2020-2021 Academic Catalog

Nov 21, 2024

2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Creative Writing Minor

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English Overview

Undergraduate Program

The English program offers courses for majors and minors and electives for non-majors. The program is designed to develop a sense of literature, literary history, and sensitivity to cultural values. Students will also acquire the ability to analyze effectively and to write persuasively, skills that are valuable to almost any vocation. Our program offers a range of courses, from foundational areas, such as Shakespeare, Romanticism, and global literature, to emergent fields, such as medical humanism, critical race theory, and sexuality studies.

We advise English majors and minors to take two historical surveys, one pre-1850 and one post-1850, early in their programs.

In addition, we have a Creative Writing minor with courses in poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction taught by professional writers. These courses guide students to examine literary works as a writer to apply what they learn to their own writing. Interactive workshops, moreover, provide the feedback that helps students to develop and refine their work. Please contact Professor Elliott for more information.

Our program provides a number of scholarly opportunities, such as participation in our national Honors Society, our Capstone in English, and our Honors program. We also have connections to a number of internships, such as the London Internship Program, which offers positions in the fields of theater and journalism, in addition to internships with local newspapers and journals, as well as national organizations. Our program, moreover, has strong ties with the American Antiquarian Society, which offers seminars and the opportunity to participate in archival research. For those interested in studying abroad, the English Department has a partner program at the University of East Anglia and Advanced Studies in English in Bath, England.

For more information, please visit the English Department’s website.

Scholarly Research Program

Our program facilitates scholarly research through our Capstone in English, a senior research project, and our Honors program. Please contact Professor Kasmer, Chair, for information. Also, every year The American Antiquarian Society, a prestigious national research library of American culture located in Worcester, offers seminars in specialized topics in American studies. Please contact Professor Neuman for more information.

Internship Opportunities

In cooperation with the University’s internship office, the English Department supports internships for all majors. Internships are available both in university offices and in venues beyond the campus-for example, newspapers, news departments of radio and television stations, periodical and book publishers, and communication departments. Please consult with Professor Kasmer, Chair, for further information.

Study Abroad

The English Department has a special arrangement with the University of East Anglia in England, the Advanced Studies in English in Bath, England and the London Internship Program. For information, please consult with Professor Kasmer, Chair, or Clark’s Study Abroad Programs.

Creative Writing Minor Requirements

The required curriculum for creative writing minors consists of six English courses.

Any two Introductory Creative Writing courses

One advanced Creative Writing course

The Creative Writing Capstone

ENG 214 - Creative Writing Capstone: Multi-genre Advanced Workshop

One 100-level English literature course, except FYIs

One 200-level English literature course

English Faculty

Program

Louis Bastien, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Blake, Ph.D.
James Elliott, Ph.D.
Claire Gullander-Drolet, Ph.D., VAP
Betsy P. Huang, Ph.D.
Esther Jones, Ph.D.
Lisa Kasmer, Ph.D. - Department Chair
Stephen M. Levin, Ph.D.
Meredith Neuman, Ph.D.
Kourtney Senquiz, Ph.D., VAP
Justin L. P. Shaw, Ph.D.

Department Instructors

Dianne Berg, Ph.D.
Bruce Borowsky, M.A.
Timothy Connolly, M.A.
Reginald Gibson, M.F.A.
Jin Lee, Ph.D.
Rose Novak, Ph.D.
Nicholas Sancho-Rosi, M.A.
Lucilia Valerio, Ph.D.

Creative Writing Instructors

Michael Carolan, M.F.A.
Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez, M.F.A.
Joan Houlihan, M.A.
Karen Osborn, M.F.A.
Jessica Bane Robert, M.F.A.

Emeriti

John J. Conron, Ph.D.
SunHee Kim Gertz, Ph.D., Research Professor
Serena S. Hilsinger, Ph.D.
Fern Johnson, Ph.D., Research Professor
Virginia Mason Vaughan, Ph.D., Research Professor