English studies (or simply, English ) is an academic discipline taught in primary , secondary , and post-secondary education in English-speaking countries . This is not to be confused with English taught as a foreign language , which is a distinct discipline. The English studies discipline involves the study, analysis, and exploration of English literature through texts .
59-521: Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti ( / ˌ dʒ iː ə ˈ m ɑː t i / JEE -ə- MAH -tee ; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globes , as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award . After studying acting at the Yale School of Drama , he performed in numerous theatrical productions. Giamatti made his Broadway debut portraying Ezra Chater in
118-538: A bachelor's degree in English and went on to earn a master of fine arts degree from the Yale School of Drama , where he studied with Earle R. Gister . He performed in numerous theatrical productions, including on Broadway and a stint from 1989 to 1992 with Seattle's Annex Theater, before appearing in some small television and film roles in the early 1990s. In 2023, Giamatti was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Yale. He made his television debut in
177-631: A Drama Series . In 2016, Giamatti began appearing in commercials for Prism TV , the IPTV service owned by CenturyLink ; the spots are the first-ever on-camera TV commercial appearances for Giamatti. In 2022, Giamatti appeared as Scrooge and Einstein in Verizon commercials. He served as an executive producer of the WGN America series Outsiders (2016–2017). He also lent his voice to BoJack Horseman , Rick and Morty and Big Mouth . In 2018, he starred in
236-524: A Limited Series for the HBO series John Adams (2008). He also received Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award wins for his performance as well. English studies English studies include: English linguistics ( syntax , morphology , phonetics , phonology , etc.) is regarded as a distinct discipline, taught in a department of linguistics. The North American Modern Language Association (MLA) divides English studies into two disciplines:
295-610: A Literacy test. Students in grades 9–12 learn the skills of critical thinking and analysis by practicing close reading . Students are asked to draw connections from the texts they are assigned with ideas discussed in class. They are also taught how to analyze fiction and nonfiction works and answer questions using citations from the texts. Overall, most high school English programs follow the Common Core Standards, which require students to meet objectives in reading, writing, speaking and listening. In European secondary schools,
354-581: A Miniseries or Television Film . His performances in Too Big to Fail , Downton Abbey and Inside Amy Schumer also earned him Emmy nominations, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie , Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series , respectively. With these achievements, Giamatti is one of few actors to receive Emmy nominations across all three performance (lead, supporting and guest) and genre (comedy, drama and miniseries or movie) categories . As
413-548: A Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe. He starred as U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades Jr. in the Showtime television series Billions (2016–2023), and earned Emmy nominations for his roles as Ben Bernanke in the HBO film Too Big to Fail (2011), and Harold Levinson in the ITV series Downton Abbey (2013). Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti was born June 6, 1967, in New Haven, Connecticut ,
472-475: A communication tool. English is used as a communication tool, as opposed to literature analysis. This research looks at how a method called TSLT can help in English classes for people who speak English as a foreign language. It studies how students, teachers, and textbooks are important in this method. It also looks at how this method works in a typical Japanese high school class. The Japan Association for Language Teaching focuses on Japanese high school students in
531-546: A critical manner. However, the methods of teaching a text, the manner of engaging with a text, and the selection of texts are all widely-debated subjects within the English studies field. Another unifying commonality is that this engagement with the text will produce a wide variety of skills, which can translate into many different careers. See also Literature and linguistics , along with List of academic disciplines Some fields may cover works in languages other than English. The works studied in these fields only fall within
590-564: A curmudgeonly teacher. Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood declared, "Giamatti, who so memorably starred in Payne’s 2004 Sideways , has never been better", adding "this is perfect casting for Giamatti." For his performance in The Holdovers , Giamatti received an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and
649-547: A language-focused discipline, and a literature-focused discipline. At universities in non-English-speaking countries, one department often covers all aspects of English studies as well as English taught as a foreign language and English linguistics. It is common for departments of English to offer courses and scholarships in all areas of the English language, such as literature, public speaking and speech-writing , rhetoric , composition studies , creative writing , philology and etymology , journalism , poetry , publishing ,
