Mission Statement

The English Department’s mission is to offer the gifts of reading, writing, critical thinking, and interpretative analysis, context and imaginative awareness, and appreciation and value via literature, language, and writing. In practical terms, the Department provides an associate degree, contributes substantively to the General Education core curriculum, and prepares students for a variety of important careers. This degree presents students with both the critical experience necessary to appreciate and understand literature from a wide variety of times, places, and genres and the frequent opportunity to develop critical, creative, and professional writing abilities, including the use of electronic media.

Degrees Offered

• Associate of Arts – English

Learning Outcomes

The successful student will:

• Demonstrate rhetorical knowledge – the ability to analyze and act on understandings of audiences, purposes, and contexts in creating and comprehending texts.
• Apply critical thinking – the ability to analyze a situation or text and make thoughtful decisions based on that analysis through writing, reading, and research.
• Demonstrate writing processes – multiple strategies to approach and undertake writing and research.
• Exhibit knowledge of conventions – the formal and informal guidelines that define what is considered to be correct and appropriate, or incorrect and inappropriate, in a piece of writing.
• Demonstrate abilities to compose in multiple environments – from using traditional pen and paper to electronic technologies.

Facilities

The English Department is located in Robert S. Wood Hall, which opened in September, 1989. Most English classes are taught in Wood Hall, which contains an auditorium, several general classrooms, seminar rooms, smart classrooms, and the Instructional Design and Media Center, which assists English faculty with online learning and additional technology. The offices of senior and adjunct English faculty members are on the second floor. The Jenkins Center for Student Success, located in the James A. Rhodes Student Center, directly supports English courses with an open computer lab, test- and note-taking skills, English tutoring, reading and learning strategies, time-management instruction, enhancement of writing skills, and accessibility support. The Jeanette Albiez Davis Library is essential to English research via the Library’s books, microforms, audiovisual materials, periodicals, government documents, online research databases, OhioLINK, and a traditional interlibrary-loan service. Campus Computing and Networking provides general and technical information and services to support English faculty and students. 

Admission Requirements and Procedures

The University of Rio Grande has a policy of open admissions. All students who enjoy reading and/or writing or who plan a career in which these things would be helpful are extended a special welcome to take English courses and perhaps major or minor in English or earn an associate degree. New students at the University submit a writing sample to determine placement in the first English course. Without placement testing in writing, students are required to enroll in ENG 10503 ALP Integrated Developmental Reading and Writing.

Degree Requirements