Department of English Language and Literature
| Professor |
Ernest Suarez, David M. O’Connell Professor of English, Chair |
| Professors Emeriti |
Glen M. Johnson; Virgil Nemoianu; Sister Anne O'Donnell; Joseph M. Sendry; Christopher J. Wheatley |
| Associate Professors |
Gregory Baker, Director of Irish Studies; Daniel Gibbons, Director of Undergraduate Studies; Tobias Gregory, Director of Graduate Studies; Lilla Kopár, Director of the Center for Medieval and Byzantine Studies; Michael Mack; Megan Murton |
| Associate Professor of Practice |
Taryn Okuma, Director of Internships |
| Assistant Professors |
Amanda Auerbach; Kevin Rulo, Director of Writing and Rhetoric Program, Director of University Writing Center |
| Adjunct Professor |
Ryan Wilson |
| Lecturer |
Anca Nemoianu, Director of Intensive English Program |
The major in the Department of English centers on the study of literature as the focal point of a liberal education. To encounter some of the best writing in English is to engage some of the most significant operations of the language itself, as well as to trace the development of traditions in thought and expression that link us to the past and guide us into the future. Core courses for the major provide extensive reading in the history of English and American literature, at least two literary genres (in the junior reading courses), Chaucer, Shakespeare, and the work of at least one more major author (in the senior seminar). Four major electives allow students to concentrate advanced studies on one or more areas of interest, including Creative Writing and Linguistics. The departmental faculty seeks to develop in the student a progressively more differentiated sense of literary history, a more discriminating sense of literary value, and a more sophisticated understanding of the cultural and social roles of literature. At the same time they strive to make students aware that literature, while a strenuous test for the intellect, is also a deeply satisfying, lasting source of enjoyment.
Increased sensitivity to literature is inevitably accompanied by increased sensitivity to language. To bring students maximum benefit from this reciprocal growth, the department systematically cultivates their powers of written expression. Writing and learning, language and thought, are linked not only in courses explicitly devoted to composition and rhetoric but also in the core literature courses required of all English majors, where the essay becomes a principal means for exploring and developing ideas.
Besides a mind well nurtured and well informed, the English major can expect to leave college with distinct advantages in approaching a career. Those most directly related to the undergraduate study of English include teaching at the secondary level or (after graduate study) the college and university levels and work in fields such as editing, publishing, or writing. But because a broad cultural background and a command of clearly conceptualized, well-written prose are increasingly valued as preparation for advanced professional studies--as, for example, those in law, medicine, or business--and indeed for the professions themselves, the study of English is a promising point of entry to a variety of careers.
Bachelor of Arts in English
The requirements for the major can be found at English - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
For acceptance as an English major by the junior year, a minimum average of 2.5 is required in ENG 231 and ENG 232. Majors who have received a grade of C or lower in a 100-level writing course (ENG 101, ENG 103, ENG 105) are required to include among their upper-division English offerings a course in expository or argumentative writing (ENG 326 or ENG 327).
English majors are required to pass a comprehensive examination during the Fall semester of senior year. Details are available from the undergraduate advisor and on the department website.
Minor in English
The requirements for the minor can be found at English - Minor
Minor in Writing
The requirements for the minor can be found at Writing - Minor
An interdisciplinary minor in rhetoric and writing is offered for students who wish to pursue a concentration in that area. For details contact Dr. Kevin Rulo (rulo@cua.edu).
In collaboration with the Department of Education, English majors may follow a joint program in secondary education as preparation for certification to teach English at the high school level. English majors who wish to avail themselves of this choice should consult the undergraduate advisors for both departments as soon as possible in their undergraduate careers to ensure that they leave room in their schedules for all the required courses in both fields. Special attention should be paid to the regulations of the two departments where courses in writing are concerned. See also the Department of Education section of these Announcements.
The H. Edward Cain Prize is awarded each year to the graduating English Major judged by the English faculty to have achieved exemplary scholarly excellence in the study of literature. The recipient of this award is recognized at Honors Convocation.
The Thomas O'Hagan Prize is offered for the best poem written by an undergraduate in a competition held during the Spring semester of each academic year. Details on this prize are available from the Department of English