Change is a Good Thing

Both of the articles we have read for class so far have been eye-opening for me because I have never stopped to think about how the study of English has evolved over the centuries or how contemporary English departments (of literature) came to be in their present form. In both articles I found aspects I enjoyed, and some that I did not. That being said, one of the main points where I disagreed with Parker was his notion that departments today "grew to maturity, over-reached itself" and thus disintegrated into a "catchall for the work of teachers of extremely diverse interests and training"* (13). Basically, Parker greatly laments the idea of how English departments have stretched themselves forcefully to include other dimensions of writing such as "journalism, business writing, creative writing, writing for engineers, play-writing, drama and theater…'English for foreigners'" (13). However, I do not see this expansion as a bad thing because it allows all types of students to come under the wing of English for at least a class or two, and sets them up to be able to perform well in different disciplines because of the English foundation. 

In all that English departments are able to offer, classes can provide a sort of "applied English skills" to be morphed and taken into other subjects with ease. Just like how in a Biology department there is a "college biology for non-majors," non-traditional English classes give exposure to students and potentially draw them in to want more. The beauty of where English departments are now is partly in how English teachers have the freedom to include little related aspects of English instead of just oratory or just literature. While I may be a little biased because I had to take a speech class and four years of Latin in my middle/high school curriculum, I do think the expansion from the rigid, classical education has helped bring in students that might have else been turned off of our subject. Essentially, it seems like Parker believes the areas he identifies somehow dilutes the purity of our beloved field, but I think they rather enhance English as a more encompassing, more welcoming area of study.

* All of the quotes come out of William Riley Parker's article "Where do English Departments Come From?" linked on Dr. Kemp's class website.