Devising the Appropriate Program of Studies for the 21st-Century English Major: The Consumer as Designer

In the fall semester of 2001, a newly required class for undergraduate English majors was introduced at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. The class was called Issues in English Studies. As a member of the UST English department, I was invited to teach a section of this class. Teaching English 380: Issues in English was one of the best educational experiences of my life as teacher and learner. The class provided me with the opportunity to address the practice of the discipline of English at the beginning of the 21st century. What better way to do this, I thought, than to have the students not only investigate the present state of the discipline, but also construct an appropriate program of study for an English major in this age of pluralism and diversity.