Wednesday, September 30, 2009

English Emphasis: I've got your back

College: it’s a time to grow, to learn, to prepare oneself to enter the workforce. A vital part of college is deciding upon a major. This decision alone can be exhausting.

But the decisions don’t end simply because a student has decided upon a major. One still has to choose which electives to take, what minor to choose. And as part of choosing a major, one must decide upon an emphasis, or area of focus within their major.

For those who have chosen the noble language of English as their area of study, there are three emphases available. These include: education, literary studies, creative writing, and professional writing. Each emphasis provides a unique learning experience and set of skills within the academic world of the English language.

Primarily, an emphasis decides some of the required classes of an English major’s educational career, but there are other considerations. What kinds of classroom experience can that emphasis offer? Will it increase the odds of landing that dream job? Will it really help a student acquire the skills they feel are most important to their success?

The answers to these questions depends largely on the individual student and their future plans. One student may wish to teach high school, for instance, while another will be focused on using the skills learned within their English major to work for a publishing company. The skill sets needed to succeed in each profession are related, but still quite distinct.

As such, I will be breaking the major down and discussing each emphasis individually. Look for the first entry next week.

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