While covering all the phases and styles of English literature from Beowulf to Beckett and Milton to Mamet, the Dickinson English department is distinguished by two special concentrations. First, it focuses on English literature from around the world—the writing of post-colonial African, Caribbean, Indian and Latino/Chicano writers in English. Second, it emphasizes different methods of interpretation, such as close reading, historical interpretation, psychological interpretation, and feminist and Marxist criticism. In a yearlong senior experience consisting of a seminar plus a writing workshop, majors write a 35- to 50-page essay on a theme of their choosing, in the process growing as independent thinkers and writers. In addition, the department offers a popular program in creative writing, including a creative writing minor for majors in any field.