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#1732906040844708-614: A member of the ensemble casts of 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Straight Outta Compton (2015), Giamatti received nominations for both the Critics' Choice and SAG Award for Best Cast . His performance in the drama series Billions (2016–2023) earned him a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series . Giamatti won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor for his performances in Barney's Version (2010) and The Holdovers (2023). The latter also won him
767-568: A nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Joe Gould in Cinderella Man (2005), and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as disgruntled teacher Paul Hunham in The Holdovers (2023). On television, Giamatti played the title role in the HBO miniseries John Adams (2008), which earned him acclaim and several awards including
826-521: A nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead . The following year , he received nominations for the Critics' Choice , Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Actor for his role in the comedy-drama Sideways (2004), which won him the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead as well as the Critics' Choice and SAG Award for Best Cast . Giamatti then won the Critics' Choice and SAG Award and received nominations for
885-452: A number of elective multidisciplinary topics such as history , courses in the social sciences , and studies in a foreign language. To the end of studying these disciplines, many degree programs also offer training in professional writing with relations to rhetoric , literary analysis , an appreciation for the diversity of cultures, and an ability to clearly and persuasively express their ideas in writing. The history of English studies at
944-498: A practice of reading pre-modern texts, became the preferred scholarly paradigm. However, English-speaking countries distanced themselves from philological paradigms soon after World War I. At the end of this process, many English departments refocused their work on various forms of writing instruction (creative, professional, critical) and the interpreting of literary texts. The English major rose to prominence in American colleges during
1003-560: A sold-out, modern dress stage production of the play at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven . He also had supporting roles in several films, including the animated Turbo and The Congress , as well as Parkland , Saving Mr. Banks , and the critically acclaimed 12 Years a Slave . In addition, Giamatti played the role of New Yorker Harold Levinson, the brother of Cora, the Countess of Grantham ( Elizabeth McGovern ), in
1062-710: A variety of career opportunities for college graduates entering the job market. Since students who graduate with an English degree are trained to ask probing questions about large bodies of texts and then to formulate, analyze, and answer those questions in coherent, persuasive prose —skills vital to any number of careers—English majors have much to choose from after graduation. Typical career choices for English majors include positions in writing, publishing, teaching, journalism, and human resources. However, there are also career opportunities in fields such as advertising , public relations , acting , law , business , marketing , information assurance , and directing. An Anglicist
1121-487: Is brilliant as Adams. He is fearless in his portrayal, confident that the character’s all-consuming sacrifices for his fledgling nation will more than compensate for his numerous character flaws". William Thomas of Empire agreed, adding "The acting, especially from Giamatti as the irascible Adams and Laura Linney as his wife Abigail, who steered him clear of vanity...has the tang of authenticity, even when burdened with great gulps of politicking". That same year, he starred in
1180-415: Is no current standard methodology regarding teaching and creating English studies. In removing this standardization, many scholars are reconsidering the function of experts in teaching English studies. While the predominant pedagogy focused on a hierarchical approach, with expert Anglicists advising teachers how to teach English studies, emerging discussions call for approaches that value diversity and with it
1239-401: Is someone who works in the field of English studies. Historically, the term Anglicist has been very loosely defined, with the term mistakenly used in the same vein as Anglist, a label meant for historians and their studies. However, there have been very specific terms used to describe the different disciplines of English studies and those who study them, such as grammarian; a grammarian focused on
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#17329060408441298-458: Is typically covered in English studies regarding the written analysis of English literature, an emphasis is placed particularly on the prestige of British literature and its importance as a foundational part of English studies. Additionally, as is present in the overall discussion of English studies, British educators continue to debate the relevance of Shakespeare for contemporary teens, with some arguing for more modern texts and others upholding
1357-446: The Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cinderella Man (2005). He won another two Screen Actors Guild Awards , for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his roles in the miniseries John Adams (2008) and the television biopic Too Big to Fail (2011), the former of which also won him the Emmy and Golden Globe for Best Actor in
1416-618: The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times described Giamatti's performance as being "well played". That same year he reunited with Woody Allen, acting in the comedy Deconstructing Harry (1997). He also took a small but memorable role as Richard the Bellman in the Julia Roberts -led romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997). That same year he returned to Broadway, playing Andrei Prozorov in
