About the Department
A Literary Journey
The English major and minor build upon the Core Curriculum in English, which offers all undergraduates a writing-intensive introduction to masterworks of the classical, medieval, Renaissance, and modern periods. The ensuing course of study for majors and minors guides students through the major authors, principal texts, and significant genres of English and American literature. This is accomplished through one of two concentrations, a Literature concentration or a Writing concentration.
St. John Henry Newman might say that the study of English “is a study of human nature… by means of gaiety, satire, romance, the beautiful, the pleasurable.” At St. Thomas, our English faculty cultivates student insights and delights in epic narratives and intimate lyrics, in tragic dramas and divine comedies. The good company of a close-knit English department with small class sizes allows for personal instruction and exploration in the greatest and most intriguing texts.
Literature & Writing
Where Study & Technique Flourish
The literature concentration takes students through a comprehensive survey of English and American literary history, and it provides sustained practice in analytic and argumentative writing, coupled with the study of the techniques of literary analysis and the principal schools of literary criticism. The writing concentration provides seminars in professional and creative writing, including poetry, fiction, drama, memoir, and advanced rhetoric, all combined with the literary study of major authors, genres, and periods.
Programs
- BA English with literature concentration
- BA English with writing concentration
- Minor in English literature
- Minor in creative writing
English Major Careers
Explore Creativity, Practicality
Some career paths for an English major are common: law and library sciences, professional writing, and teaching. Yet as the world becomes increasingly specialized, some “soft skills” become increasingly valuable to employers of all kinds, including the ability to write clearly, to read with understanding, and to think in a creative and principled way. These are the skills acquired through the study of English. With such skills, recent graduates have found their way into such diverse fields as oil and gas, marketing, publishing, and urban design.
Build Your Skills
Create Your Own Exceptional Literature
Biannually the English department produces two student-run publications. A literary magazine, Laurels, provides publishing opportunities for student writers, graphic artists, illustrators, and photographers by publishing student works of poetry, one-act plays, short fiction, imaginative essays, and visual arts. Thoroughfare, a journal of feature articles and personal or critical essays, gathers submissions by students from any department on campus.