English Majors concentrating in English and American Literature will focus on literary analysis and literary criticism, becoming familiar with traditional and emerging texts from a variety of literatures. Students in the Literature concentration become sharp readers and perceptive interpreters of complicated ideas in preparation for a wide variety of future paths. The Literature concentration emphasizes rigorous analysis and interpretation, wide-ranging reading, and enjoyable encounters with a variety of challenging novels, plays, essays, and poems, as well as film and other media. The Literature concentration builds skills of argumentation, communication, and research and familiarizes students with important texts, influential ideas, and a range of historical and cultural information.