English Department

Why Study English at Fisher?

An English major doesn't prepare you for one specific career—it prepares you for success in a wide variety of fields. Good communication skills, the top priority of the major, are invaluable in virtually every discipline and especially in business. Graduates who can read, write, and speak fluently are in high demand in today’s market, perhaps more than ever before. A 1995 Census Bureau survey, for example, found that “attitude” and “communication skills” were the two proficiencies most in demand by employers nationwide. Majoring in English equips students for traditional tracks like teaching, graduate and professional school, and publishing, and majoring in English can also be invaluable preparation for corporate managers, analysts, researchers, and marketers.

The English Major at Fisher

Fisher’s English majors choose one of two tracks: the literature major or the writing major. Both paths guide students toward the combination of communication skills and critical awareness that is the hallmark of a liberal arts education. Fisher’s English courses are interactive, writing-intensive, and focused on developing each student’s ability to think critically and act independently. Students may elect to make internships and honors projects a central element of their major.

The literature major, focusing on English and American literary studies, helps students acquire a lifelong love of reading and an appreciation of the importance of narrative in everyday life and human history. Literature majors develop:

• the ability to read and write critically
• a knowledge of central literary works
• an awareness of critical theory and cultural context
• a sense of the connection between literature, everyday life, and human history

The writing major is designed to transform students into professional writers. Courses are taught by full-time faculty and by a dedicated staff of published writers with firsthand knowledge of the business of writing. Writing majors develop:

• an understanding of rhetoric
• an effective writing process
• the ability to write for a variety of contexts
• the ability to write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction
• a working knowledge of technical and business writing