English, B.A.

Mission

The English Program is committed to producing students proficient in oral and written communication and critical thinking skills inherent in the study of language and literature within cultural, historical, literary, psychological, and sociological contexts, thereby serving the practical needs of its students in the academy and for life, on local and global levels. Like the university’s overall mission, the award-winning faculty is dedicated to helping students “hone their capacities to think analytically, critically, and creatively” by engaging in research that contributes to the fields of language and literary studies and which will prepare them for exciting, challenging, and rewarding professions, such as teaching, law, writing, publishing, public relations, communications, business, and more.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Develop competence in spoken and written English.
• Gain an awareness of the historical, political, social and psychological context of literary texts.
• Demonstrate skills in close reading interpretation, critical thinking analysis, and evaluation of a variety of oral, visual, and written texts.
• Use a variety of technology and information resources to gather and synthesize information and to produce and communicate knowledge.

Programs/Opportunities

• Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society 
• Student Public Readings
• The Dillard Review (a journal of arts and letters)
• The Dillard University English Club
• Tom Dent Literary Festival (a literary program of the New Orleans Public Library and the African American Resources Center)