American Northwest University’s program is committed to imaginative, interdisciplinary and theoretical engagement with literatures in all their historical, formal, generic, and global diversity. 

The field affords students the opportunity to master the allied skills of thinking, reading, and writing through immersion in the currency of language. Courses in linguistics and composition impart knowledge essential for the management of language. Courses in literature help students to appreciate the full range of human expression, leaving them better equipped to engage with words and the world. Courses in the art of teaching enable majors and minors to convey the earned legacy of their education to future generations.

The American Northwest University’s literature faculty strives to produce a rigorous, innovative, interdisciplinary scholarship. Our degree program offers students advanced education in the appreciation, interpretation, and criticism of texts and emphasizes critical thinking and writing. We place equal emphasis on innovative scholarship, pedagogical practice, and professional involvement. We encourage our students to gain expertise in established fields and to pursue new lines of inquiry. We train them to become inspiring teachers, to lead in their professional communities, and to communicate their knowledge to diverse audiences.

The American Northwest University School of English Language and Literature grounds students in the knowledge and practice of literary interpretation and history, as well as rhetorical theory and practice. In addition, we train teachers in a variety of teaching methods and encourage them to reflect critically upon the teaching profession. We offer courses in creative writing, and a variety of national and transnational literatures. We produce literate students and teachers of exceptional merit, with the ability to interpret and contextualize acts of signification in relation to their conditions of production and reception.

As a student of English Language and Literature at you will gain the following:

  • – Knowledge of canonical and non-canonical works in American and British literatures in their historical contexts.
  • – Awareness of global perspectives in the study of language and literature.
  • – Ability to analyze and interpret texts using appropriate critical terminology and methods.
  • – Understanding of major theoretical and critical approaches to the study of literature, and culture.
  • – Familiarity with the structure and/or history of the English language.
  • – Proficiency in written and oral expression.
  • – Commitment to effective teaching of language and literature.