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If I'm overly simplistic, this seems to be 1/3 of an English degree. The remaining 2/3s being linguistics and history with cultural studies of the times. I'm s

If I'm overly simplistic, this seems to be 1/3 of an English degree. The remaining 2/3s being linguistics and history with cultural studies of the times. I'm still undecided how much I'd recommend someone else studying English (full time, as their only major). I enjoyed the studies though!

barry-cotter 7y ago
In most of the English speaking world a degree in English would include no linguistics[1] and courses in historical literature would not be offered in the History department nor would the History department accept them for credit. Look at the Oxford curriculum. All literature. https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/english-reading-list https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate-admiss... [1] Unless you think studying only English grammar, morphology, syntax etc. qualifies as studying linguistics, in which case you’re wrong. Linguistics is about the study of language, not the study of a language.
- senderista 7y ago
  I dunno, I was required to take an introductory linguistics course for my Spanish degree and I assume that applies to English as well.
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- BossingAround 7y ago
  > Unless you think studying only English grammar, morphology, syntax etc. qualifies as studying linguistics, in which case you’re wrong The idea that as soon as you're studying linguistics of a particular language, you're not studying linguistics at all seems deeply flawed. Does studying applied math not count at studying math? Or, is studying the physics of light in crystals not really studying physics? What I agree with is that if you decide to study linguistics, that doesn't mean you speak foreign languages (a common misunderstanding in largely monolingual countries, such as the USA). You study how the languages function, and how they are formed, linguistically speaking. But, studying linguistics of English surely counts as studying linguistics.
camelNotation 7y ago
English is for everyone, but as a degree it is really only for those that need concentrated experience with a vast amount of cultural wisdom and experience. I would recommend English to a wealthy student who is destined to oversee some sort of philanthropic, corporate, or political enterprise, but not the working class. That said, we can all have a richer, more meaningful experience of ourselves and the world by spending time in great stories and myths, so I would still recommend it as an independent study for the average person, just not a degree. Plus, in nations with high levels of social mobility, studying great works of literature may come in handy when you try to insert yourself into higher levels of society as an adult.
- zozbot234 7y ago
  > I would recommend English to a wealthy student who is destined to oversee some sort of philanthropic, corporate, or political enterprise Isn't that a rather old-fashioned and even pre-modern POV? A bit like the idea that you should memorize the Confucian classics before being allowed to join the Chinese state bureaucracy. These days, a degree in the social sciences, public policy or the like might be more appropriate.
  - barry-cotter 7y ago
    The point of the English degree in this case is not to teach anything useful, it’s to inculcate one into a class. If you come from money and don’t need to develop any particular skills before being given a pile to manage any canon works as a shibboleth to allow people to distinguish whether someone else is of the “right sort”, whether the Confucian classics, the Western canon or Old Skool Rap. Obviously social sciences or public policy work as well but the idea that they’re superior to the other methods is very weakly supported, at best.
    - zozbot234 7y ago
      > The point of the English degree in this case is not to teach anything useful, it’s to inculcate one into a class. That's exactly what I meant by a pre-modern viewpoint. Where "class" or social background are more important than the actual work you're supposed to be doing, and the skills (even general-purpose skills - a social sciences degree teaches plenty of those) you're going to use to that effect. Let's just say that this is not how people or societies become successful - it anything, it's a marker of decadence.

barry-cotter 7y ago

In most of the English speaking world a degree in English would include no linguistics[1] and courses in historical literature would not be offered in the History department nor would the History department accept them for credit. Look at the Oxford curriculum. All literature. https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/english-reading-list https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate-admiss... [1] Unless you think studying only English grammar, morphology, syntax etc. qualifies as studying linguistics, in which case you’re wrong. Linguistics is about the study of language, not the study of a language.

senderista 7y ago
I dunno, I was required to take an introductory linguistics course for my Spanish degree and I assume that applies to English as well.
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BossingAround 7y ago
> Unless you think studying only English grammar, morphology, syntax etc. qualifies as studying linguistics, in which case you’re wrong The idea that as soon as you're studying linguistics of a particular language, you're not studying linguistics at all seems deeply flawed. Does studying applied math not count at studying math? Or, is studying the physics of light in crystals not really studying physics? What I agree with is that if you decide to study linguistics, that doesn't mean you speak foreign languages (a common misunderstanding in largely monolingual countries, such as the USA). You study how the languages function, and how they are formed, linguistically speaking. But, studying linguistics of English surely counts as studying linguistics.

camelNotation 7y ago

English is for everyone, but as a degree it is really only for those that need concentrated experience with a vast amount of cultural wisdom and experience. I would recommend English to a wealthy student who is destined to oversee some sort of philanthropic, corporate, or political enterprise, but not the working class. That said, we can all have a richer, more meaningful experience of ourselves and the world by spending time in great stories and myths, so I would still recommend it as an independent study for the average person, just not a degree. Plus, in nations with high levels of social mobility, studying great works of literature may come in handy when you try to insert yourself into higher levels of society as an adult.

zozbot234 7y ago
> I would recommend English to a wealthy student who is destined to oversee some sort of philanthropic, corporate, or political enterprise Isn't that a rather old-fashioned and even pre-modern POV? A bit like the idea that you should memorize the Confucian classics before being allowed to join the Chinese state bureaucracy. These days, a degree in the social sciences, public policy or the like might be more appropriate.
- barry-cotter 7y ago
  The point of the English degree in this case is not to teach anything useful, it’s to inculcate one into a class. If you come from money and don’t need to develop any particular skills before being given a pile to manage any canon works as a shibboleth to allow people to distinguish whether someone else is of the “right sort”, whether the Confucian classics, the Western canon or Old Skool Rap. Obviously social sciences or public policy work as well but the idea that they’re superior to the other methods is very weakly supported, at best.
  - zozbot234 7y ago
    > The point of the English degree in this case is not to teach anything useful, it’s to inculcate one into a class. That's exactly what I meant by a pre-modern viewpoint. Where "class" or social background are more important than the actual work you're supposed to be doing, and the skills (even general-purpose skills - a social sciences degree teaches plenty of those) you're going to use to that effect. Let's just say that this is not how people or societies become successful - it anything, it's a marker of decadence.