Blair’s English department teaches students to read closely and perceptively, write clearly and incisively, and speak confidently and effectively, while helping them acquire a familiarity with and appreciation for British, American and world literature. We emphasize the development and practice of rhetorical skills, social awareness and empathy that will serve students well throughout their lives.
Students converse and write regularly about themselves, their communities, and the characters
and ideas they encounter in literature. Class time is focused on structured and informal discussion about texts, both those on the syllabus and those generated by students. Bolstered by regular exploration of grammar and rhetoric, students write in a variety of forms, ranging from journal entries to sustained analytical and creative pieces, and, as part of our focus on public speaking, students participate in the annual Sophomore and Senior Speech Contests. Interested and accomplished sophomores and juniors are invited to apply for the three-semester Advanced Seminar
in Literary Writing, which provides the guidance, structure and time to conceive, develop and publish a significant literary manuscript.
Our reading lists provide grounding in fundamental texts of the Anglophone literary tradition and
exposure to a diversity of voices, old and new. In the first two years, all classes study Shakespeare as well as more contemporary poetry and prose. American Studies and Rhetoric, available to juniors, focuses on American literature and culture. Advanced English Seminars, available to accomplished juniors and seniors, explore a range of more focused topics, including, but not limited to, Homer’s The Odyssey, Shakespeare’s plays, literary post-modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, science fiction and fantasy, and film analysis.
Visualize your academic journey at Blair by using our curriculum map website.
