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Department of English
Department of English
Through the systematic study of English, students discover the values underlying the great literature of the past and learn to distinguish and appreciate the contemporary literature most likely to endure. Students studying English learn to evaluate sensibilities both past and present, acquiring a profound knowledge of their own humanity and of the human condition in general. The study of English helps develop fluency of expression, skill in logical analysis, and facility in planning, organizing, and revising. Literature courses, no less than composition courses, give attention to writing to help students perfect their ability to communicate with others.
The C.W. Post Department of English offers the B.A. in English with specializations in writing or literature and the M.A. in English as well as the B.S. and M.S. in English for Adolescence Education (Grades 7 to 12). There are also B.S. programs in American Studies, and Writing and Literature for Early Childhood (Birth to Grade 2) and Childhood Education (Grades 1 to 6). The Department also offers a 5-year accelerated program in English and the M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in conjunction with the School of Education. The Department of English offers courses in three broad areas: writing, linguistics, and literature. Offerings in literature cover all of English and American literature and a wide range of literature in translation.
Students have many opportunities to participate in clubs, publications and special events. The C.W. Post Poetry Center, the longest-running literary center at any university in the metropolitan New York area, sponsors poetry readings and a poetry contest and brings internationally renowned poets to campus. Sigma Tau Delta, the national English Honor Society, maintains an active chapter at C.W. Post, and members may submit original work to the national publication. C.W. Post also offers a number of annual English awards for scholarship and original prose and poetry. Students may compete for the prizes granted annually by the Academy of American Poets. The English Department also is home to Confrontation, Long Island University’s literary magazine, which since 1968 has published both famous and lesser-known writers, including seven Nobel Prize winners.