English Minor

Lovers of literature, aspiring authors, and budding journalists will find a home in the English major at Washington College. By the time they graduate, our students understand the breadth, variety, and depth of literature in English across a range of genres, time periods, and topics. Take a survey class on a genre like fiction or a tradition like African American literature, dive deep into the works of major authors like Toni Morrison, Shakespeare, or Jane Austen, tramp through the mountains of northern England on the Kiplin Hall study abroad trip, talk to living writers about their craft, learn the ins and outs of the publishing industry, pioneer digital humanities scholarship on out-of-print authors, complete your own investigative journalism podcast, analyze and evaluate literary texts and media, plant a poetry garden, gain real-world experience through internships, and so much more. Creative encounters, critical knowledge, and experiential learning are at the core of our major.  
 
Faculty facilitate and engage students in discussions, critiques, workshops, and more. Learn not only how to analyze work, but how to research, stake a claim, make an argument, and present your findings in a clear manner for a range of audiences. As a critic, editor, and essayist, you will become knowledgeable and skilled in analysis, creativity, inquiry, and persuasion. Faculty regularly offer special topics courses on a range of topics and partner with other groups on campus to offer unique, interdisciplinary opportunities. Published authors, scholars, and experts in a variety of careers come to campus every year through the Sophie Kerr Series and Rose O'Neill Literary House Series. These visiting writers come to classes, chat with students over meals, read from their work, and give public talks on everything from their creative process to how to break into their industries and genres. The Washington College Rose O'Neill Literary House also provides many opportunities for students, including workshops in our historic print shop and over 50 internships.