English
- English Department Course Schedule
- Success Stories
- Faculty Profiles
- Academic Catalog: (Course Descriptions)
Division: Humanities
Department: English
English - The study of literature, composition, and the English language.
Because reading, writing, and thinking never go out of style.
Why English?
Fact 1: The job market is constantly changing.
Fact 2: There is one thing that isn't changing: the need for effective writers and communicators.
Fact 3: A degree in English tells prospective employers that you have the communication skills necessary to represent their companies and organizations well.
If you're interested in teaching or simply love poetry and prose, an English major will engage you in a four-year discussion of language and literature.
If you want to pursue a career in creative writing, technical writing, law, journalism, advertising, or public relations, an English major is the place to begin developing the writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills you'll need to succeed on the job.
Why English at SJC?
Core: Because of our nationally renowned Core Program, a degree in English at SJC means you'll have read and written twice as much as English graduates from other schools. It's like getting a double major in English. Core will also give you the opportunity to better understand the cultures that have produced your favorite literature.
Expert faculty who know your name: At SJC, you work closely with M.A.s and Ph.D.s who have published articles, fiction, and poetry in a variety of respected journals and magazines and who encourage their students to do the same. You'll have direct access to these experts in classes ranging from 10 to 20 students, and they'll get to know you personally throughout the course of the program, helping you develop as both a writer and a thinker. (Faculty Profiles)
Hands-on Experience: While we know the importance of classroom learning, we also know you need more than "book smarts" to land a job. That's why we encourage our English majors to pursue internships in their areas of interest. That way, when you're a senior and ready to start job-hunting, you'll already have practical work experience under your belt. You'll also have an idea of which career paths best suit your skills and interests. (Success Stories)
- Area Internships: The English Department works with a number of companies and organizations to provide internship opportunities for English majors. Internships and work experience in which our students have participated include: student teaching a literature course at a public school, writing and designing publications for the Prairie Arts Council in Rensselaer, reporting for the Rensselaer Republican, writing for FOX 59 Television in Indianapolis, Indiana, and working for Child's Play Touring Theater in Chicago, Illinois.
- On-Campus Opportunities: Our students have pursued a variety of work experience on campus, from writing for the Office of Integrated Marketing to staffing our two department publications: Measure, the SJC creative arts magazine, and The Observer, the campus newspaper.
Our Programs:
- Creative Writing: Whether you are a poet or a fiction writer, the Creative Writing Program can help you find your voice and develop your style.
- Literature: The program in Literature will provide you with a strong foundation in various areas of world literature, with concentrations in American and British authors and texts.
- Secondary Education: For those who look forward to teaching high school English, our Literature major is accompanied by an Education minor that not only grounds students in theories about teaching, but places them in the classroom so they can see how those theories operate in practice. These hands-on experiences begin your freshman year, so you can have four years to develop strategies for effective teaching.
