Let the flexibility of a CWI Liberal Arts degree help you achieve a variety of academic goals and pursue a wide array of careers.
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Overview
The CWI English program promotes critical habits of mind through the study of composition and diverse works, genres, and points of view in literature in order to provide students the opportunity to find their voice on the page as writers and to use language as a way to convey their understanding of the human experience.
Why This Program
Discover new voices & diverse perspectives.
Read, write, and talk about the big questions literature poses.
See how literature shapes and is shaped by human experience
Join a community of writers.
Learn about the publication process.
Work one-on-one with a faculty mentor.
What You Will Learn to Do
- Understand literature as an expression of the variety and complexity of human life and use literature to reflect on one’s own place in the human experience
- Recognize and understand the formal elements of fiction, poetry, and drama to interpret how they are used to convey meaning
- Apply critical perspectives to literary works
- Understand traditions of research approaches in literary studies
- Synthesize ideas from a range of writers representing different times, styles, and cultures
- Understand literary works as aesthetic objects that can be appreciated for their creative and imaginative expression
- Develop habits of mind, showcasing a critical stance towards text, culture, and communication; rhetorical understanding of context, purpose, and audience; cultural and global awareness; and interdisciplinary exploration of history, social science
Additional Opportunities
Students in the creative writing emphasis will produce the literary magazine Stonecrop or complete a literary internship in the community.
More Recommended Programs
Requirements and Costs
Degrees and Certificates
English - Creative Writing Emphasis - Associate of Arts Degree
2
YEARSAA
English - Literature Emphasis - Associate of Arts Degree
2
YEARSAA
Explore the resources below for information, dates, and deadlines related to admissions, financial aid, registration, and next steps.
Dates & Deadlines for Credit Programs | Summer 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 |
---|---|---|---|
Priority Registration Begins 1 | N/A | Apr 10 | Nov 13 (2023) |
Open Registration Begins | Feb 27 | Apr 17 | Nov 20 (2023) |
Financial Aid Priority Deadline | May 13 | Jul 29 | Dec 16 (2023) |
Admission Deadline 2 | May 27 | Aug 12 | Jan 6 |
Last Day to Register for Classes | Jun 2 | Aug 18 | Jan 12 |
Tuition and Fees Due | Jun 2 | Aug 18 | Jan 12 |
Classes Begin 3 | Jun 5 | Aug 21 | Jan 16 |
1 Priority registration is limited to continuing students. Students are assigned a registration time based on their cumulative credits earned. Students should check myCWI and their CWI email to learn their assigned registration time. Students may register online anytime on or after their assigned registration time.
2 The Admission Deadline for international students is earlier than the deadline for non-international students and is only available during the fall and spring semesters. Please consult the Academic Calendar for the international student admission deadlines.
3 Classes in shorter sessions (including 4-, 5-, and 8-week sessions) may begin before or after this date. Please refer to the specific class session sections beneath the full Academic Calendar for more information.
Advising
Navigating your way through college can be confusing, especially if you try to go it alone. CWI offers advising assistance to help in deciding which courses you need to take to reach your education and career goals. Visit Advising or contact One Stop Student Services for more information.
Connecting With Ideas
Connecting With Ideas (CWI 101) is the first semester student success course designed to help CWI students become engaged members of the academic community and cultivate habits for lifelong achievement and success. Each semester, students can select from a variety of themes. More information about next semesters CWI 101 themes
Transfer
Look beyond your degree at CWI and plan for continuing your education by working closely with CWI advising and representatives of your intended transfer school. Planning before you transfer can save you time and money. Visit Transfer Information for more information or contact One Stop Student Services.
Financial Aid Available
Did you know that as a student in this program you may be eligible for financial aid? Through grants, scholarships, and loans, more than 60 percent of first-time, full-time CWI students receive some form of financial assistance. To learn more about financial aid options and whether you may be eligible, visit Financial Aid.
Tuition and Fees
Tuition for a full-time CWI student averages half the cost of a state university and a third of the cost of a private college. Tuition and fees vary based on program and residence. Visit Tuition and Fees for more information.
Career Info
Professions
- Lawyers
- Teachers
- Administrators
- Managers
- Business Professionals
- Journalists
English majors may pursue bachelor’s degrees and use their background in literature as well as creative and critical communication skills to enter virtually any profession. English majors often become lawyers, professional writers, teachers, administrators, managers, and business professionals.
Instructors
Program Department Chair
Instructor(s)
Respectful Community
College of Western Idaho is committed to maintaining a Respectful Community by providing equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate in services, benefits, or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, age, or any other legally protected status. More on Title IX
News and Blogs

This year’s Novel Life event will feature bestselling authors, Jason Mott, Jennifer Haigh, and Jonathan Evison.

Get paid to do your homework! CWI students are invited to submit their writing to this annual contest for a chance at publication on the College’s website and cash prizes. Submissions are due March 4.

A course that teaches application of literary theory to texts may sound abstract and even impractical at first, but for students in Liza Long’s class, their final project offered a real-world publishing opportunity.

A short film created by Assistant Professor of Art, Goran Fazil, and English Adjunct, Dževad Vrabac, was accepted into the 2021 Monologues & Poetry International Film Fest.

Resources, training, and contests during CTL's Accessibility Week for faculty highlight how small changes can help students access and engage in courses.

Join Storyfort and CWI for The Novel Life – a dive deep into processes, practicalities, passions, and how the conception and writing of a novel gets done.
Academic Transfer
- Agriculture Business, Leadership, and Education
- Animal Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Biotechnology Laboratory Assistant
- Business
- Chemistry
- Communication
- Computer Science
- Criminal Justice
- Education, Elementary
- Education, Secondary
- Engineering
- English
- Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
- Exercise Science
- General Education
- Geographic Information Systems
- Geography
- Geosciences
- Health Science and Public Health
- History
- Liberal Arts
- Mathematics
- Media Arts
- Military Science (Army ROTC)
- Nursing, Registered
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
- Sign Language Studies
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Studio Art