1475-893: The Critics' Choice and earned him nominations for the Academy Award , BAFTA and SAG Award for Best Actor . He is among few actors to achieve Oscar nominations in both acting categories . List of awards and nominations received by Paul Giamatti Paul Giamatti is an American actor and producer. Giamatti received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Ron Howard 's Cinderella Man (2005). He has also received six Golden Globe Awards nominations winning thrice for John Adams (2008), Barney's Version (2010), and The Holdovers (2023). He also received seven Screen Actors Guild Award nominations winning for Sideways (2004), Cinderella Man (2005), John Adams (2008), and Too Big to Fail (2010). For his work on television he has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in
1534-473: The Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor . In 2024 it was announced that Giamatti would star in a TV series based on the Hostel film series . Giamatti is the subject of the viral "Wax Paul Now" campaign, which pushes for the actor to get a Madame Tussauds wax statue in his likeness. The movement first achieved national prominence when Giamatti appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and discussed
1593-647: The Tamara Jenkins directed film Private Life , acting alongside Kathryn Hahn . The film, distributed by Netflix , received positive reviews. Alissa Wilkinson of Vox praised the performances of the two leads, writing "Hahn and Giamatti bring their characteristic warmth-with-an-edge to their characters, and as their relationship unpacks itself onscreen, it feels authentic and lived-in". That same year he acted in Reed Morano 's post-apocalyptic romance drama I Think We're Alone Now and portrayed Samuel Goudsmit in
1652-734: The Tom Stoppard play Arcadia (1995). Later that year, he played the Rev. Donald "Streaky" Bacon in the David Hare play Racing Demon (1995). He returned to theatre in the revivals of Anton Chekhov 's Three Sisters (1997) and Eugene O'Neill 's The Iceman Cometh (1999). Giamatti's breakout role in film was in Private Parts (1997), which led to supporting roles in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Man on
1711-418: The philosophy of language , and theater and play-writing , among many others. In most English-speaking countries, the study of texts produced in non-English languages takes place in other departments, such as departments of foreign language or comparative literature . English studies is taught in a wide variety of manners, but one unifying commonality is that students engage with an English-language text in
1770-572: The 2000s. They have a son, Samuel. Though not religious, he stated: "My wife is Jewish . And I'm fine with my son being raised as a Jew". Giamatti is an atheist , although for him "religion features more now in my life than it did when I was a kid". Giamatti has received various accolades throughout his career. His breakthrough role in American Splendor (2003) won him the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Actor and earned him
1829-546: The 2007 film Shoot 'Em Up , while starring in The Nanny Diaries and Fred Claus . In 2008, Giamatti received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his title performance in the 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams , as well as his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film , and also earned a Screen Actors Guild award. Barry Garron of The Hollywood Reporter praised his performance, writing "Giamatti
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1888-655: The 2013 Christmas special of the period drama , ITV Studios / Carnival Films television series, Downton Abbey . For his performance he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series nomination. In 2014, Giamatti played villain The Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 . Also in 2014, Giamatti portrayed psychologist Eugene Landy in the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy . In 2015, Giamatti portrayed N.W.A manager Jerry Heller in
1947-582: The ABC made for television film She'll Take Romance (1990). After minor roles in the neo-noir Past Midnight (1991) and the romantic comedy Singles (1992) he acted in Woody Allen 's comedy film Mighty Aphrodite (1995) and Sydney Pollack 's romantic comedy remake Sabrina (1995). That same year in March, he made his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard 's Arcadia portraying Ezra Chater. Vincent Canby describe
2006-773: The English studies discipline if the object of study is an English-language work. The English major (alternatively "English concentration") is a term in the United States and several other countries for an undergraduate university degree focused around reading, analyzing, and writing texts in the English language . The term also can be used to describe a student who is pursuing the degree. Prospective English majors can expect to take college courses in academic writing , creative writing , literary theory , British and American literature, multicultural literature, several literary genres (such as poetry , drama , and film studies ), and
2065-845: The Moon (1999). He won acclaim for his leading roles in American Splendor (2003), Sideways (2004), Win Win (2011), and Private Life (2018). He has also acted in The Illusionist (2006), Fred Claus (2007), The Ides of March (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Saving Mr. Banks (2013). He also portrayed Limbo in Planet of the Apes (2001), Eugene Landy in Love & Mercy (2014), and Jerry Heller in Straight Outta Compton (2015). He earned
