The English Major - Essential to Western Culture Essay -- College Admi

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study of linguistics and literature is commonly joined under the head of â€Å"English,† a simplification and development of the 19th century term philology, or, â€Å"the love of words.†Ã‚   While literature is the very essence of recorded history, and the nature of language itself even older, the formal critical study of such is necessarily newer.   The field of study is referred to as â€Å"English† because that is our language, from the American custom of combining the study of literature and grammar; also, much of the world’s written literature was written in our language.   The Western tradition of recording one’s thoughts—fiction and nonfiction—has led to an examination of those thoughts critically; the comparison of the English language to other languages, and the development of it and others leads directly to the study of language as a whole.   And, of course, one of the main ways to find how a language has developed in the past is to study the evidence:   the literature of the time, so both fields come into harmony quite easily.   The study of English is not a popular major, but it is a necessary one; the complex â€Å"intellectual, aesthetic, psychological, political, social, historical, moral, and religious† ideas and the variety of subjects studied may confuse and deter many, but it is important, as these ideas shape us as humans, and these values hold true regardless of background or circumstance (â€Å"English† 1).   And most usable, perhaps, to the broad spectrum of students is the emphasis on writing in the study of English.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ideas above are common to mankind, and, as they exist, need to be studied and better understood, and English â€Å"introduces students to new modes of thinking and constructive disruptions of commonpl... ...or those pursuing law-related jobs, for example, and the principles of good writing set forth benefit almost any liberal arts-minded person.   The ability to sound professional in a report is key in any â€Å"white collar† job.   Factor in the major’s requirement of classes in a foreign language, and the English major presents itself as attractive on a rà ©sumà ©.   In all, the English major is valuable in many ways, to many people, and is in fact essential in Western culture, in maintaining our written cultural history and heritage, and interpreting them for all. Sources Cited â€Å"English.†Ã‚   Student Central.   2001.   22 Jan 2003 â€Å"English The Pre-Professional Major.†Ã‚   22 Jan 2003 â€Å"Undergraduate Studies.†Ã‚   22 Jan 2003