The overall mission of undergraduate studies in English at Rutgers-Camden is to prepare students for the complex, changing, and globalised world of the twenty-first century, by fostering in them the ability to:
- critically interpret and analyze a wide range of literary texts from various historical periods in the Anglo-American tradition as well as from other cultures;
- develop the skills of textual analysis based on close reading and understanding of the formal, aesthetic, and rhetorical properties of a literary work;
- situate a text in its historical-cultural contexts;
- understand the major cultural, intellectual, and literary movements of the past and the ways in which they have shaped our present thinking;
- communicate ideas cogently, articulately, and concisely in written, oral, visual, and digital presentations;
- understand, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and apply various forms of knowledge and diverse perspectives;
- attain competence in research skills and tools;
- acquire a broad awareness of various critical theories and approaches;
- think independently and creatively, while working with others of differing views.
These qualities and skills will prepare students thoroughly for their professional lives in a wide diversity of fields, as well as for the tasks of responsible citizenship and critical engagement with the larger world in its cultural, social, moral, and aesthetic dimensions.