Department of English

Welcome to the English Department

Why major in English? Considering that you get to spend the better part of your day with the likes of Shakespeare, Austen, Whitman, Dickinson, Hemingway, and Morrison, perhaps a more fitting question is, why not? All bias aside, however, we realize that the ideal program of college study provides the best of both worlds: personal and professional fulfillment.

The department offers a variety of classes for both the English and non-English major. You can choose from literature classes about such famous authors as Shakespeare and Toni Morrison, and creative writing and professional writing classes, along with many classes that can double count for your Core requirements.

WATCH THE TRIBUTE TO THE CLASS OF 2020 HERE

Fall 2021 Course Offerings

girl wearing graduation cap with JCU botany cross, viewed from back

A tribute to the English class of 2020

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Programs of Study

If you choose to major in English, you’ll follow one of three concentrations: literature, creative writing, or professional writing. You can also choose to minor in literature, creative writing, professional writing, or Theatre. Click on links on the right to read more about each program.

Undergraduate

Major

The Creative Writing major and minor at John Carroll allow students to gain intensive workshop experience in writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

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In studying English, students are encouraged to share in an enriching experience of reading literary texts and producing critical, creative, and professional writing. English majors learn to sharpen their analytical and writing powers, while studying works of literature they can enjoy throughout their lives.

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The Professional Writing major opens up a number of professional writing careers, including medical science writing, technical writing, writing as healing, environmental writing, compliance and regulatory writing, film writing, and more.

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Tremendous changes in technology, manufacturing, real estate, media, healthcare, policy and beyond have simultaneously changed the way we communicate, consume, heal, produce, and govern. But innovation and data has limited use until it is analyzed, contextualized, and embedded in narrative. The world needs people who can read, write, and think critically about these ever-evolving complex problems. Enter, English majors.

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Minor

The Creative Writing major and minor at John Carroll allow students to gain intensive workshop experience in writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Learn More

In studying English, students are encouraged to share in an enriching experience of reading literary texts and producing critical, creative, and professional writing.

Learn More

Opens up a number of professional writing careers, including medical science writing, technical writing, writing as healing, environmental writing, compliance and regulatory writing, film writing, and more.

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The Theatre minor will give you the skills you need to flourish in today’s convergent communication environment along with developing excellent leadership, critical thinking, writing, speaking, and performance skills.

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Concentration/Option

First-Year Writing at John Carroll is part of the written expression requirement in the Integrative Core curriculum.

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Graduate

Master's

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in English offers students the opportunity to broaden and deepen their knowledge of literature across different historical periods—from the medieval to the present—while introducing them to methods of critical analysis and scholarly technique.

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Top 5 reasons to major in English

Ask just about any project manager, teacher, lawyer, judge, banker, account executive, creative director, actor, curator, editor, journalist, poet, critic, social worker, librarian, counselor, or politician: English majors acquire skills that make them a valuable addition to a range of professions.

English majors – not to mention today’s successful employee – learn to think creatively, to solve problems, and to ask questions that get to the heart of the matter.

Our majors learn to consider a variety of conflicting arguments as they study poems, plays, articles, and novels. In other words, studying literature helps make you fair-minded.

Employers want people who can clearly and succinctly deliver a compelling message. At John Carroll, English majors learn the most effective techniques of persuasion through class discussion and writing assignments.

It’s true. The study of literature incorporates history, sociology, theology, and philosophy, which encourage us to question and understand contemporary culture. Insight into literary characters fosters the ability to understand what a customer, patient, or student needs to make his or her life better.

Of all the reasons to major in English, this is the most gratifying – the feelings that come with reading and discussing books that make you laugh and cry, books that help you understand yourself and others, books into which you can escape from the day-to-day pressures of life.

Welcome back to campus!

Students of all majors can submit their poems, short stories, photographs, or artwork for publication in the University literary magazine, The John Carroll Review, which is also student-edited. Click HERE to check out a recent edition.