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Ashley Ferraro
Professor Brandi Bradley
ENC 2135
21 October 2015
The Fall of the English Major
Atonepointintheearlytwentiethcentury,adegreeinEnglishwaspopularand
consideredveryvaluable.However,somewherealongthelines,thisallchangedand
Englishhasdecreasedinpopularity.Inaddition,peoplearelessawareofthevalueof
propercommunication,andmakedisparagingcommentstomembersoftheEnglish
community.Thecommunityasawholeisfacingtheseissues,onanationallevelaswell
assmallercommunitieswithincollegesanduniversities.
AcommonissuetheEnglishcommunityseesisadecreaseinEnglishmajors,
possiblybecauseofthereactiontheyreceivewhentheyconfess,IamanEnglish
major.Thiscouldbeafactorcontributingtothecommunityslossofmembers.
LindseyMarcus,anEnglishmajorattheFloridaStateUniversity,hashadseven
internshipsoverthepastfouryears.Sheclaimsthatshereceivesthesediscouraging
responsesallofthetime,PeopletellmeIwon'tmakemoneyorthatI'llendupbeinga
stayathomemom,it'susuallyalmostalwaysmenwhosaythesethings.Peoplehaveno
ideahowvaluableanEnglishdegreeisandwhatyoucandowithit.(Marcus).Despite
popularbeliefthattheprofessionalworldisverylimitedforEnglishmajors,her
experiencehastaughtherotherwise,Noonehasanyideahowmanyopportunitiesthere
areoutthereforEnglishmajors,includingjournalism,editing,marketing,sales,
publishing,business,education,andmore.(Marcus).Marcuspastfouryearshave

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shownherthevalueinsomethingthattherestoftheworldseesasinvaluable.She
recognizesthedownfallsofbeinganEnglishmajor,especiallywiththecriticismshe
receives,butalsohighlightsthepositives.
Discouragementoftencomesfrompeers,butalsofromfamily,Manyofushave
spokenwithstudentswhopleatheirinterestinselectingaliteraturemajorbutfind
themselvescompelledbytheirparentstochoosesomethingallegedlymorepractical.
(Berman490).Itisalmostalwaysinevitablethatparentsplayamajorroleintheir
studentschoiceofamajor,especiallyiftheyarepayingfortheireducation.Often,
withoutadequateresearch,parentsautomaticallydismisstheEnglishmajor,
Undergraduateswilltellyouthattheyreunderpressurefromtheirparents,fromthe
burdenofdebttheyincur,fromsocietyatlargetochoosemajorstheybelievewilllead
asdirectlyaspossibletogoodjobs.Toooften,thatmeansskippingthehumanities.
(Klinkenborg).Instead,theypersuadetheirchildrentostudyapopularmajor,suchas
business.Bermansarcasticallycommentsonthistrend,Iforonehaverarelymet
studentspassionateaboutamajorinbusinessbutwhosefamiliesheartlesslyforcedthem
tostudyliterature.(Berman490).
ThiscourseofnegativitysurroundinganEnglishdegreeextendsbeyondthe
groundsofuniversities,andbeganseveraldecadesago.In1981,JohnJ.Clayton,an
advisorintheEnglishDepartmentattheUniversityofMassachusetts,wrote,Itis
terriblyhardforastudenttodecidenowadaystomajorinEnglish.Friendslaughand
parentsgroan.WhatareyougoingtodowithEnglish?Therearentanyteaching
jobs.(122).ThisreiteratesthecommonbeliefthatEnglishisauselessmajor.Atthe

