English
The discipline of English is as dynamic and far-ranging as the language itself. In an English class, you might analyze a medieval poem or produce your own piece of flash fiction. You might consider literature's relationship to historic social change or trace its role in contemporary political conflict. You will investigate the meaning of life, build unassailable arguments, and find your own voice.
Students majoring or minoring in English gain the critical reading, thinking, writing, and communications skills necessary for bright futures in a wide range of fields. Our majors go on to careers in education, law, business, publishing, non-profit work, organizing, filmmaking, information technology, journalism, and the arts. We are proud that several of our students have been awarded U.S. Student Fulbright Awards over the years. These teaching assistantships have allowed them to take their skills and insights to various countries across the globe.
The English Department offers a wide variety of courses, including many without prerequisites that are open to non-majors. Entry level courses such as Travel Literature, Global English Literature, Creative Writing, and From Novel to Film offer an opportunity to experience literary study in English and Comparative Literature and delve into fascinating topics. We offer majors and minors in both English and Comparative Literature, and a concentration in Creative Writing.
Brandi Taylor ’19, MAT ’21 is the recipient of a 2021 U.S. Student Fulbright Award to Kenya, following a 2020 award cut short due to COVID-19. With the support of…
Two novelists and a biologist discuss storytelling, science and what is illuminated at the confluence of fiction and nonfiction. In bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer’s new novel, Hummingbird Salamander, a mysterious envelope…
Professor of Biology Meghan Brown imagined the fictional species at the heart of bestselling-author Jeff VanderMeer’s latest novel, Hummingbird Salamander, which they will discuss in an interview next week. In Jeff…
“It’s so important that teachers be honored and nurtured,” says Nancy Malfitano Bailey '71, noting that she has been concerned about the dwindling numbers of students enrolled in education programs for several years. “It alarmed me well before the pandemic — and teaching is so much harder now with everything that’s going on.”
