English

The Department of English seeks to help students develop their critical reading, writing, and thinking skills. In addition, we hope to foster imaginative reasoning, which we define as the ability to use the imagination to think hypothetically about the world in all its diversity—the past, present, and future, the local and the global. Such an ability learned through the study of diverse literature and film, the critical analysis of language, and the generation of creative work enables students to thoughtfully engage with social, cultural, and political phenomena. It allows students to re-envision what is possible and to dream audacious solutions to seemingly insoluble problems. Imaginative reasoning, both as a value and as a skill, connects us to one another and leads us to look beyond boundaries, including the boundary of our own selves and our most immediate communities.