English
- Degree Type Bachelor of Arts
- Department English
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Major
Working closely with dedicated faculty members, students in this department hone their ability to think and read critically, reason persuasively and write eloquently through the exploration of a constantly evolving range of course offerings.
English
English majors at W&L learn methodologies and vocabularies for literary study; contemplate forms and purposes of literary art in a variety of periods and cultures; and investigate intersections between English and many other disciplines.
The department fosters a culture of curiosity and intellectual endeavor, as well as respect for a variety of cultures and intellectual approaches, through advising, internships and service-learning, study abroad, and extracurricular programming. Students who pursue optional creative writing courses balance critical study with creative endeavor, learning the history and forms of literary art as apprentice practitioners.
This 11-course major makes it easy for students to study abroad, double major or complete a minor. The major is also compatible with pre-med or health professions preparation. English majors have access to frequent readings and lectures by visiting writers and scholars.
Opportunities
Study Abroad: English majors who plan ahead can take Spring Term, one of the long terms, or even the whole junior year abroad. Summer study can also be arranged. Study abroad usually takes the form of year-long or semester-long study at a foreign university in an English-speaking country. English majors have had good experiences at Advanced Studies in England in Bath; University College, Oxford; The Virginia Program at Oxford (summer); University College, London; York University; Melbourne; and other universities abroad.
Prizes and Awards: The department offers several scholarships, as well as awards for both creative and critical writing.
Shenandoah Magazine: Internship opportunities are available at W&L’s celebrated literary magazine, Shenandoah. Students gain hands-on experience in editing, project management, design and publicity.
Senior Honors Theses: Each English major has the option of writing a senior honors thesis that fulfills the Senior Capstone Writing Requirement for English majors.
Outcomes
Of the members of the Class of 2017, 100 percent were employed six months after graduation. Our majors, who frequently pair English with another major, go on to graduate school, prestigious fellowships, and careers in law, teaching, publishing, marketing and communications, finance, government and much more. Having a strong alumni network means our alumni frequently step in to provide personal guidance and connect current students with potential employers.
News
Cover is working as a public relations apprentice at Prosek Partners in New York City.
K. Avvirin Berlin was recognized for her manuscript 鈥極bsidian.鈥
Taylor is moving to Niigata Prefecture, Japan, to work as an assistant language teacher for the JET Program.
Ryan Doty鈥檚 summer passion project explored his family lineage through poetry and photography.
The assistant professor of English and Africana studies was cited for his article on Chester Himes鈥 book 鈥業f He Hollers Let Him Go.鈥
The 六合厅开奖现场 professors鈥 latest publication uses pop culture concepts to untangle real-world histories.
As one of the first Spring Term abroad classes offered at 六合厅开奖现场, The Play鈥檚 the Thing: Shakespeare in Performance continues to impact the cohort of alumni who took that initial trip to England.
Edward Adams will use the funds to research decline narratives in West Virginia.
Holloway was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Spain.
The weekend鈥檚 seminar will feature Tess Gunty discussing her debut novel, 鈥淭he Rabbit Hutch.鈥
Thomas鈥檚 piano recital will be held on March 29 at 8 p.m.
Nelson will deliver a lecture on 鈥淲here Math Meets Imagination鈥 on March 19.
Sample Courses
At 六合厅开奖现场, we believe education and experience go hand-in-hand. You鈥檒l be encouraged to dive in, explore and discover connections that will broaden your perspective.
ENGL 252
Shakespeare
A study of the major genres of Shakespeare鈥檚 plays, employing analysis shaped by formal, historical and performance-based questions. Emphasis is given to tracing how Shakespeare's work engages early modern cultural concerns, such as the nature of political rule, gender, religion and sexuality. A variety of skills are developed in order to assist students with interpretation, which may include verse analysis, study of early modern dramatic forms, performance workshops, two medium-length papers, reviews of live play productions, and a final, student-directed performance of a selected play.
ENGL 230
Poetry & Music
An introduction to the study of poetry in English with an emphasis on music. After starting with a consideration of how poems in print can be said to have rhythm and sound effects, students then investigate a series of questions about poetry and music, including: What's the relationship between lyric poetry and song lyrics? What makes a poem musical? What kinds of music have most influenced poetry during the last hundred years, and in what ways?
ENGL 240
Arthurian Legend
This course surveys the origins and histories of Arthurian literature, beginning with Celtic myths, Welsh tales and Latin chronicles. We then examine medieval French and English traditions that include Chr茅tien de Troyes鈥 Perceval, the lais of Marie de France, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Alliterative Morte Arthure, and Malory鈥檚 Le Morte Darthur. Finally, we investigate Arthurian medievalisms in Victorian England and in American (post)modernity through Tennyson, Twain, Barthelme and Ishiguro.