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UniversityofMassachusetts,therewere1038Englishmajorsin1968.Thisfigure
droppedtoalowof330in1977.ExpressedasapercentofthetotalUniversity
population,Englishmajorsdroppedfrom8.14%in1968to1.82%in1977.Thisdropisa
reflectionofanationaldecline.(Clayton122).Morerecentstatisticshavesupportedthe
continuationofthistrend,from197071to200304,thepercentageofEnglishmajorshas
dramaticallydroppedfrom7.6percentofthemajorsto3.9percent(Chace32).Chace
alsoobservesthisdeclinenotonlyinEnglishmajors,butextendsittomostother
humanitiesmajors,includingforeignlanguages,philosophy,andareasofhistory.
AcommonstereotypesurroundingtheEnglishmajoristhattheonlyuseforthe
degreeisteaching,ApparentlyEnglishisstillstereotypedasateachingmajor.The
publicseemstoexpectmoststudentswhomajorinEnglishtoteach,butitdoesnotseem
toexpectthatstudentswhomajorinmath,journalism,psychology,andthescienceswill
inevitablybecometeachersofthesesubjects,althoughtheyarealsotaughtintheschools
andcollegesPublicstereotypingofEnglishasateachingmajorhascausedcollege
studentstofeelcompletelyfrustratedwhenteachingjobsareinshortsupply.(Evans
199).ThisispartiallytoblameEnglishteachers,theinabilityofsomecareerEnglish
teacherstorespondtotheEnglishmajorswhoask,WhatcanIdowithanEnglishmajor
besidesteach?(TyreeMiller209).Althoughthecareerpathofaneducatorispopular
amongEnglishmajor,itisfarfromtheonlyoption.Teachingcanbearewardingcareer
tothosewhochoosetofollowit,butnoteveryoneinterestedinliteratureandwritingis
cutouttobeaneducator.ThosewhoareinterestedinEnglish,butnotteaching,mayshy
awayfromthefieldduetotheteacherstereotype.Thisisnotwithoutgoodreason;

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manystudentsinvolvedintheEnglishmajordoplantoendupasateacher.Onesurvey
ofuniversitystudentsfoundthis,Aftergraduation,fiftypercentofthestudentsplanned
toteach;tenpercentofthestudentsplannedtoentereachofthefollowingprofessions:
journalism,publicrelations,radioandtelevision,law,professionalwriting.However,
thesestudentsexpresseddoubtaboutgettingjobsintheseprofessionswithanEnglish
major,andcounteredthatiftheycouldnot,theythoughtthattheywouldteach.(Tyree
Miller211).Whattheydonotrealizeis,Allrecentstudies,includingmyown,have
shownthatmajorsinEnglisharefoundinagreatvarietyofcareers;further,thattheir
majorequipsthemformanyprofessions.Graduateschools,professionalschoolsinlaw,
business,socialwork,andsoon,welcomeEnglishmajors.(Clayton124).English
provideskeyverbalandwrittencommunicationskills,whichareveryhelpfulineachof
thosefields.
AsEnglishmajorscontinuetodecline,sodoesanyinterestatintheimportanceof
clearcommunication.Thisisleadingtoalossofstudentsabilitytocorrectlyusethe
Englishlanguageaftergraduatingwithabachelorsdegree.Evenlawschoolsseethis
issuearise,Amidthisgeneralconcernitishardlytobewonderedatthatlawschool
administratorsareexpressingdissatisfactionwiththeinabilityofmanyoftheirstudents
towritewithreasonablecorrectness.NotlongagoJohnS.Bainbridge,AssistantDeanof
ColumbiaLawSchool,discussedthisproblembeforetheCollegeCouncilonEnglishof
theCentralAtlanticStates.(Gottleib666).Thelackofskillsarenotjustsubpar,but
horrendous.AccordingtoGottleib,inreferencetothefirstpapersofthelawstudents,
manyofthemaresoillwrittenthattheycouldnotconceivablyearnapassinggrade

