english and literature degree

english and literature degree

The Importance of English and Literature Degrees

1. The Relevance of English and Literature Degrees

English and literature degrees are popular areas of study for college students. They are some of the most common undergraduate and graduate degree opportunities. There are numerous potential career tracks for English and literature graduates. People seeking information from literary commentary to information about cultural literacy can benefit from such degrees, in addition to aspiring teachers and professors. English content is fundamental in our lives, and a degree in the discipline often establishes other educational and professional paths. Studying English can improve our ability to learn, interpret, and understand complex subjects.

Studying English can improve our ability to learn, interpret, and understand complex subjects. Majoring in English or taking English classes can go a long way in broadening our knowledge. Literature typically includes elements of creative writing and narrative ability. Literary commentary is one more area in which literature has the potential to positively impact our lives. When we read an article that relates a character, story, or imagery in the novel to literary devices, we are challenging our minds, which can foster personal growth. A literary commentary makes claims that give particular attention to specific literary details, commentary, critical analysis, symbolism, themes, author’s writing style, or devices the author uses to construct the story.

2. Career Opportunities for English and Literature Graduates

At UVU, faculty encourage students to explore reasonable combinations of these areas so that they can improve their potential for employment. Fundamentally, students of these degrees know how to think. As future change agents, they possess the ability to imagine solutions to problems that are not only creative but also informed by a deep understanding of the human experience. Their discipline provides them the perspective to empathize with others, adapt to new scenarios, and become effective communicators. Such abilities lead to opportunities in a wide variety of professions as well as increased career mobility over the long term.

Students graduating with a degree in English or Literature are prepared for a wide variety of career opportunities. They can find jobs in publishing, editing, marketing, teaching, public relations, journalism, law, the civil service, business and management, the tech industry, writing and communications, politics, and social work. They are able to read critically, think creatively, and argue effectively. The skills of analysis, comprehension, communication, and persuasion are flexible and highly valued by employers in many fields. At UVU, students are offered opportunities through internships, class projects, service learning, and study abroad experiences, all of which help them to develop a variety of professional skills that employers are seeking. With the strong critical thinking and writing skills that they have honed in their studies, UVU English graduates are well-prepared to advance in careers.

3. Developing Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills

Individual choices made by graduates from these areas ought to be strategic, not defensive. Employers are looking for highly qualified employees who can think under pressure, are innovative in tackling problems, and can make complex decisions. These are the kinds of challenges in science or business that English and Literature graduates are specifically trained to address. In addition, university graduates are seen to have not only advanced subject-matter knowledge but also high-level literacy skills, a range of cognitive and communication skills, and the ability to apply knowledge and learning in a range of disciplines. In terms of communication skills, employees consistently rate their employees’ ability to read, write, and comprehend complex written material as important skills. In terms of cognitive skills, qualities most highly ranked by employers include the ability to think critically, the ability to solve complex problems, the ability to communicate orally, the ability to innovate, and the ability to be creative.

Developing critical and analytical skills is at the heart of the study of English and Literary Studies, and these are the skills that provide English and Literary Studies graduates with career versatility. Studying English and Literature helps students to differentiate between shades of meaning in words and phrases, leading to the ability to weigh various factors or elements and assess questions of value across social, cultural, and philosophical atmospheres. Literary criticism is also founded on argument, evidence, and reasoning. Posing interpretative disagreements and achieving resolution through rational argument and engagement with texts are foundation skills of the literary critic. More broadly, English and Literary Studies students learn to identify and challenge ideologies in written language, as well as articulate complex ideas in creative and engaging ways.

4. Enhancing Communication and Writing Abilities

English programs can enhance writing abilities for students who do not identify as writers. Specifically, classes can require students to critically analyze arguments, rephrase them, and even incorporate these arguments into a new, formalized structure. As a result, instruction on how to write in a way that responds to a counterargument continues to enhance students’ sense of self, academic achievement, and ultimately, the development of citizens who can communicate and think effectively. The ability to learn how to use new and sophisticated language effectively is at the heart of a student’s ability to compete in any discipline, not just in English classes. Therefore, not only are English degrees important, but the very material English instructors have traditionally taught should continue to include material that both prepares students for all other academic disciplines and gives every high school and college-admitted student an equal opportunity to succeed in the academic enterprise of society.

The ultimate goal of English and literature classes is to hone students’ communication skills. Whether by writing papers or presenting interactions with various materials, students interpret unfamiliar situations and texts, formulate unique perspectives, and respond to their peers. In other words, English and literature classes hold the unique capacity to not only train students’ minds but also develop and enhance their communication and writing abilities. Undergraduate students who struggle with written communication or find it uncomfortable learn a great deal when they are required to construct structured paragraphs and essays that link related concepts in printed texts and truly challenge their existing cognitive abilities. Hence, by focusing on using papers to develop writing and thinking abilities, undergraduate study of English, in particular, ensures that students not only understand increasingly complex texts but also communicate effectively when discussing texts.

5. The Value of Literature in Society

Ultimately, a countervailing argument to those who decry the study of English or literature as a waste of time or misplaced in today’s world is this: We cannot afford to be without English or literature as the means to such vital analysis and reflection. It is an indication that if we do not renew and revitalize through the study of such as literature the moral and ethical standards that we now so sadly lack; that “mere” minds must be supportive of the attempt to rationalize and humanize the world in which we live; and that literature, many-mirrored and sumptuous, is the friend and armory of creation and synthesis. Now we know why literature matters and why it is a necessity. Our assignment is to help all who ask this question, who are frustrated rather than rewarded by the study of literature, to the light. Only then will we prevail in this most crucial quest and our relevance in dark times become tangible. Long live literature and all of the rich rewards and blessings that it brings to this earth.

The study of English and of literature aids one in myth, image, metaphor, and symbol; an appreciation for the resonance of the resonant word; and an entering into the vision and dream that is the world of our emotions, our agonies, and our triumphs; the pursuit of the ineffable and the ineffability of pursuit; an understanding of what is common and what is uncommon. For the study of literature informs one through exposure to other cultures, other societies, and through a new understanding of ourselves; makes possible what might have been impossible by serving as a vehicle of social criticism, of moral judgment, and as a basis for cultural understanding. Literature is not only about life, it is also a way of thinking, a way of being in the world, and a way of experiencing and creating meaning. In every field of human achievement, literature in the broader sense is always its match and final expression.