Why Study English at Alverno College?

The course of study in English in the integrated arts and humanities program provides the student of literature with the opportunity to experience the lives of distinct and frequently very different individuals. Studying literature from various points of view helps you to navigate an increasingly multicultural world and to position yourself within it in terms of gender, class, ethnicity, sexual preference, politics, and religion. In this way, you can develop understanding and sympathy for various perspectives as you clarify your own values, beliefs, and sense of who you are.

At Alverno College, studying English goes beyond reading a body of literature; you will also acquire the critical thinking skills and strategies that will enhance your professional and personal life. In your beginning level classes, you will learn close-reading and close-viewing strategies, becoming more attentive to patterns in language, imagery, and metaphor in literature and film. Intermediate classes emphasize the application of literary criticism; by becoming adept at using historical, reader-response, psychoanalytical, feminist, and other literary critical approaches, you will deepen your understanding of and experiences with literature and film. In advanced classes, you will position your interpretations of texts within communities of readers and thinkers, ranging from your peers and educators to philosophers and literary scholars. You will explore the impact of literary studies on your professional development, your interactions with others, and your perceptions of the world.