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Through its avant-garde approach, interdisciplinary course offerings, innovative theoretical models, and accomplished instructors, the English major exposes students to a wide and diverse body of knowledge and provides them with the tools to think, analyze, and write with confidence.

The Department of English introduces students to significant global literary works and trains them in the careful analysis of texts, ranging from traditional novels to film and emerging electronic communication. The English major doesn't limit itself to works originally written in English language but, relying on the art of translation, crosses national and language boundaries to include the entire global literary and textual experience. Through a variety of theoretical approaches, students will learn how to analyze the heavily textualized world around them and prepare themselves for numerous occupations in their professional careers.

Note: the department encourages students to learn a foreign language and recognizes up to six credits of foreign-language study toward fulfilling the electives credit requirement for the major.

Secondary Education Certification

The department offers English majors the opportunity to select all of the EDU secondary education certification courses (listed below) as their electives in order to become middle school or high school english teachers (grades 7-12). While providing a solid foundation in English, this program includes extensive coursework in education, which, when combined with the secondary teaching internship, will meet standards for State of Maine teacher certification upon completion of the degree program. This program is approved by the State of Maine Board of Education.

English majors will be able to…

Read texts closely and think critically 

• Comprehend a text’s literal/factual content
• Distinguish between a passage's literal/factual content and its figurative/symbolic/interpretive content
• Analyze a text closely and identify rhetorical strategies therein
• Connect a passage's formal structure and thematic content with the text as a whole
• Extrapolate the larger implications (social, philosophical, ethical, argumentative) of these patterns

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of literatures in English

• Demonstrate familiarity with specified content areas in literature, literary history, theory, and criticism
• Understand literature as a culturally and historically embedded practice 
• Relate literature to other fields of inquiry

Communicate effectively

• Approach writing as a recursive process
• Develop and support claims about literary texts
• Articulate claims in conceptually coherent essays
• Use conventions of standard written English
• Present research findings orally within the conventions of the discipline

Conduct research in literary and cultural studies

• Use bibliographic tools to find source material
• Employ appropriate critical approaches in their research
• Contribute to scholarly conversations about literary and cultural texts and phenomena
• Incorporate and document source material using MLA style
• Communicate in accordance with standards of academic integrity

A student with a major in another department may minor in English with the permission of the English Department Chair. Eighteen hours of approved course work is required for the Minor in English.

Note: the department encourages students to take advantage of all courses that it administers and recognizes ENG 110 English Composition and SPC 100 Effective Public Speaking as electives toward fulfilling the credit requirement for the minor.

We offer qualified students the option of participating in our and graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member.

See Undergraduate Admissions.

See Undergraduate Admissions.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.