English Language and Literature - Benedictine University

English Language
and Literature

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

Our full-time faculty are active professionals and dedicated teachers who work closely with students to guide them in their personal, academic and professional development.

Low student-to-faculty ratios and small classes allow for individual attention to students’ educational and professional needs. Students receive a well-rounded general education while specializing in their chosen areas of interest. Students also enjoy an array of cultural opportunities. These opportunities include open mic/poetry slam events; readings by professional writers, whom students can meet and work with; lectures by scholars from a variety of disciplines; and the chance to gain hands-on experience by working on University publications such as The DuPage Valley Review, a professional journal of literature and arts.

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Students in the English Language and Literature program have the opportunities to:

Refine their analytical abilities, as well as their oral and written communication skills, and gain insight into the complexity and diversity of the human experience.

Prepare for teaching; careers in publishing, writing, and electronic/print media; graduate study; any profession requiring strong communication skills.

Develop communication, research and critical thinking skills

View Course Information

BA Requirements - Lisle Minor requirements - Lisle Pre-Law Student Requirements - Lisle Teaching License - Lisle

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What Our Graduates Have Done With This Degree

English Language and Literature Alumni

Our alumni work in a wide variety of fields including marketing, technical writing, law, teaching, social work, speech therapy and digital/online learning. They have also attended graduate and professional schools such as Northwestern University, University of Rochester, New York University, Loyola University Chicago, Georgetown University Law Center, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Introductory and Advanced Study

This program provides introductory and advanced study of significant writers, periods, and genres in the English and American literary traditions, as well as literature in translation. Students refine their analytical abilities, as well as their oral and written communication skills, and gain insight into the complexity and diversity of the human experience.

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Career Preparation

The English degree prepares students for teaching; careers in publishing, writing, and electronic/print media; graduate study; and, indeed, any profession requiring strong critical thinking and communication skills. Students who double major in English and another discipline — including, for example, business, computer science or biology — gain a particular advantage in a competitive job market.

Law School Essentials

This program is especially recommended for pre-law students, for whom developing communication, research and critical thinking skills is essential. Many of our students have gone on to study at prestigious law schools nationwide. An English minor is also available for those who wish to demonstrate versatility in these crucial areas.

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Sigma Tau Delta

Eligible Benedictine University undergraduate students may apply for membership in the Alpha Theta Xi Chapter of the International English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta.

As a double major in political science and English language and literature, I was a part of a tight-knit community that truly helped me understand what it meant to be Benedictine. I quickly learned the faculty would stop at nothing to help me achieve my goals and were eager to help me develop academically and professionally. I was able to tailor my classes to my specific interests and truly pursue topics I was passionate about. Ultimately, it was my experience on the Benedictine Mock Trial Team that made it clear to me that I wanted to go to law school and be an attorney. I am confident that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the personally crafted educational experience I received at Benedictine University.

PAULINA PIASECKI
B.A.’18, POLITICAL SCIENCE & ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Law Student at Georgetown University Law Center

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