English
Since the second half of the nineteenth-century, the academic discipline of English has evolved from its roots in teaching spelling, grammar, logic, and even history to introducing undergraduate majors to the study of (British) literature and linguistics in particular and language arts in general (with composition/rhetoric added in the late nineteenth century and American literature in the early twentieth). Contemporary literary study includes historical periods of literature in both England and America (and now also literature written in English in other countries like Australia and Canada), besides the examination of individual authors such as Shakespeare, of literary genres and modes like poetry, fiction, comedy, and tragedy, of literary criticism and theory, and of literary themes and ideas such as the theme of love or the “Idea of the West.”
In the late 1960's, English departments also began developing programs in ethnic literature, gender studies, film studies, and internships. Linguistics includes the theoretical and applied study of the history and structure of the language, its phonetics, morphology, grammar, and even gender implications. Language arts include creative writing plus advanced composition and rhetoric. Further, English Departments have traditionally played an extensive service role in universities by offering courses in basic writing and English as a second language, “first year” and intermediate composition, General Education, and teacher preparation in English at both the primary and secondary levels. Graduate Study in English usually includes more specialized inquiries into literary periods, forms, individual authors, theory and criticism, rhetoric and composition, pedagogical practice and theory, creative writing, and research strategies. Finally, the academic discipline of English traditionally provides faculty with the opportunity and incentive to perform research in all of these fields.