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intheverycollegefromwhichthewritersweregraduated.(668).TheAmerican
educationsystemhascreatedfuturelawyers,whoareviewedwithsuchhighprestigein
theprofessionalworldbuttheycanbarelywrite.Inthebroaderscaleofstudentsofall
ages,Englishhasbecomelessandlesscoherentasadisciplineand,worse,hascome
nearexhaustionasascholarlypursuit.(Chace38).AlthoughlanguageartsandEnglish
arerequiredtobetaughtbeginninginelementaryschoolthroughhighschool,itisclear
thatthesubjectisnotbeingthoroughlyandproperlyinvestigated.
VerilynKlinkenborghastaughtnonfictionwritingtoundergraduatesandgraduate
studentsatHarvard,Yale,Bard,Pamona,SarahLawrenceandColumbiasGraduate
SchoolofJournalism.Klinkenborgsobservationsasaprofessorshow,EachsemesterI
hope,andfear,thatIwillhavenothingtoteachmystudentsbecausetheyalreadyknow
howtowrite.AndeachsemesterIdiscover,again,thattheydont.Theycanassemble
stringsofjargonandgenerateclotsofventriloquisticsyntax.Theycanmetametastasize
anythematicorideologicalnotiontheyhappenupon.Andtheygetgoodgradesfordoing
justthat.Butasforwritingclearly,simply,withattentionandopennesstotheirown
thoughtsandemotionsandtheworldaroundthemno.
IndeedtheissueisrootedinthefundamentalteachingofEnglishtostudents
duringtheirearlyeducation.Bythetimetheygettocollege,theyhavenoideahowto
evenwrite,Ayoungcollegeteacheroffreshmancomposition,facedbythefirstthemes
submittedbyhisclass,isapttobebaffledaboutjustwhichaspectofwritingheshould
teachthemfirst,sincehisstudents,havingcommittedeverycategoryoferror,seemto
needhelpineverythingatonce.(Gottleib688).

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AnotherkeyrootofthedeclineofEnglishmajorsisthelackofenthusiasmfrom
parentstowardreadingandliterature,Increasinglythey[ordinarycollegegraduates]
comefromhomeswhereprosperityisunlinkedwithsuchculturalactivityasreadingand
thediscussionofideas.(Gottleib666).Associetyevolves,thepriorityinlearningis
shiftingawayfromEnglish.Thisideaisthenembeddedintothemindsofstudents,
TheirclassesinEnglishleavelittleimprintonthem.Thecyclecontinuesfromparent,
tostudent,totheirstudents,astheybecomeparents.Therefore,theissuecontinuesto
worsen,leavingitlittlechancetoberesolved,untilattitudeschange.
ThecontinuedlossofEnglishmajorsmaybeduetotherecentjumpofbusiness
majors.From197071to200304,businessmajorshaverisenfrom13.7percentto21.9
percent(Chace32).Theworldisalwayschanging,especiallyintermsofwhatpeople
considertobevaluable.Recently,businesshasbeenwidelyacceptedasusefuldegree,
contributingtotheshiftofstudentsstudypreferences.Inthefaceoftherecenteconomic
disasterseenbyAmerica,studentsstillleantowardbusinessmajors,Despitelastyears
debacleonWallStreet,thehumanitieshavenotbenefited;studentsarestillwageringthat
businessjobswillbetherewhentheeconomyrecovers.(Chace33).
Thereisnodoubtthatstudentsdegreedecisionsarelargelyinfluencedby
economicshifts.EconomicinfluenceonchoiceofstudywasseenthroughoutAmerican
history,Atthenationallevel,theUnitedStateseconomywasinfullexpansionmode
afterWorldWarIIuptotheearly1970s,whenstagflationcalledintoquestionthe
sustainabilityofsuchexpansionandthetruthsofKeynesianeconomics.Doubtsabout
theeconomicfutureappeartohaveledmanytowardmorevocationalprograms.

