We encourage students to enrich their advanced study by taking courses in philosophy, history, and other disciplines. Breadth Majors will be exposed to a broad historical overview of the literatures of Great Britain and the United States, and will study several of the periods of literary history in greater detail. They will be asked to trace transformations in literary history, recognize major literary movements, understand the relation between text and cultural context, and synthesize and compare the literature of several periods. Depth Majors will be encouraged to study an author in depth, absorbing the writer's entire oeuvre, as well as her or his work's reception history and influence. This area of proficiency is designed to provide the student an opportunity to gain expertise and comprehensive knowledge in a limited area.
Students also attain depth by studying particular literary periods or genres in detail.
Techniques of Reading Majors will learn the practical techniques of reading texts closely, including formal analysis of genre, style, tone, and poetics. Cultural Contexts Majors will expand their sense of literary possibility by studying literature defined in terms of region, gender, ethnicity, race or religion. These objectives complement those of the Millsaps core curriculum, which emphasizes the development of critical and analytical skills as well as a broad understanding of the diverse world in which we live. Another basic objective of the College is to educate effective writers, an objective that the English department reinforces with its teaching of critical and creative writing in a variety of courses. The Millsaps English Club has in the past sponsored discussions and parties for English majors.