Mission Statement
The Skidmore College English Department is dedicated to fostering literacy in the broadest sense of the word. Celebrating literature and the pleasures of sustained, careful attention to language across media, our department offers courses in expository writing, creative writing, and literary studies. In these courses, students learn how to map complex cultural, political, and historical issues across discursive fields, to understand diverse perspectives, and to articulate their own thoughts with clarity and precision. In so doing, students acquire the skills to be successful in a wide variety of careers and to do the work of informed, responsible citizenship. Our commitment to the importance of literacy is also manifest in departmental programming and the creative and scholarly work of our faculty. Through our curriculum, publications, and events, we aim to create a culture of inquiry and creativity vital to sustaining democracy.