ENGL 293
Films of Alfred Hitchcock
This course presents an intensive survey of the films of Alfred Hitchcock: it covers all of his major and many of his less well-known films. It supplements that central work by introducing students to several approaches to film analysis that are particularly appropriate for studying Hitchcock. These include biographical interpretation (Spoto's dark thesis), auteur and genre-based interpretation (Truffaut), psychological analyses (Zizek & Freud), and dominant form theory (hands-on study of novel to film adaptations).
ENGL 393
Jane Austen's Fan Culture & Afterlives
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Jane Austen has attained a celebrity that far exceeds the recognition she enjoyed during her lifetime. How did Austen transform from biting social satirist to patron saint of chick lit? Beginning with three of Austen鈥檚 novels, and then turning to the fan cultures surrounding 鈥淧ride and Prejudice,鈥 this course examines the nature of fandom, especially its propensity to change and adapt the very thing it celebrates.
ENGL 387
Visions & Beliefs of the West of Ireland
This course immerses the student in the literature, religious traditions, history and culture of Ireland. The primary focus of the course is on Irish literary expressions and religious beliefs and traditions, from the pre-historic period to the modem day, with a particular emphasis on the modem (early 20th-century) Irish world. Readings are coordinated with site visits, which range from prehistoric and Celtic sites to early and medieval Christian sites to modem Irish life.
Meet the Faculty
At 六合厅开奖现场, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
![Holly Pickett](/Directory%20Profiles/pickett-holly-600x800.jpg)
![Holly Pickett](/Directory%20Profiles/pickett-holly-600x800.jpg)
Holly Pickett
Department Head and Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8078
- E: picketth@wlu.edu
Pickett teaches courses on Shakespeare, early modern drama and contemporary drama. Her research interests include religion and drama, history of the senses, and early modern religious identities and controversies.
![Edward Adams](/Directory%20Profiles/adams-edward-600x800.jpg)
![Edward Adams](/Directory%20Profiles/adams-edward-600x800.jpg)
Edward Adams
John Lucian Smith, Jr. Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8764
- E: adamse@wlu.edu
Adams teaches courses such as Victorian poetry, Hitchcock and 19th century British novel. His research interests include history and fiction, novel and epic, and high culture and pop culture.
![Michael Berlin](/Directory%20Profiles/berlin-michael-600x800.jpg)
![Michael Berlin](/Directory%20Profiles/berlin-michael-600x800.jpg)
Michael Berlin
Visiting Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Writing Program
- P: 540-458-8757
- E: mberlin@wlu.edu
![Laura Fairchild Brodie](/Directory%20Profiles/brodie-laura-600x800.jpg)
![Laura Fairchild Brodie](/Directory%20Profiles/brodie-laura-600x800.jpg)
Laura Fairchild Brodie
Visiting Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-5896
- E: brodiel@wlu.edu
Brodie teaches courses in creative writing and 18th through 21st-century literature. Her books include novels and nonfiction, and her scholarship has focused on the representation of widows in British literature.
![Lubabah Chowdhury](/Directory%20Profiles/chowdhury-lubabah-600x800.jpg)
![Lubabah Chowdhury](/Directory%20Profiles/chowdhury-lubabah-600x800.jpg)
![Freddy Fuentes](/Directory%20Profiles/fuentes-freddy-600x800.jpg)
![Freddy Fuentes](/Directory%20Profiles/fuentes-freddy-600x800.jpg)
Freddy Fuentes
Visiting Assistant Professor of English
- P: 540-458-4990
- E: fuentesf@wlu.edu
Fuentes teaches entry level writing courses as well as topics in creative writing. He has researched Spanish-American literature and privilege in America.
![Chris Gavaler](/Directory%20Profiles/gavaler-chris-600x800.jpg)
![Chris Gavaler](/Directory%20Profiles/gavaler-chris-600x800.jpg)
Chris Gavaler
Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8279
- E: gavalerc@wlu.edu
Gavaler teaches courses on creative writing, contemporary fiction and comics, which are also his main areas of research.
![Genelle Gertz](/Directory%20Profiles/gertz-genelle-600x800.jpg)
![Genelle Gertz](/Directory%20Profiles/gertz-genelle-600x800.jpg)
Genelle Gertz
Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8763
- E: gertzg@wlu.edu
Gertz teaches courses on Milton, the Tudors and the Bible. She is currently working on methods of social network analysis as they apply to our understanding of the rise and fall of women mystics in English literary history.
