The Study 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.
C. W. Post offers the B.A. and M.A. in English and the B.S. and M.S. in English for Adolescence Education. There are also B.S. programs in English, American Studies, and Literature for Early Childhood, Childhood, and Middle Childhood Education. In addition, the School of Education offers the M.S. in the Teaching of English as a Second Language. 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.
Undergraduate Curriculum in English
The B.A. in English with a Concentration in Literature
requires 36 credits, including traditional period, genre, and major
figure courses, an advanced course in critical writing, and an intensive
seminar on a special topic. Since there are required Core Curriculum
courses totaling 38 credits, a student majoring in English with
a Concentration in Literature has 48 elective credits. Although
all students must fulfill various competencies and every B.A. degree
requires 96 credits of liberal arts, the student majoring in English
with a concentration in literature who elects to fulfill all competency
requirements by taking credit courses will still have 32 credits
of completely free electives and an additional 16 elective credits
in liberal arts. The major in English with a Concentration in Literature
offers students both a strong traditional liberal education and
many opportunities to explore other disciplines.
The B.A. in English with a Concentration in Writing
requires 36 credits. The Writing Concentration explores various
forms of creative expression through course work in literature,
creative writing including writing for performance, and writing
for the marketplace including journalism. Since there are required
Core Curriculum courses totaling 38 credits, a student majoring
in English with a Writing Concentration has 48 elective credits.
Although all students must fulfill various competencies and every
B.A. degree requires 96 credits of liberal arts, the student majoring
in English with a writing concentration who elects to fulfill all
competency requirements by taking credit courses will still have
32 credits of completely free electives and an additional 16 elective
credits in liberal arts. The major in English with a Writing Concentration
offers students both a strong traditional liberal education and
many opportunities to explore other disciplines.
Students in the B.A. program in English are exempt from the Core requirement in literature or language. However, some college-level study of a foreign language is strongly recommended. Students contemplating graduate work in English are advised that many Ph.D. programs require a reading knowledge of one or more foreign languages and are urged to complete foreign language study through courses 11 and 12. Such students are also urged to take an advanced course in History and one of the following: LIN 11 Comparative Linguistics, LIN 12 Descriptive Linguistics, LIN 41 Applied Linguistics, or SPH 51 Phonetics of English.
The B.S. in English for Adolescence Education
requires a program of specific courses in both English and Education
as well as supervised student teaching. Students should consult
with the undergraduate advisor and should begin the sequence of
Education courses early.
Students in the B.A. program in English and the B.S. program in English for Adolescence Education must fulfill the requirements of the program in Writing across the Curriculum, including six credits of ENG 1 and ENG 2 or replacement courses. Many upper-level courses in English are available in writing-intensive mode to help students complete the other requirements of this program.
Students in Early Childhood Education, Childhood Education, and Middle Childhood Education may wish to complete one of the majors in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a substantial English component: English/Literature, English/Writing, and American Studies.
A minor in English (21 credits beyond ENG 1 and 2) is also available.
Graduate Programs in English
The M.A. in English requires 30 credits of course
work and a 3-credit thesis (ENG 708). ENG 510 Research Methods and
Critical Writing or another course with disciplinary methodology
(ENG 505 Classical Rhetoric, ENG 563 Comparative Literature, or
ENG 670 The Critical Tradition) should be taken in the first year
of graduate study. There are no other required courses, but courses
taken should represent a broad range of periods and subject matter.
The M.S. in English for Adolescence Education (Grades 7-12)
or Middle Childhood Education (Grades 5-9) requires
18 credits in English, including ENG 510 Research Methods and Critical
Writing. Additional English courses must be taken in five of six
broad areas of study (early literature and
language, literature of the English Renaissance, literature of the
Restoration and eighteenth century, nineteenth-century British literature,
American literature of any period, and modern literature of any
country). There is a comprehensive written essay examination covering
this course work in English. The Department of Curriculum and Instruction
specifies credits in Education and the culminating experience of a portfolio on this work. Students without Education courses on the undergraduate
level may need to take additional courses in Education. For further
information contact the Graduate Advisor for Adolescence Education:
516-299-2123.
There also is a graduate program in Teaching English as a Second Language administered by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction: 516-299-2199.
Besides Teaching, What Can I Do?
While English is the proper pre-professional major for those intending to become teachers of English (and there will be a growing need for such teachers during the next decade), English is also an especially appropriate major for those intending to enter a wide variety of other professions. For example, with introductory courses in logic and Political Science, English is an excellent, traditional pre-law major, and with appropriate introductory sequences in the sciences, English is also an excellent pre-medical or pre-dental major. With a minor in Business or Computer Science, a student who majors in English will prepare especially well for many executive positions in business and government.
Courses in English strengthen the career preparation of students entering any line of work. Broad general knowledge, strong skill in written expression, and an ability to learn on the job are the qualifications most often sought by employers in every field. Studies show that an ability to learn new skills and procedures is an outstanding characteristic of those who have majored in English. In addition, a major in English gives a student the writing skills especially in demand in today’s job market.
While many C.W. Post graduates are indeed teachers, both at the
secondary level and in colleges and universities (teachers of Spanish,
music, and communications as well as English), a recent survey of
graduates of the English program at C.W. Post reveals that respondents
are working in a wide variety of jobs. Quite a number have published books (fiction, non-fiction, scholarship and poetry),
and one works for a publisher. There are a number of magazine editors,
and two are librarians. A dozen have earned Ph.D.’s (and one
a D.A.). Others are in graduate school, not necessarily in English.
Quite a few are lawyers. One is a policeman. One is a movie star.
One is a college administrator. One manages a tennis court. One
works for a catering service. One is a rabbi. One is a fashion model.
Several work in big business, and one works for a big utility. Others
are consultants. Two are chairs of English Departments, and two
are high school principals. One is an executive secretary. Perhaps
the most interesting finding of the survey is that almost everyone
says that preparation in English has been helpful on the job–in
broadening of understanding even if not more specifically in the
interpreting of texts and in writing on the job.
Majoring in English is not a way to get the highest-paying entry-level job, but the records of the work force show that it is the surest preparation for moving up from an entry-level job to greater responsibility in almost any field. And the study of English helps develop a life of mind that improves anyone’s work and circumstances.
What can you do with a major in English? You can do anything. |
