Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science in English and American Studies

The English department at Western Connecticut State University seeks to promote the university’s mission by providing students with a high-quality education in English language and literature. We are committed to developing students’ powers of critical thinking, analysis, and writing as well as knowledge of important texts, contexts, traditions, and modern developments. We believe students who complete any of the department’s programs will be prepared to compete vigorously in the global marketplace and to pursue a variety of career paths or to seek further education.As a department, our goals are to: develop and maintain a solid curriculum in language and literature that stimulates student curiosity, rewards critical engagement, and is central to a valuable liberal arts education; emphasize critical reading and writing as an integral component of success in our program, our university, and beyond; build a community of scholars, professionals, and life-long learners and help initiate students in the profession(s) through regular events, faculty-student collaborative projects, and opportunities to tutor and to assist in the teaching of language and literature courses in the department; encourage and support research, scholarship, and professional achievement that advance the field of study and enhance the programs and visibility of the university at large; encourage interdisciplinary and interdepartmental initiatives to augment the intellectual vitality of the department and of the university and to help students develop an integrated approach to learning; and serve the community through event programming and collaborative projects and to serve as a resource to local schools and other public institutions.