Students begin with a seminar in critical methodology so they work immediately with a professor in their field. Students then move on to acquire some familiarity with the entire spectrum of English and American literature, as well as exposure to important new thinking about the relation of gender and ethnicity to representation, and some sense of how literature matters outside the classroom. The English major leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, in a program that combines tradition with innovation, structure with flexibility, to allow students considerable freedom within the major to select courses according to their own interests. The Department also offers an approved subject matter preparation program for the Multiple Subject teaching credential. Students who complete such a program are exempt from subject matter examinations when applying for a teaching credential program.
Undergraduates often work closely with professors as research assistants on various projects.
English majors frequently intern with newspapers, publishers, and primary and secondary schools in the area. The Department has a well-appointed library of its own, open to use by English majors. The library computer is connected to the Internet. Additional Department computers available to students are equipped for multimedia use. The English Student Union is an organization of undergraduate English students that assists with peer counseling and arranges social events and field trips to productions and performances throughout the area.