English at UM
Dedication to excellence in reading, writing, and critical thinking unites the five programs of the English Department. Our students, regardless of the options they choose, learn the expressive potential of language through studying both canonical and noncanonical literatures, taking classes that familiarize them with works as varied as Paradise Lost, Beloved, A River Runs Through It, Midnight’s Children, and Brokeback Mountain. Through close reading and engaging in the process of writing, students learn to analyze and interpret a plethora of diverse forms of representation, developing skills that facilitate criticism, creativity, and pedagogy. These skills also prepare students for the larger challenges that face them in a world where reading, writing, and critical thinking are integral to almost every profession. As generative artificial intelligence transforms the professional landscape, English majors acquire the language expertise necessary to interface with this technology to greatest advantage. More fundamentally, as this technology inundates aspects of our daily lives, majors practice and learn the value of unplugged, independent thinking.
English Programs
