Mission Statement

The overall mission of the University of New Mexico Department of English is to engage in writing, research, teaching, and public service that advances our understanding of English literature and our expanding heritage of literatures in English. The graduate program offers the only PhD program in the state in English and American Literature. More specifically, we are committed to:

• educating students to read critically, write clearly and imaginatively, think logically, and speak articulately about literature and language
• promoting critical literacy, that is, the capacity to interpret, evaluate, and contextualize literary and social texts
• acquiring and disseminating knowledge of our expanding literary and cultural heritages
• teaching a historical sense of language and literatures in English in all their diversity to the multi-cultural student body from the state
• leading students to realize how the expressive and analytical skills they acquire and exercise in their study of English prepares them for a wide variety of meaningful professional employment opportunities upon graduation