Learning Outcomes

Program Specific Learning Outcomes

Goals and Outcomes
B.A. English Program
College of Arts and Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University
  
Open-Mindedness and Critical Judgment—Our students will engage different cultures and different points of view; at the same time, they will examine evidence carefully and make informed value judgments on the basis of their personal experience, increasing knowledge, and research.
Breadth of Perspective and Depth of Knowledge—Our students will engage a wide range of texts within appropriate historical, philosophical, religious, social, and cultural contexts;  at the same time, they will examine several literary and cultural movements or periods in depth, allowing them to pursue more advanced study in particular areas.
Independent Thinking and the Ability to Collaborate with Others—Our students will be encouraged to question, to inquire, to wonder, and to create on their own;  at the same time, they will work with others on team projects, listening as well as speaking out, in order to share and invigorate their learning.
The Ability to Analyze and Synthesize—Our students will develop critical and creative thinking skills as they analyze texts and contexts, breaking them down into coherent components;  at the same time, they will be encouraged to seek patterns, to make significant connections, and to reconnect the parts they analyze into new and unique wholes.
Self-Confidence and Self-Assessment—Our students will be encouraged to take chances and to recognize that learning occurs through a recursive process; at the same time, they will receive rigorous and helpful feedback, encouraging them to apply high standards to everything they do.  We believe that effective learning includes self-assessment and continual re-examination of long-held beliefs, theories, and practices.
Technological Literacy and the Ability to Assess Technology—Our students will write and think within a technologically-aware environment. They will become acquainted with computers, with word-processing software, with the process of writing and thinking by computer, and with the process of gathering and analyzing information through the use of technology; at the same time, they will learn to question and assess the value and applicability of new technologies.

Learning Outcomes for the English Major
Students who complete the English Major will demonstrate significant progress towards the following learning outcomes:

1. Discipline Specific Content Knowledge
   1.  an in-depth understanding of several canonical and marginal authors and works in United States and British literature in their appropriate contexts
   2.  an awareness of writers from diverse cultural traditions
   3.  an awareness of critical approaches and terms in Literary and Cultural Studies
   4.  the ability to conduct Literary and Cultural Research and Scholarship
2. Critical and Creative Thinking Skills
   1.  the ability to analyze a variety of texts in their relevant contexts
   2.  the ability to connect the study of literature to other disciplines
3. Information and Technological Literacy
   1.  the ability to search databases and resource systems in order to collect useful information
   2.  the ability to communicate using technology (word processing, email, internet, etc.)
   3.  an awareness of a variety of resource systems in Literary and Cultural Studies
4. Effective Communication
   1.  the abililty to compose coherent and convincing written works
   2.  the ability to make effective presentations
5. Ethical Responsibility
   1.  the ability to analyze a variety of ethical issues
   2.  the ability to consider diverse perspectives
6. Aesthetic Sensibility
   1.  an awareness of the aesthetic frameworks that shape the creation of literary works
   2.  an awareness of the values that inform the reception of literary works
   3. the ability to examine the aesthetic qualities of a literary work