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(Steward156).Inadditiontohistoricaleconomicinfluences,thechangingAmerican
economyisstillaffectingchoiceofstudytoday.Berman,aHumanitiesProfessorat
StanfordUniversity,isnotconvincedthatamajorinliteraturewillprovideanyadvantage
intodayscompetitivejobfieldinregardstotheglobaleconomy(492).Althoughheis
passionateabouthisfieldofstudy,herecognizesthedisadvantagethathumanitiesmajors
havewithcompetingforjobs.Manypeopleagreethattheknowledgeprovidedthrough
anEnglishprogramisvaluable,buttheproblemliesinemployerpreferencesofbusiness
andfinancemajors.
However,thepastofAmericaseemedtohavedifferentvalues.Whenthe
economyinthe1960swasmuchmoreprosperousthanitistoday,studentscould
confidentlystudyEnglish,Inthe1960s,whenjobopportunitiesweremoreplentiful,
studentsfelttheycouldleavetheuniversitywithadegreeinEnglish,couldfallbackon
teaching,andhadbroadchoiceamongotherpositions.Nowtheyareafraidandwith
goodreason.(Clayton123).BesidesEnglish,theeconomichistoryofAmericahas
demonstratedothermajorshiftsinwhatisconsideredvaluable,Timesacceleratewhile
atthesametimethejobmarketcareensmadlytothewaltzoftheeconomicsystem.In
1971,engineersgluttedthemarket;nowtheyareclamoredafter.Andin1990?Inthe
early70s,hotelandrestaurantmanagementwasafieldwithafuture;nowithasmore
graduatesthanjobs.AlthoughtheEnglishmajorhasbeendecliningsinceitfirst
dropped,theshakinessofAmericaseconomycouldmeanashiftinthepositivedirection
couldbepossible.(Clayton123).
DecreasingfinancialsupportofEnglishdepartmentshasresultedintheir

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weakening,These,then,aresomeoftheexternalcausesofthedeclineofEnglish:
impactofmoney;andthepressuresupondepartmentswithinthemodernuniversityto
attractfinancialresourcesratherthansimplyusethemup.Onallthesescores,English
hassuffered.(Chace37).
Peopleoutsidethemajorarepartiallytoblameforthenegativeimageperceived
ofEnglishmajors,butlookinginside,thereisevidencethattheEnglishmajors
themselvesaretoblame.Somestudentsgraduatewiththemindsetknowingthattheir
degreewillnotleadthemtoasuccessfulcareer.Inaddition,studentstendtolackon
futurecareerplanning,andtheirprofessorsareuncomfortablewithhelpingthemplana
career.Often,theyentertheworldwithoutaplan,hopinganopportunitywillcome
along.Theybelievethattheirresumeisperfectduetotheirpolishedwritingskills,and
thatajobwillcomenaturallytothem.However,oncetheseexpectationsdontpanout,
theybegintofeelapologeticfortheirmajor,andblameitfortheirinabilitytofindajob.
Therefore,thenegativityassociatedwiththeEnglishmajorcanbeblamedonlackof
planningbyEnglishstudentsandprofessors(Clayton126).
AnotherinternalcauseofthedeclineislackofeffortwithintheEnglish
departmenttopreservethestronginfluenceitusedtohave,Englishdepartmentshave
notrespondedenergeticallyandresourcefullytothesituationsurroundingthem.(Chace
38).ThisisduetoEnglishprofessorsdenial,Whileawareoftheirincreasing
marginality,Englishprofessorsdonot,onthewhole,acceptit.Reluctanttotakeaclear
viewoftheircircumstancessomeofwhicharenotundertheircontroltheyreactby
assertinggrandioseclaimswhilepursuingselfcenteredends.Amidachaosofcurricular

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change,requirementsdroppedandadded,newareasofstudyincompetitionwitholder
ones,andavarietyofcriticalapproachesjostlingagainsteachother,manyfaculty
members,insteadofreconcilingtheirdifferencesandfindingsolidgrouponwhichto
standtogether,havegonetheirseparateways.Astheyhavedeparted,theyhaveleft
behinddisorderintheiracademicdiscipline.(Chace38).
AsidefromthestatisticsreflectingdropsinundergraduateEnglishstudies,thereis
alsoevidencethatmastersdegreesinEnglishhavefollowedadifferenttrend,the
overallnumberofmastersdegreesgrantedinthefieldofEnglishhasremainedalmost
constantoverthelastthreeandahalfdecades,waveringaround6,000degreesperyear:
6,279degreesin1966and5,496in2001,adeclineof12.5%.(Steward154).Thisis
evidencethatEnglishstudiesstillhavesomeinfluenceintheAmericaneducationsystem.
AproposedsolutiontoincreasetheimportanceofEnglisheducationsuggeststhat
thehistoryofthelanguageshouldbetaughttostudents,Giventhefundamentaland
expansivechangesinliteracythatweface,ourundergraduateprogramsneedtoprovide
studentswithanhistoricalunderstandingoflanguagechange,interactiveapproachesto
readingandwriting,andareflectivevisionoflearningthatincludesourcoworkersinthe
schools.(ThomasMillerandJackson685).Thisisanapproachthatwouldrequirean
extensivealterationofcurrenteducationstandards.
Perhapspatienceisthesolution.People,especiallyparentswanttoseetheir
studentsinamajorwithastrictcareerpath,Parentshavealwaysworriedwhentheir
childrenbecomeEnglishmajors.WhatisanEnglishmajorgoodfor?Inaway,thebest

