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ART, PHILOSOPHY, AND LITERATURE

APL 

To be both a speaker of words and a doer of deeds—this was Achilles’s ideal, and it could be yours.  Arming you with the skills necessary to decode a rapidly changing world and to shape its future, the programs of study offered by the Department of English can prepare you to join the ranks of modern warriors who embody the spirit of the ancients. In a recent interview, the Superintendent, Lieutenant General Lennox, once a member of the Department of English faculty, suggested the potentially powerful connection between officership and the liberal arts: 

Studying the liberal arts, including literature, art, and philosophy, is important for every human being, but particularly for those who will lead people.  No other subjects are as important as those that teach you about the human condition.

Former Chief of Staff of the Army, General Eric Shinseki, who also served on the English Department faculty, echoed the Superintendent’s sentiments when he wrote: 

It is to the skills and lessons I acquired in the study of art, philosophy, and literature that I turned most frequently and used each and every day to understand, to communicate, to educate, and to motivate others in helping me accomplish my military responsibilities.

The Class of 2005 will graduate more than twenty new lieutenants fresh from their studies of Art, Philosophy, and Literature. Through a combination of coursework and summer AIAD opportunities, they have traveled from the ancient world to Broadway, from West Point to Europe—on the trail of Shakespeare in London, in the footsteps of Achilles and Aeneas through Greece and Italy.

If you have an interest in culture, in exploring human nature, in understanding artistic expression, in communicating your thoughts and ideas effectively, or in the great ideas that have shaped civilization, you may want to consider pursuing Art, Philosophy, and Literature as a major or field of study. 

In the fall of 2004 we launched an exciting new curriculum. Pursuing either a philosophy or literature track, you will have the opportunity to enrich your academic program through the study of art history and through the experience of joining your peers in Cultural Studies (EP333)—the perfect venue in which to hone the skills of observation and interpretation that will enable to read your world even as it changes before your eyes. 

In philosophy courses you will explore ethical theories, ways of knowing, the relationship between faith and reason, and the intersection of philosophy with politics, medicine, law, and the environment. Literature courses offer you the opportunity to explore British and American traditions from Geoffrey Chaucer to Toni Morrison, as well as to explore the poetry and prose of Continental Europe and the ancient world. 

Your disciplinary horizon will be expanded by the addition of an elective from another academic department. Alternatively, the option to count two semesters of an advanced foreign language toward the major or field of study can complement your work in English. 

In addition to our slate of courses, the Department of English offers several opportunities for cultural development. APL cadets can attend film series, participate in academic writing workshops, and join the Cadet Fine Arts Forum, whose member clubs include Creative Writing, Studio Arts, Philosophy, and African-American Literature. 

No matter where you find yourself in a few years, you will have the tools to understand other cultures, other people, and yourself. As Lao Tzu once wrote, “He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.”

On campaign Alexander the Great always carried with him a copy of Homer’s Iliad given to him by Aristotle. Here are some of the books we study in the Department of English—books you might one day carry with you: