2024-2025 Academic Catalog

Nov 21, 2024

2024-2025 Academic Catalog

Creative Writing Minor

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English Overview

Undergraduate Programs within the English Department

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 ecocriticism, book history, 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. A 100-level genre course is another good introductory class for students contemplating the major. Once a student declares (or knows they intend to declare) the major, they should take the “gateway” course, ENG 199: The Text, the World, and the Critic, ideally by spring semester of their sophomore year.

In addition, we have a Creative Writing major and 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 provide the feedback that helps students to develop and refine their work. Please contact Coordinator of Creative Writing, Phil Lemos, for more information.

Our program provides a number of scholarly opportunities, such as participation in Sigma Tau Delta (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 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 Blake, Director of the Honors Program, 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 courses.

Two 100-level Creative Writing courses.

Any two Creative Writing courses at the 100-level, such as:

Two 200-level Creative Writing courses

Any two 200-level Creative Writing courses, such as:

One 100-level English literature course

One 200-level English literature course

English Department Faculty

Program

Dianne Berg, Ph.D., VAP
Elizabeth Blake, Ph.D.
Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez, M.F.A.
Betsy P. Huang, Ph.D.
Lisa Kasmer, Ph.D. - Department Chair
Phil Lemos, M.F.A., VAP - Coordinator of Creative Writing
Stephen M. Levin, Ph.D. - Director of Graduate Studies in English
Meredith Neuman, Ph.D. - Interim Chair, S’25
Justin L. P. Shaw, Ph.D.
Spencer Tricker, Ph.D

Department Instructors

Bruce Borowsky, M.A.
Reginald Gibson, M.F.A.
Jacqueline Morrill, M.F.A.
Kourtney Senquiz, Ph.D.
Lucilia Valerio, Ph.D.

Creative Writing Instructors

Alexis “Dink” Dinkins, M.F.A.
Jane Dykema, M.F.A.
Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez, M.F.A.
Phil Lemos, M.F.A., VAP - Coordinator of Creative Writing
Heather Macpherson, M.F.A., M.A., M.Ed.
Caroline Stewart, M.F.A.

Emeriti

John J. Conron, Ph.D.
James P. Elliott, Ph.D., Senior Research Scholar
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