the department of english at western michigan university gives students the opportunity to study literature, writing, and rhetoric in a supportive and engaging intellectual community of faculty and peers. students will enhance their close reading and analytical skills as they encounter the pleasures and possibilities found in reading literary works of aesthetic and cultural value.

a major or minor in english enables students to develop critical awareness that prepares them for careers in the areas of teaching, law, business, publishing, writing and administration, and most importantly lays the foundation for a lifelong engagement with the versatility, power, and beauty of language.