English & Literary Studies BA

The English and Literary Studies Major at Ramapo College: Read Your World, Write Your Life.

English and Literary Studies majors are ready to embark on any number of exciting careers and graduate studies. English and Literary Studies students excel in the areas of publishing, government, business, law, and science—wherever articulate and creative expression is valued.  The study of literature is also an excellent preparation for elementary or secondary teaching.

Ramapo’s English and Literary Studies majors make valuable connections in the community and professional world through coursework, internships, cooperative education, and service learning. They thrive in the worlds of publishing, writing, law, journalism, diplomacy, public relations, higher education, and library sciences.

The English and Literary Studies major does more than prepare students for the working world; it fosters thoughtful, informed engaged individuals. Students develop the critical thinking, reading, research, and writing skills essential in our increasingly interconnected world. As literary critic M. H. Abrams writes, the study of literature “shows you possibilities you haven’t thought of. It enables you to live the lives of other people than yourself.” Our students engage their imaginations through the study of literary texts that contain the history of our world.

The program balances American, British, world literatures, and creative writing through survey, seminar, and workshop courses.  Students study genre, form, period, and theme; they develop skills in reading, criticism, and writing. Courses emphasize the interdisciplinary and multicultural dimensions of literature and life, firing the imagination and promote critically critically informed global citizens.

Besides English and Literary Studies, students may pursue the track in teacher education and concentrate in Creative Writing or Specialized Studies. Our students also edit Trillium, the college’s literary magazine. The Literature Club visiting writer’s series and Ramapo’s Chapter of the national English Honor Society are ways our students engage our program on campus.

The College’s liberal arts mission is central to the English and Literary Studies program, the heart of which is the focus on n interdisciplinarity, multiculturalism, and global connectivity.  The major is offered by the School of Humanities and Global Studies and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree.  For students out the major the program offers minors in English and Literary Studies or Creative Writing.  Please visit: https://www.ramapo.edu/major-literature/ to learn more about the major, minor, and concentrations.

“Literature is the most astonishing technological means that humans have created, and now practiced for thousands of years, to capture experience.” —Stephen Greenblatt