In becoming an English major or minor, you have made an important choice and commitment. Whether your primary interest is in literary studies, rhetoric and composition, creative writing, or editing; whether you’re fascinated by Beowulf or contemporary writing about Hawai‘i and the Pacific; whether your related interests are in psychology, philosophy, political science, ethics, women’s studies, religion, music, cultural studies, or history, you’ll find courses and faculty members with a similar focus. You’ll find that the English major/minor offers you a great deal of flexibility in terms of course selection–with that flexibility, of course, comes the need to plan carefully to design a set of courses that truly work for you.

English is a challenging and powerful springboard into many professional, business, and service careers. English majors practice law, are medical doctors, enter government service, educate our children and adults, and write the words we read in print, hear on the news, or watch go by on the Internet. They design web pages, manage hotels, police our streets, serve as chefs, own boutiques, build houses–English major/minors are everywhere! Wherever solid analytical and critical thinking skills are needed, wherever good verbal and written communication skills are needed, you will find former English major/minors.

With more than 350 active undergraduate majors and minors, 100 graduate students, 20 B.Ed. students and over 50 full time faculty members, the English Department is one of the largest on the Manoa campus. But these numbers do not translate into large anonymous lectures: only a handful of courses offered by the Department has an enrollment of more than 25 students.

In addition to the University’s Written Communication core requirement (ENG 100) and Introductory Literature Program courses (ENG 270-272), the English Department offers an undergraduate major with informal emphases in American, British, and Pacific Literatures in English; Rhetoric and Composition; Creative Writing; and Asian American Literature. The Department offers a fifteen credit academic minor, as well. At the graduate level, students may pursue the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in various concentrations linked to the emphases above.

The English Department believes that the abilities to write effectively and to read and think critically are the hallmarks of an educated person. In developing these skills, the Department also hones the student’s aesthetic appreciation and social and historical understanding of literature, as well as encouraging creative and expressive abilities.

All active English majors and minors must have a current e-mail address on file with the Undergraduate Director in KUY 426, 956-3048. If you do not have an e-mail address on file with the Department, you will miss out on important announcements. You can establish a free e-mail account by going to the ITS Help Desk in Keller 105; commercial services such as hotmail.com and yahoo.com also offer free accounts.