Program Overview

The English program at Jessup offers several distinctives. First of all, we approach the study of literature and writing with a Christian worldview. We believe that all truth is God’s truth and that the study of great writings throughout the ages can give us a glimpse of God’s interaction with the world that He created. Secondly, we offer concentrations in both creative and professional writing—a rarity in undergraduate programs at Christian colleges—because we are committed to the highest standards for Christian writers. Finally, we know that the study of literature and of writing can be and should be a transformative experience, and we desire that all students should grow to know themselves, others, and God more deeply through their study of English.

Although many English majors go on to be teachers, the major is also excellent preparation for other fields. Many English graduates go on to law school or to graduate work in the humanities or education. Others find satisfying careers in fields where good communication and people skills are important, such as ministry, human resources, or technical writing. And of course, many go on to become writers themselves.

Learning Outcomes:

• Critically analyze works of poetry, fiction, and drama from various eras of American and English literature.
• Think and write clearly and analytically.
• Integrate aesthetic appreciation and evaluation in a wide variety of written genres.
• Integrate their faith and their learning in the discipline.
• Complete an original work of criticism.
• Be prepared for entrance into a single-subject credential program in English.
• Demonstrate acquisition of content in the four English domains of literature and textual analysis; language, linguistics, and literacy; composition and rhetoric; and communications, speech, media, and creative performance.
• Demonstrate an understanding of current and emerging issues in literacy, language acquisition, and multicultural studies.
• Interpret works in a wide variety of genres, including non-literary, visual, and technologically mediated texts, and from canonical as well as diverse sources, in their cultural contexts.