English
Department Overview
The English department owes much to its long heritage of teaching students how to read, write, and speak in public at a high level. Its admitted mentor is the late Bro. Martin McMurtrey, SM, longtime department chair, whose former students have become leaders in English letters and many disciplines dependent on excellent writing ability.
The Study of English invites students to explore the interplay of language and imagination and their role in the shaping of culture through careful examination of text, audience, and author. Students are engaged in the study of literature and the theoretical underpinnings of ‘multiple readings,’ and they become immersed in composition as a process and an art.
Students learn not only the mechanics of writing but also the beauty and form of the English language. They develop their vocabulary and imagination through both required and additional reading assignments. They analyze the great English literature, both from England and the U.S., and still read, perform, and analyze the standard Shakespearean repertoire.
