We aim to help students become critical readers and writers. Critical readers employ analytical skills of close reading, historical contextualization, and theoretical reflection. Critical writers synthesize the results of their analysis into coherent and original critical essays. We also teach the writing of poetry and prose fiction, autobiography, and journalism.
Most English courses are open to majors and non majors.
The UB Department of English has been consistently ranked in the top thirty English departments in the United States. We limit enrollment into our lower and upper division courses so that we can offer good students the rare chance to study in a proper intimate environment of students and teachers. We offer courses both in traditional areas of literary studies and in cross disciplinary approaches to literary texts so that students may use English as a general preparation for any career which requires writing skills, literacy, research methods, and cultural awareness. Others receive teacher certification and teach high school. Still others work in business and media.