As Nigerian-American writer Chimamanda Adichie affirms in “The Danger of a Single Story,” “Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” To major in English at Nazareth University is to better understand the power of storytelling and other kinds of literary expression across media. Students will encounter texts in many forms, from classical drama and Renaissance poetry to 19th century novels and 21st century podcasts, comics and music. They will analyze how storytellers use word, image, and sound to invent, adapt, and remix narratives. And they will learn how literary and rhetorical production is shaped by cultural power granted or withheld on the basis of gender, sexuality, class, race, ethnicity, religion, region, nation, and neurodiversity.
The English Program encourages students to see themselves as makers in their own right. English majors interact with narratives and engage with their chosen audiences by producing work in a wide range of formats, including– but not limited to– written, audio, and video essays in text, audio and video formats, infographics, social media posts, and conference presentations. Through this work, students become more adept at interpreting complex media and texts and more skillful at crafting their own communication to suit different communicative contexts and rhetorical situations.
Students who elect to pursue inclusive adolescence teacher certification through our English education program receive special instruction in teaching methods and philosophy through the English Program (in addition to their required coursework in the School of Education). All Inclusive Adolescence Education students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher in order to advance into Junior-level education coursework.
*Note: Only four courses (12 credit hours) will be accepted as transfer credit toward the English major.
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