Curriculum for Liberal Education
English Department Participation
At Virginia Tech, the Curriculum for Liberal Education (CLE) includes courses in seven areas of inquiry. The guide to the curriculum at www.cle.prov.vt.edu states, "A liberal education offers 21st century students the foundations of what they need to live and thrive as citizens in a globally engaged democracy, a knowledge-intensive economy, and a society where new ideas and understandings are essential to progress." The word "liberal" was connected in the earliest democracies in ancient Greece with "free." If people are to govern themselves (and be free), they need a broad education.
The Department of English participates in the CLE by offering course options in four of the areas of inquiry:
- Area 1: Writing and Discourse
The English Department offers composition courses. ENGL 1105-1106 sequence or H1204 fulfill the Area 1 requirement. Placement depends on high school achievements and test scores.
In addition, the department offers a number of writing-intensive courses, including ENGL 3534,Literature and Ecology; ENGL 3754, Advanced Composition; ENGL 3764, Technical Writing; and ENGL 3774, Business Writing. - Area 2: Ideas, Cultural Traditions, and Values
The department offers a number of reading-intensive courses at the freshman level (16xx), such as Introduction to Poetry (1604) and Introduction to Detective Fiction (1624). Some of its courses at the sophomore, junior, and senior levels also satisfy this requirement.
- Area 6: Creativity and Aesthetic Experience
The English courses that satisfy this requirement are ENGL 1604, Introduction to Poetry, ENGL 1614, Introduction to Short Fiction, ENGL 1634, Introduction to Shakespeare, and ENGL 2744, Introduction to Creative Writing.
- Area 7: Critical Issues in a Global Context
The English courses that satisfy this requirement are ENGL 1644, Intro. to World Literature, ENGL 3534, Literature and Ecology, and ENGL 3644 Postcolonial Cultural Studies.
For details of the requirements, please see the Curriculum for Liberal Education Guides.