Program Overview
Simmons University's Bachelor of Arts in Literature program fosters critical thinking, writing, and research skills through diverse literary perspectives. Guided by award-winning faculty, students explore cultural values, ideas, and language, preparing them for careers in law, publishing, business, and more. The program emphasizes independent research, collaboration, and the development of students' unique voices.
Program Outline
The program emphasizes developing sophisticated understandings of literature through a diverse range of authors from various regions, including the United States, Britain, the global south, and the world. Students are guided by award-winning faculty who are poets, novelists, literary scholars, and cultural critics, fostering their own style and talent as thinkers and writers. Literature majors learn to read with discernment and write with clarity and force, enriching their personal lives and providing them with practical skills for their professional lives. They discover their own voices, learn to collaborate and revise, develop skills of critical analysis and creative expression, and gain confidence in themselves as independent thinkers.
Outline:
The Literature major consists of 10 courses, including:
- Two core courses:
- LTWR 199 Approaches to Literature
- LTWR 200 Intro to Theory (or LTWR 221 The Critical Lens for Cinema and Media Studies minors)
- Four Context courses:
- Two courses emphasizing Geographical and Cultural Contexts
- Two courses emphasizing Historical Contexts
- Two upper-level courses:
- One course designated by the department as a 200-level Research Methods course
- One course taken at the 300 level
- Two elective courses
Teaching:
The program is taught by award-winning faculty who are poets, novelists, literary scholars, and cultural critics. Students are encouraged to engage in discussions and formal presentations, reflecting critically on their own analytical thinking.
Careers:
Graduates from the Bachelor of Arts in Literature program are equipped with skills in reading carefully, analyzing complex and sophisticated material, and communicating clearly in written and verbal form. These skills are highly sought after in various fields, including:
- Law
- Publishing
- Advertising
- Business
- Government service
- Technology
- Public service
- Media
- Journalism
- Writing
- Teaching
Other:
The program encourages students to augment their required courses with in-depth study in the liberal arts and additional courses in the major. Dual-degrees, interdisciplinary programs, and a wide range of minors are also available. Students work with their advisor to develop a coherent course program that meets their educational goals. The department also offers a minor in Literature & Writing and a minor in Cinema and Media Studies for students pursuing other majors.
