Through the study and creation of literature, English majors can deepen their understanding of human nature, society, and history, while at the same time honing their powers of expression. The major thus caters to a wide variety of students, from those with a lifelong love of language and reading, to those who write poetry and fiction, to those eager to understand how language may be used to entertain, move, or persuade. English majors inevitably spend much time thinking and writing about the stuff of literature - abiding matters such as love, death, and power - but the insights they will take away about the wellsprings of human action, along with the skill to promote their views forcefully, have repeatedly shown themselves valuable in an array of professions as various as law, advertising, teaching, and politics.