English / Literature
Literary analysis, creative writing, rhetoric, and critical theory.
Who It's For
You love reading, writing, and thinking deeply about language and literature. If you enjoy analyzing texts, crafting arguments in essays, and exploring how stories reflect human experience, English is a rewarding major. Students who are creative with words, enjoy both fiction and nonfiction, and are comfortable with open-ended interpretation thrive here.
If you find reading long novels or writing analytical essays tedious, English will be a struggle. Students who want clear right-or-wrong answers or a direct career pipeline from their degree might prefer a more applied or quantitative major.
How Your High School Classes Connect
How much each subject matters in this degree
Common Coursework
Study persuasion and argumentation, then write essays that effectively reach specific audiences.
Read major British works from Beowulf through the Romantics to modern authors.
Read foundational American texts from Puritan writings through Twain, Fitzgerald, and Morrison.
Read and analyze Shakespeare's major plays and sonnets in their historical and theatrical context.
Apply frameworks like feminism, poststructuralism, and Marxism to interpret literary texts.
Conduct independent literary research and present a capstone paper on a focused topic.
Trace the novel's evolution from its 18th-century origins through modern and experimental forms.
Read writers from formerly colonized nations who explore identity, power, and cultural resistance.
Craft polished nonfiction essays, profiles, and arguments for publication-ready quality.
Write original short stories while workshopping craft elements like plot, character, and voice.
Write original poems while studying form, imagery, rhythm, and contemporary poetic techniques.
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