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Mission Statement
The English Department at Lewis is committed to the university's Mission
Values of Knowledge, Fidelity, Wisdom, Justice, and Association.
From the foundation of these precepts, the department builds a unique statement
of principles that guide the two subjects that engage us, composition and
literature. Whenever possible, the department fosters a holistic attitude
to both that connects the two activities.
Composition
The English Department is committed to excellence in the teaching of writing.
It perceives writing as a means and an end: it is both an art form which
gives pleasure to the writer and reader, and its also serves as the principal
form of communication between peoples. While the English Department recognizes
its obligation to teach writing skills to students of diverse backgrounds
and competence, it does so willingly. The English Department sees its task
as preparing students for a literate world of commercial and professional
endeavors where communication skills are ever more important; indeed, the
international language of business and politics is today English, the new
lingua franca replacing French and Latin.
Literature
The English Department at Lewis University strives to impart an appreciation
for literature as a means of understanding human experience in its wholeness.
In responding to course texts, students are encouraged to read analytically
and to respond in ways that demonstrate awareness of the many aspects of
texts: their moral and ethical dimension, their depiction of spiritual
understanding, their presentation of emotional truth. In studying texts
written in English, students are asked to consider the cultural contexts
that produced these works; these may include study of the author, genre,
and cultural tradition. While courses are organized in many ways (period,
topic, genre), the selection of course texts is guided by two principles:
diversity and literary excellence. The department believes that an inclusive
representation of works suggests the complexity of human expression. |