2124-496: The action thriller The Negotiator . In 1999, he played Bob Zmuda and Tony Clifton in Miloš Forman 's Andy Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon . Giamatti continued working steadily during the early 2000s by appearing in major studio releases including Duets (2000), Big Momma's House (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001) and Big Fat Liar (2002). In 2003, Giamatti began to earn critical acclaim after his lead role in
2183-402: The ancient Greek and Latin classics. In the 1990s, there was a collective effort by Anglicists to standardize the academic discipline to follow similar methods of analysis and self-evaluation of both English literature and the criticism of said literature. However, after backlash described this standardization as restricting, Anglicists decided to de-standardize the field, meaning that there
2242-542: The biographical drama Straight Outta Compton . He also played a scientist in the disaster film San Andreas . From 2016 to 2023, Giamatti played a lead role in the Showtime series Billions , portraying the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York . The show, debuting in 2016, is loosely based on a real event. For the role he received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in
2301-586: The campaign with host Stephen Colbert . After this and subsequent articles in BuzzFeed and The A.V. Club among others, Madame Tussauds New York announced that they would host a party in Giamatti's honor to coincide with the premiere of Billions Season 3 on March 25, 2018, at which the founders of the Wax Paul Now movement would speak. Tussauds announced that if a Change.org petition garnered 500,000 signatures in
2360-677: The commercial success of Sideways , Giamatti appeared in Cinderella Man , for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture . In 2006, Giamatti was the lead in M. Night Shyamalan 's Lady in the Water , a supernatural thriller, followed by the animated film The Ant Bully , and Neil Burger's drama The Illusionist co-starring Edward Norton . Giamatti had his first major role in an action movie in
2419-583: The family surname was originally spelled "Giammattei" ( Italian pronunciation: [dʒammatˈtɛi] ) before immigrating to the United States. His paternal grandmother had deep roots in New England , dating back to the colonial era . Giamatti's brother, Marcus , is also an actor, and his sister, Elena, was a jewelry designer. Giamatti attended Yale, where he was active in the undergraduate theater scene and worked with fellow actors and Yale students Ron Livingston and Edward Norton . He graduated in 1989 with
Paul Giamatti - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-519: The film American Splendor . In 2004, Giamatti gained mainstream recognition and fame with the independent romantic comedy Sideways . His portrayal of a depressed writer vacationing in the Santa Barbara wine country garnered him a Golden Globe nomination and an Independent Spirit Award and he was named Best Actor in a Leading Role by several significant film critics groups (New York, Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco, Online Film Critics). Following
2537-538: The first half of the 1970s. It provided an opportunity for students to develop critical skills in analytical reading with the aim of improving their writing. It focused on exercises in rhetoric and persuasive expression that had been traditionally only taught in classical studies . Outside the United States (originating in Scotland and then rippling out into the English-speaking world) the English major became popular in
2596-466: The identities that students of English studies bring to experts. The absence of a clearly defined disciplinary identity and the increasingly utilitarian goals in U.S. society present a challenge to those academic units still mostly focusing on the printed book and the traditional division in historical periods and national literatures, and neglecting allegedly non-theoretical areas such as professional writing, composition, and multimodal communication. In
2655-529: The independent film Pretty Bird , which is a fictionalized retelling about the drama behind the invention of a rocketbelt . Giamatti received his second Golden Globe win for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for his role in the 2010 film, Barney's Version . The Associated Press praised Giamatti, describing it as "pitch perfect", adding, "the picture undoubtedly will draw kudos in its home and native land and likely beyond, buoyed by that virtuouso Giamatti performance". Giamatti starred as
2714-499: The latter half of the 19th century, during a time when religious beliefs were shaken in the face of scientific discoveries. Literature was thought to act as a replacement for religion in the retention and advancement of culture, and the English Major thus provided students with the chance to draw moral , ethical , and philosophical qualities and meanings of older studies from a richer and broader source of literature than that of
2773-545: The lead in the comedy-drama film Win Win , which earned positive reviews from critics. Scott Tobias of NPR wrote of his performance, "By now, the Giamatti persona has been well-defined — exasperation and despair, tempered by mordant wit—but the actor's every performance is like a snowflake, and here McCarthy provides him a role that's subtly down-to-earth". The same year he had small roles in Ironclad , The Hangover Part II and The Ides of March . In 2012, Giamatti became
2832-492: The modern university in Europe begins in the eighteenth century. Initially, English studies comprised a wide variety of content: the practice of oratory, the study of rhetoric and grammar, the composition of poetry, and the appreciation of literature (mostly by authors from England, since American literature and language study was only added in the twentieth century). In Germany and several other European countries, English philology ,
