Mission

The Department’s mission, in consonance with the University’s, is to provide high-quality academic preparation for a diverse student population, equipping students to become productive citizens who contribute to a global and rapidly changing society. The Department supports the University’s mission through its academic program in general education and its majors’ curricula in two sequences.

The academic program in general education includes three courses that are part of the required general education core:  ENG 101 and ENG 102: Communication Skills I and II, courses that focus on writing, and SCM 285: Principles of Speech.  The sequences/programs are English, Spanish Literature, and English with an endorsement in Secondary Education.  


In its support of the University’s mission, the Department has two broad, overreaching goals. The first of these is to increase students’ competency in written and oral language skills.  The writing and oral language competencies of all students are addressed in the general education courses to provide a foundation for students’ writing and speaking development in discipline-specific courses in their majors.  These courses also provide the foundation for development of the skills measured by the recently instituted Examination of Writing Competency and the assessment of students’ oral language competency, both mandated by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia.  These courses stress the fundamental skills that students develop and refine in their major-specific courses.

The second broad goal is to provide Department majors with the discipline-specific knowledge and skills that will allow them to teach English or Spanish in secondary school or to pursue careers in other fields.   Given the importance of language and critical thinking skills in all disciplines, students can gain admission to and find success in graduate and professional schools or in fields of their choice.