Writers are expected to maintain a distinct voice and to follow the conventions of standard English. Although English 101 and 102 share similar concerns, English 102 focuses on expository writing to reinforce analytical and argumentative senting, writing from sources, and engaging in a major research project. Through the study of short fiction, poetry, and drama, students are introduced to a variety of critical approaches. The writing intensive nature of the course manifests itself through inquiry into the nature and possibilities of the literary experience, made more personal and reflective by essay examinations and a major term paper. All elective courses in writing and literature are writing intensive.
Writing is considered part of the critical process of understanding texts and their environment.
Individual courses in advanced, imaginative, and technical writing serve to deepen this examination. The department's offerings in literature range from World, English, American, and Biblical literature to genre courses in poetry and drama, courses in literary criticism, Native American literature, and the non-Western novel.