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English

   Member of the Division of Humanities

Chair(s):

George Barlow

Faculty:

The study of English has diverse parts, including linguistics, creative writing, and rhetorical theory, and is itself part of European cultural history, general literary studies, and American studies. The study of the literary resources of the language cannot be isolated from the rest of the liberal arts. Students of English need to know how English can be used in other disciplines, and students in other disciplines can profit from study in the Department of English.

At Grinnell, the study of English is founded on critical reading and argumentative writing. To establish this foundation, the department offers several courses without prerequisite to accommodate a variety of needs and interests.

Advanced courses reveal the department’s particular emphasis on the imaginative literature of England, the United States, and other countries with traditions of literature in English, an emphasis that necessarily invites students to develop a critical understanding of the contexts of those literatures. Advanced courses are categorized by type of literature (short story, novel, poem), by authors (Milton, Shakespeare, Chaucer), or by periods of literary history (medieval literature, Renaissance literature, modern literature). But the underlying purpose remains the same: to enhance the enjoyment of literature by developing ways of imaginatively understanding it.

The program for majors provides a general acquaintance with the traditions of English and American literature and encourages special interests in the various fields of English. Majors are required to study one foreign language and are advised to study the materials and methods of history, philosophy, and the arts. Nor should they neglect the physical and social sciences, whose methods provide valuable perspectives on literary study.