English
Concentrations in Creative Writing or Literature
Why Major in English at Allegheny College
As an English student, you’ll grow to recognize the ideas and perspectives that shape our lives. Cultivate an understanding of the power of language and engage in deep thinking, insightful analysis, and compelling expression.
Choose from either a creative writing or literature concentration. Through creative writing, explore how writers construct meaning and express the human experience. In literary studies, discover how literature and language shape the world in which we live.
Unusual Combinations
Students often combine English with:
English is also available as a minor. Take creative writing or literary studies courses to complement your major in another area of study.
Concentrations
- Creative writing
- Literature
Division
- Language, Literature, and Culture
Program Type
- Major
- Minor
Number of Credits
48 for major24 for minorCareers in English
A degree in English prepares you for jobs in industries such as:
- Writing/editing
- Education
- Publishing
- Advertising
- Public relations
- Business
English can also be a launching point to an advanced degree in fields such as:
- Education
- Writing
- Literature
- Business
- Law
Where English Alumni Work Today
Attorney & Partner
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Fred Eames ‘86
Editorial Director
University of Pittsburgh
Abby Collier ‘03
VP of Marketing
Mamava, Inc
Nicole Micco ‘98
I love how small and intimate the English Department at Allegheny feels. I’ve really connected with many of the professors and have received some great life advice. Their passion for their subject is palpable.
Your Four-Year Journey
Year 1: Understanding
Start with the basics: study the craft of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, as well as British or Shakespearean literatures. You will also delve into literature from other cultures, including LatinX, Asian-American/Diasporic, and African-America/Diasporic.
Year 2: New Approaches
Take courses devoted to the close study of form throughout fiction, poetry, drama, or nonfiction. You can even explore children’s literature or study the works of a single major British, American, or other Anglophone author.
Year 3: Delving Deeper
Take the required Junior Seminar, which emphasizes frequent discussions and individual research projects in literary studies. You may take more than one seminar, and seminars are open to non-majors with permission of the instructor.
Featured courses:
Year 4: The Senior Comp
Typical fourth year courses consist of advanced workshops that will engage you as both a writer and critical reader. You will also complete your Senior Comp in creative writing (poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction), written under the supervision of an English department faculty member.
Featured courses:
Year 1: Understanding
Our introductory courses, ENGL 110-118, emphasize close reading and the study of at least three literary genres. You’ll engage in meaningful discussion and analysis with your peers and professors.
Year 2: New Approaches
Continue to expand your analytical abilities as a reader and a writer in courses that cover at least two historical periods of literary history (e.g. realism and modernism) and the connections between them.
Year 3: Delving Deeper
Your courses will incorporate secondary research and a consideration of literary criticism. You will refine your ability to ask relevant, independent, interpretive questions of literary texts, encounter relevant examples of literary criticism, and be able to summarize and respond to arguments made by authors.
Featured courses:
Year 4: The Senior Comp
Typical fourth-year literature courses build on rigor and will include theoretical approaches to literature. You will continue to hone your skills as a close reader of literary texts, find and evaluate relevant published criticism, and apply critical methods to a focused literary topic. Your studies will culminate with completing a substantial research project that displays a sustained sense of historical and cultural context.
Featured courses:
Faculty and Staff
Professor
Ph.D., The University of Houston; M.F.A., Columbia University; B.A., University of Wisconsin, Madison
Email: cbakken@allegheny.edu
Phone: 814-332-4338
Associate Professor
Ph.D., M.A., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; A.B., Duke University
Email: jmiller2@allegheny.edu
Phone: 814-332-4331
Featured News
Allegheny Alumna Selected for National 2024-2025 Aspiring Academics Program Through The American Association Of Colleges Of Pharmacy
Lauren Isaacs ’22 never imagined pursuing pharmacy when she entered as a first-year at Allegheny College. Then, she was introduced to the field through an Introductory Chemistry course, and now she attends the Jefferson College of Pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University.
Program Contact
Jennie Votava
Frederick F. Seely Chair of English Literature; Associate Professor of English