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answerhasalwaysbeen,waitandseeananswerthatsatisfiesnoone.(Klinkenborg).
Thereisnostrictcareerpathbecausethepossibilitiesaresovast,FormerEnglishmajors
turnupalmostanywhere,inalmostanycareer,andtheynearlyalwaysbringwiththema
richsenseofthepossibilitiesoflanguage,literaryandotherwise.(Klinkenborg).People
justneedtolearntobepatient,andtheoutcomewillindeedbesatisfying.
ApursuitofothersolutionstotheissuesintheEnglishcommunitydoesnotseem
tobeverypressingtoitsmembers.Thereisnotmuchevidencethatanyactionistaken
tocounteractthedecline.Thepartialreasonforthedegenerationofthemajorisdueto
economicshifts,whichwillfluctuateinanunpredictablemanner.Unlessthereisa
solutionthatbeginswitheconomicgrowthanddevelopment,peoplewillnotbeeagerto
studyEnglishinhopesofgainingafinancialadvantage.Therefore,verylittlecanbe
donetosolvetheissuesfromthisangle.Lookingattherootsoftheotherreasonsforthe
downfall,eachofthemwouldneedtobereversedinordertomakeprogress.For
example,ifstudentsandprofessorsputagreateremphasisoncareerplanningforEnglish
majors,perhapstheirsuccessatlandingafulfillingcareerwouldbegreater,andthenthe
majorwouldnotseemlikesuchadeadend.Thenegativityseenthroughoutthemajor,
mostlymisconceptions,butsometimestruth,isanissueinitselfthatcontributestothe
biggerissuethecontinualdiveofthemajor.

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WorksCited
Berman,RussellA."WhyMajorinLiteraturewhatdoweTellourStudents?"PMLA
117.3(2002):4902.Print.
Chace,WilliamM."TheDeclineoftheEnglishDepartment:HowitHappenedandwhat
couldbedonetoReverseit."TheAmericanScholar78.4(2009):3242.Print.
Clayton,JohnJ."CareerPlanningandtheEnglishMajor."CollegeEnglish43.2(1981):
12231.Print.
Evans,WilliamH..WhatDoestheResearchonAlternativeCareersSaytoEnglish
DepartmentsandEnglishMajors?.CollegeEnglish40.2(1978):199205.
Web...
Gottlieb,HansJ."TeachingEnglishinaLawSchool."AmericanBarAssociation
Journal49.7(1963):6669.Print.
Klinkenborg,Verlyn."TheDeclineandFalloftheEnglishMajor."TheNewYorkTimes.
TheNewYorkTimes,22June2013.Web.08Oct.2015.

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Marcus,Lindsey.Personalinterview.9Oct.2015.
Miller,ThomasP.,andBrianJackson."WhatareEnglishMajorsfor?"College
CompositionandCommunication58.4(2007):682708.Print.
Miller,Tyree."CareerEducationinanOrientationCourseforFreshmanEnglishMajors."
EnglishEducation6.4,THEME:TheFutureinEnglishEducation(1975):20913.
Print.
Steward,Doug."TheMaster'sDegreeintheModernLanguagessince1966."Profession
(2004):15477.Print.

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