At UWest, the B. A. in English is unique in that the program offers two areas of specialization from which students to choose. The Literature and the Language track present two methodologies for understanding how the English language has been described and analyzed in the discipline of English. Both tracks share an interest in cultivating academic inquiry and creative imagination. Courses press students to consider different perspectives and to question their assumptions in order to promote reflective engagement with the text, with their peers and faculty, and with social issues and concerns of the day. In this way, each track not only introduces a body of knowledge particular to each field of English, but also challenges students to apply this knowledge to ethical dilemmas in the world as represented and discussed in literature and linguistics.
Before specializing in either the Literature or the Language track, students enrolled in the major need to consult with their faculty advisor regarding the completion of core lower- and upper-division units. These courses, also consisting of literature and languages classes, provide a solid foundation in the study of English and prepare students to select a degree track. In the final year of the program, students conclude their studies with a capstone course that examines the literary imagination and cultural identity in their linguistic construction.