Read texts closely and think critically: Comprehend a text’s literal/factual content ; Distinguish between a passage’s literal/factual content and its figurative/symbolic/interpretive content; Analyze a text closely and identify rhetorical strategies therein ; Connect a passage’s formal structure and thematic content with the text as a whole ; Extrapolate the larger implications (social, philosophical, ethical, argumentative) of these patterns. 

To me this learning outcome establishes that through my time as an English major I should be able to take whatever text is in front of me, whether it is a novel, poem, political treatise, or a journalistic piece and be able to analyze the implicit content along with the explicit cultural, political, social, moral, etc. discourses it joins. I will also showcase skills in more formal literary analysis such as addressing the stylistic choices and strategies along with thematic. 

Examples from course work can include an essay from my first year English course, 

ENG 104 Indigenous Film & Literature, tired “Relationships with Indigenous Languages: How to Maintain Cultural and Self-Identity in an “English-Washed” World?” An excerpt from that is: 

“Learning the Grammar of Animacy by Kimmerer explains the tremendous struggle that an Indigenous person like herself has to deal with in efforts to preserve her ancestral language. Kimmerer feels a sense of responsibility in keeping the Potawatomi language alive, and through her desire to simply learn the language, she encounters a whole new understanding of why she felt so disconnected from her ancestor’s way of life. The power of context, cultural values, and beliefs that are expressed through language can be missed if the language in and of itself is not understood. The futile struggle of knowing that she has no one to practice speaking to in her everyday life could become too discouraging. However, her Potawatomi language teacher reassures her and “thanks us every time a word is spoken—thanks us for breathing life into the language, even if we only speak a single word”(Kimmerer, 53). Kimmerer’s intentions were good, hoping to do her part to learn the language of Potawatomi, which was virtually wiped out due to settler colonialism and leaves only nine people in the world today who speak it fluently. Nevertheless, an essential point is revealed, which can be picked up within the previous quote, is that the language is alive. She realized the disconnect between herself and learning the language because she was so intuned with the way English is conceptualized that she was missing the cultural and more profound meaning behind this Indigenous language. The “…grammar of animacy”, as she described, is her way of reconnecting on a much deeper level with her language. Furthermore, she expresses that it “… could lead us to whole new ways of living in the world, other species a sovereign people, a world with a democracy of species, not a tyranny of one”(Kimmerer, 57-8). Through one experience, we see just how isolated and disconnected an individual could feel from something that so many of us take for granted, language.” 

Another example from later in my course of study could be from an English course taken in my third year from ENG 326 Patient Narratives in a final essay where explored the unique usage of braided narratives: 

Moving into another example of the rhetorical choice of a braided narrative, we can look at Abby Norman’s patient narrative Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women’s Pain. Like Lunden, Norman employs impressive research and a woven narrative of another female figure influential to her illness. For instance, Norman discusses, “When I happened upon Gilda Radner’s memoir several years ago, in the midst of my own medical turmoil, I grew deeply concerned about her life”(Norman 20). In providing this framework early in her narrative, Norman’s choice to weave in Gilda Radner’s story sets up a significant theme of believing in women’s pain that draws us to a more extensive critique of women’s experience within the healthcare setting. Norman then expresses, “Radner’s story haunted me, not because she was some comedic legend whose life was cut short, or just because she died from cancer in her ovaries, but because she had died as a result of her doctors not believing her when she said she was unwell”(Norman 21). As Norman’s book delves into her struggle with endometriosis, making the connection to another woman in history whose pain was dismissed and whose experience was made trivial raises an essential question about the diseases themselves or their realities as women. Gilda’s harrowing story of progressively becoming sicker and being told it was all in her head, alongside Norman’s account of then assuming the role of a doctor to find answers herself, highlights the weight and responsibility women feel to advocate for themselves. Norman writes, “If I, or any other woman whose gynecological cancers or pathologies had gone undiagnosed, had just been sick in some other part of the body, in some other way, would it have been any different?”(Norman 23). Through Norman’s use of a braided narrative, she extends her experience with endometriosis far beyond one singular encounter. Moreover, she can raise women’s healthcare – especially reproductive healthcare – to expose the deeply troubling biases surrounding women’s pain. Unfortunately, with the addition of Gilda’s narrative, Norman subtly exposes how those biases and disbelief cost her life and could have the same result for countless other women without a structural shift in women’s healthcare. 

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of literature in English: Demonstrate familiarity with specified content areas in literature, literary history, theory, and criticism ; Understand literature as a culturally and historically embedded practice ; Relate literature to other fields of inquiry

  •  This learning outcome hits on the significance of literature as a practice across disciplines – in my diverse but interconnected medley of majors and minors (english, political science, writing, and gender, women, and sexuality studies) this outcome is incredibly important as it highlights how literature becomes a capsule of history, of social concerns of a given time, of cultural norms and practices, of power and agency, and of a shared human condition that throughout history wishes to meditate on the state of being and interacting with others. 
  • Example of course work: 

Communicate effectively: Approach writing as a recursive process ; Develop and support claims about literary texts; Articulate claims in conceptually coherent essays ; Use conventions of standard written English ; Present research findings orally within the conventions of the discipline

  •  In thinking about restating this learning outcome from a student perspective I would allege that to communicate effectively means you might have to reorient yourself as not coming to a final decision but employing a series of considerate and evidence based claims that when taken together showcase a depth of understanding. The process of communicating whether it is entering a debate on a piece of literature, showcasing comprehension of a text, or formulating a unique argument in a paper, it is essential to approach that as a process rather than finding a singular answer. 
  •  Example of course work: 

Conduct research in literary and cultural studies: Use bibliographic tools to find source material ; Employ appropriate critical approaches in their research ; Contribute to scholarly conversations about literary and cultural texts and phenomena ; Incorporate and document source material using MLA style ; Communicate in accordance with standards of academic integrity

  • This idea of as an English major being able to utilize tools and methodologies within a scholarly discipline as a learning outcome I would assert is a big part of fostering discipline skills but also learning how to transfer that process to whatever discipline might come next. While as an English major I have become well versed in what source material is used in scholarly writing versus creative, what style of citation to use, and recognize different organizational patterns are most effective for different forms of writing, I also now understand that each discipline has its own rules and norms. For example, looking forward to my next steps, I know that legal writing does not adhere to the same formal set of tools and methodologies as say if I were getting an post-graduate English degree but I feel comfortable in transferring my knowledge of research and standards of academic integrity to learning new approaches. 
  •   Example of course work: