English is a broad major that allows students to focus on a number of areas of study such as literature, linguistics, and both creative writing and practical writing. Attention is given to gender and culture issues in literature and language courses. Students develop the ability to communicate and a sense of humanity that is increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in the workplace. In the writing/language/genre concentration students explore the arts of creative expression and rhetorical discourse, grounded in the study of literary traditions.