English Department Home Course Descriptions English Faculty

English courses at Milton offer a continuous interplay between the traditional and the innovative, the ancient and the modern, the basic skills and the imaginative encounter. While one class may be spending a month in close analysis of King Lear, another class will be preparing oral interpretations of writers as various as Tennessee Williams, Geoffrey Chaucer and Anne Sexton.

The program, required of all students through the Class I year, rigorously prepares them for college work. Students have freedom of choice and receive individual attention within a coordinated series of course offerings.

Careful advising helps students choose a course of study best suited to their abilities and interests. A two-year chronological survey of English and American literature from Shakespeare to Faulkner is a popular choice. Milton is among the few schools in the country to offer this program. Or students may choose courses that focus on theme or genre. All courses stress the development of writing skills through a series of assignments that demand analysis and creativity. Students use computers at every stage of the writing process, from brainstorming in networked discussion groups to polishing the final drafts of their essays. Milton's English program encourages spontaneity and creativity while emphasizing the rewards of discipline.