2891-623: The nine days leading up to the party, they would agree to create the wax statue of Giamatti. As the petition was unable to garner enough signatures in time, the Wax Paul Now campaign is still ongoing. A short film chronicling the campaign premiered at the Virginia Film Festival in October 2019. Giamatti resides in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York and was married to Elizabeth Cohen from 1997 to an undisclosed date in
2950-492: The past, an academic degree in English usually meant an intensive study of British and American literary masterpieces. Now, however, an English Major encompasses a much broader range of topics which stretch over multiple disciplines. While the requirements for an English Major vary from university to university, most English departments emphasize three core skills: analyzing texts (a process which requires logic and reflective analysis), creativity and imagination with regard to
3009-556: The production of good writing, including a good understanding of the rhetorical situation ; and an understanding of different cultures , civilizations , and literary styles from various time periods. Graduates with English degrees develop critical thinking skills essential to a number of career fields they pursue after graduation. Such careers that graduates pursue can include, but are not limited to, writing , editing , publishing , teaching , research , advertising , public relations , law , and finance . An English degree opens
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#17329060408443068-485: The revival of Anton Chekov 's Three Sisters . Greg Evans of Variety wrote, "[Giamatti,] as the sisters’ pensive, dispirited brother Andrei, plays urban neurosis like a Richard Lewis stand-up routine, then slides into shaky-voiced melodrama when the going gets tough". In 1998, Giamatti appeared in a number of supporting roles in the big-budget films including Peter Weir 's drama The Truman Show , Steven Spielberg 's World War II drama Saving Private Ryan , and
3127-522: The role as being "a helplessly funny subsidiary" one. In November he portrayed The Rev. Donald Bacon in David Hare 's Racing Demon . Both of these productions took place at the Lincoln Center Theater . In 1997, Giamatti landed his first high-profile role as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton in the film adaptation of Howard Stern 's Private Parts . Stern praised Giamatti's performance often on his radio program , calling for him to be nominated for
3186-768: The studies of the English language are integrated into regular curriculum. English education is so deeply embedded that Europe as a whole has 91% of secondary school students taking courses in English. This rate goes as high as 100% in Denmark , Sweden , Germany , Italy , Malta , North Macedonia , Slovenia , Liechtenstein , and Bosnia and Herzegovina . Furthermore, every European country (except Belgium ) have at least one test administered nationally to assess English proficiencies of its students. Most British children take English Language and English Literature as GCSE / National 5 or subjects, and many go on to study these at A Level / Higher and Advanced Higher . Along with what
3245-793: The study of English grammar. English studies in secondary-schools vary depending on what country they are taught in. Further, English studies will differ between institutions within a country, as each school will have different teaching methods and curriculum. However, all countries share commonalities in their instruction via the teaching of literature analysis, reading comprehension , composition, and language arts, as well as writing skills. These skills are then expanded and built upon in post-secondary institutions. Students in high school have specific course requirements they must meet before they can graduate. In regards to English studies, students must take four full credits in English, one in each grade level. As well, Ontario high school students must also pass
3304-478: The virtues of the classics . See also O Level . In China, their school curriculum is more focused on drilling and multiple questions, rather than students understanding the language authentically. This is one method on how a preparatory English program in China teaches their international students. In Japan, there is another form of teaching called Task-supported language teaching (TSLT) that focuses on English used as
3363-678: The voiceover actor for Liberty Mutual insurance commercials. He was the narrator for the PBS Nature episode An Original DUCKumentary . Giamatti produced and starred in John Dies at the End , which is based on the book of the same name. He also had roles in the films Rock of Ages and Cosmopolis . In 2013, Giamatti returned to his alma mater , Yale University , to perform the title role in Shakespeare 's Hamlet , for which he won rave reviews in
3422-495: The war film The Catcher Was a Spy . He returned to film in 2021, acting in the action thriller Gunpowder Milkshake and the family adventure film Jungle Cruise . He reunited with Alexander Payne in the coming-of-age film The Holdovers (2023), which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival . The film, distributed by Focus Features , received positive reviews, with critics praising Giamatti's performance as
3481-496: The youngest of three children. His father, Angelo Bartlett Giamatti , was a Yale University professor who later became president of the university and later commissioner of Major League Baseball . His mother, Toni Marilyn Giamatti ( née Smith), was a homemaker and English teacher who taught at the Hopkins School and had also previously acted. His paternal grandfather's family were Italian emigrants from Telese Terme ;
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