Program Overview
The English major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers three tracks: general, creative writing, and language and linguistics. Students develop strong writing and critical thinking skills through a core curriculum and specialized coursework. The program prepares graduates for careers in writing, editing, journalism, law, teaching, and more, where effective communication and analytical abilities are essential.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The English major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison teaches students to appreciate and effectively use the English language and literature for critical thinking, effective communication, citizenship, and career success. English majors develop strong writing skills and engage in high-level critical and analytical thinking. They encounter enriching, enduring, experimental, and complex works of literature and grapple with perspectives far distant from their own, examining their deepest values. Instructors introduce students to a wide range of genres and cultural perspectives, and pay close attention to all aspects of student thinking and writing, from logic and evidence to originality and style. Fostering communication skills, stimulating creativity, developing cultural sensitivity, and sharpening analytical abilities, the English major prepares students for a broad range of careers.
Outline:
The English major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison consists of three tracks: the general major (which emphasizes literary and cultural studies), creative writing, or language and linguistics. All majors take a core curriculum that introduces them to a range of approaches to literature and language, including courses in literary and cultural history. Students who opt for the general major build on core courses with intermediate and advanced classes that focus on texts from across a range of periods and places, investigating literature and culture using multiple methods and approaches. Students pursuing the emphasis on creative writing take the core curriculum with a sequence of creative writing workshops.
Careers:
The English major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison prepares students for a broad range of careers. Graduates with an English degree can work in fields such as writing, editing, publishing, journalism, public relations, marketing, law, teaching, and library science. They also have the skills necessary to succeed in any field that requires strong communication and critical thinking skills.
