected to acquire a knowledge of literary history, an awareness of how individual works relate to broader issues of culture, an awareness of English as a professional, academic pursuit, and an introduction to the history of literary criticism and to contemporary critical approaches.

Students who major in English are challenged to develop a defense, both general and Christian, of literature and to relate the literature they read to their understanding of the Bible and to their own aesthetic and moral development as Christians.