I love all the people on here adding anecdotal evidence about successful English majors, yay! I am a proponent of the liberal arts & sciences and majored in something that many consider “useless” myself (psychology).
Anyway, something interesting from the article:
I think this connects to @snarlatron’s comment on the first page, about how so many English literature courses these days are obsessed with postmodern literary theory and literary criticism. It seems as if at least some English professors are resistant to meeting students where they are, which is silly to me - science fiction, fantasy literature, and children’s literature are important genres in the field, and analysis and study of those is important. There have been some pretty important works in those fields, too - Isaac Asimov was a science fiction writer, but much of his work explored themes of ethics and the human condition and the interaction between man and machine, which are all still important and enduring questions. Tolkien is often considered a master of the English language, and his worked spawned the resurgence an entire modern genre (modern high fantasy).
There are literary elements in a vast array of work aside from the Great Books. I’m not saying set them aside - I’m a huge fan of the Western literary canon - but there’s no reason that a study and contemplation of them can’t be enhanced by non-Western books, more contemporary works, and works outside the canon. And maybe a contemporary literature class or a class on non-Western literature (or literature of marginalized Western peoples, like Chicano literature or African American literature) is what gets students interested in studying English literature in the first place.
Who said they have a monopoly? All people are saying is that English majors have the skills to get good jobs. No one said others don’t also have skills.
Yes, English majors learn to read and write well, but it’s their abiliy to read between the lines – to see the subtle stuff that isn’t obvious-- that might be their most valuable skill. They get that from digging out symbolism in novels and deciphering the themes in poetry. That’s why they often make.better journalists than journalism majors…they know how to sniff out the meaning of a story even if someone is trying to hide it.
Yes, English majors learn to read and write well, but it’s their abiliy to read between the lines – to see the subtle stuff that isn’t obvious-- that might be their most valuable skill. They get that from digging out symbolism in novels and deciphering the themes in poetry. That’s why they often make.better journalists than journalism majors…they know how to sniff out the meaning of a story even if someone is trying to hide it.
So, D16 (HS) is a writer. A playwright actually. She has (I can’t define, maybe very strong, maybe exceptionally strong…) credentials. She will probably major in English/Creative Writing. She needs to write and will. Her PSAT scores are fine. Her GPA is fine (IB Diploma). What will stand out about her is her writing. So, where should she apply?
We are headed for NYC in April: NYU, Sarah Lawrence, Vassar, Bard, Mt Holyoke, Wesleyan. You can see where we are going…We are from Seattle so this is her only chance to look at schools. She will also apply to Kenyon and Grinnell and Seattle area Liberal arts colleges. Any advice CC can give would be appreciated…?
"Any advice CC can give would be appreciated…? "
Based on D2s experience, and some snippets I’ve picked up from CC, some other schools that might be worth checking out are: Oberlin, Cornell, Barnard, Penn, and Princeton. And Johns Hopkins, maybe.
However, they are listed among the most underemployed majors, hardly an endorsement. The chart is based on Payscale… and it lists “law” as an undergraduate major, so there may be some question as to its methodology and validity.
Perhaps those with “law” as an undergraduate major are mostly from other countries or earlier times in the US, when law bachelor’s degrees existed?
PNW: If she’s interested in Mt Holyoke, etc., she should look at Smith: a very highly regarded theatre program with excellent opportunities to have your work performed on the “big” stage. And their English department is great, too (I double-majored there in English and Theatre). As far as I know, Mt Holyoke’s theatre scene is not as strong.
As far as the “too much concentration on theory” theory goes, hogwash. Yes, the professors must be concerned with theory in their own work, but I guarantee you you need to be taking quite high-level courses before the focus changes from the primary literature to the secondary. Most discussions concerning sexism and racism are perfectly appropriate to the subject matter, and the teacher would be remiss if she didn’t point them out when they are. If you’re teaching Merchant of Venice, or Othello, religion and racism are central. Usually, such concerns are raised by students who are learning to see literature in a new way.
Indeed. That WaPo post is a less than ringing endorsement of English as a major.
Not really a surprise that all the majors with the most underemployment are ones that have a reputation for uneven rigor (while the majors with the least underemployment are mostly ones many considered to be rigorous at all schools).
Yes, some majors screen out those weaker at the subject in any college, but others may not be very rigorous at some colleges. Business seems to be a prime example of the latter, since it seems to grow in popularity as the selectivity of the college declines.
I wouldn’t argue for the direct utility of an English major (and the lack of direct utility may be its strength), but I have repeatedly heard from college advisors and from my students that nothing else requires so much reading and writing. More than a few who hope to be English majors drop that expectation when faced with the amount of reading and writing required. They move on to psychology, communication, legal studies, easier majors.
Of course some schools, departments, and professors do not expect much (PurpleTitan’s uneven rigor), but a good English major is a rigorous degree.