Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [English Literature] From Denison University

Through the study of literature and the instruction of writing in various forms, we endeavor to promote in our majors and minors both a deep understanding of our discipline and an active use of its practices. As a faculty, we recognize and encourage among ourselves a variety of pedagogical and critical approaches to literature and writing. Moreover, we feel that our students should experience and comprehend these different schools of theory and application. Thus, in the course of their studies with our department, students will be exposed to the traditional canon of British and American literature as well as to non-canonical texts in the Anglophone tradition; be asked to apply a variety of literary theories from traditional close reading to recent postmodern methods of investigation; be required to write with style and acumen in every class they take; and be motivated always to examine, to question, and to challenge their own moment and situation in literary and cultural?history.

Students at Denison enjoy a curriculum in English that balances the need for broad introductory courses with abundant opportunities to focus on special topics in our more advanced courses. The Department of English participates fully in offering courses that fulfill a variety of General Education requirements, and we also teach First-Year Studies 101, perhaps the most important course that you, as an incoming first-year student, will take. In our small classes, students find varied but uniformly passionate instruction in American, British, and world literature, with consistent attention to interpretive and writing?skills.