![K. Avvirin Gray](/Directory%20Profiles/gray-k-avvirin-600x800.jpg)
![K. Avvirin Gray](/Directory%20Profiles/gray-k-avvirin-600x800.jpg)
![Leah Naomi Green](/Directory%20Profiles/green-leah-naomi-600x800.jpg)
![Leah Naomi Green](/Directory%20Profiles/green-leah-naomi-600x800.jpg)
Leah Naomi Green
Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing and Environmental Studies
Green鈥檚 courses include Eco-Writing, 鈥淲ilderness, Wildness, & Cultivation," and topics for first-year writing seminars. She has researched creative writing (poetry), environmental literature, Buddhist practice, and food justice.
Jane Harrington
Visiting Assistant Professor of English
Harrington teaches British Literature, creative writing and children鈥檚 literature. She has researched the Great Hunger of Ireland (folk narratives and history), 19th Century poet/activist Lady Wilde, fairy tales by 17th Century French salon women and issues in contemporary children鈥檚 literature.
![Lena Hill](/Directory%20Profiles/hill-lena-600x800.jpg)
![Lena Hill](/Directory%20Profiles/hill-lena-600x800.jpg)
Lena Hill
Provost and Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8746
- E: lmhill@wlu.edu
In addition to her many duties as Provost, Hill researches and teaches courses primarily in 19th- and 20th-century African-American literature. She has written a number of books and articles on the subject.
![Wan-Chuan Kao](/Directory%20Profiles/kao-wan-chuan-600x800.jpg)
![Wan-Chuan Kao](/Directory%20Profiles/kao-wan-chuan-600x800.jpg)
Wan-Chuan Kao
Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8345
- E: kaow@wlu.edu
Professor Kao鈥檚 teaching and research interests include medieval literature, especially Chaucer; whiteness studies; critical theory; race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality; queer studies; hotel theory; affect; and cute studies.
![Emily King](/Directory%20Profiles/king-emily-600x800.jpg)
![Emily King](/Directory%20Profiles/king-emily-600x800.jpg)
![Diego Millan](/Directory%20Profiles/millan-diego-600x800.jpg)
![Diego Millan](/Directory%20Profiles/millan-diego-600x800.jpg)
Diego Millan
Assistant Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8759
- E: dmillan@wlu.edu
Millan teaches upper-level courses in black diasporic literature. He has researched 19th- and 20th-century American and African-American literature and culture, black studies, performance studies, and theories of laughter and comedy.
![Bill Oliver](/Directory%20Profiles/oliver-bill-600x800.jpg)
![Bill Oliver](/Directory%20Profiles/oliver-bill-600x800.jpg)
Bill Oliver
Director of the Writing and Communications Center, Visiting Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8278
- E: oliverb@wlu.edu
Oliver has served as the CommCenter director since 2015 and now directs the Writing Center as well. He teaches first-year writing seminars and courses in American literature and fiction writing. His research interest is fiction.
![Kary Smout](/Directory%20Profiles/smout-kary-600x800.jpg)
![Kary Smout](/Directory%20Profiles/smout-kary-600x800.jpg)
Kary Smout
Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8979
- E: smoutk@wlu.edu
Smout teaches courses on the literature of the American South, American West and business in American literature. His research interests include language and culture, writing instruction and the politics of higher education.
![Beth A. Staples](/Directory%20Profiles/staples-beth-600x800.jpg)
![Beth A. Staples](/Directory%20Profiles/staples-beth-600x800.jpg)
Beth A. Staples
Assistant Professor of English and Editor, Shenandoah
- P: 540-458-8761
- E: bstaples@wlu.edu
Staples teaches courses in creative writing, editing and publishing. She is also the editor of 六合厅开奖现场鈥檚 literary magazine, Shenandoah.
![Taylor Walle](/Directory%20Profiles/walle-taylor-600x800.jpg)
![Taylor Walle](/Directory%20Profiles/walle-taylor-600x800.jpg)
Taylor Walle
Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8362
- E: wallet@wlu.edu
Walle is a 六合厅开奖现场 alumna who teaches courses on Jane Austen, Mary Shelley and other topics in British literature. Her research interests include orality and literacy in the 18th century, women鈥檚 writing, and women鈥檚 and gender studies.
![Lesley Wheeler](/Directory%20Profiles/wheeler-lesley-600x800.jpg)
![Lesley Wheeler](/Directory%20Profiles/wheeler-lesley-600x800.jpg)
Lesley Wheeler
Henry S. Fox Professor of English
Wheeler teaches courses in poetry, creative writing and speculative fiction. Her research interests include 20th- and 21st-century poetry in English, especially as it involves sound, gender, politics and world-building.
![Leslie Wingard Cunningham](/Directory%20Profiles/cunningham-leslie-wingard-600x800.jpg)
![Leslie Wingard Cunningham](/Directory%20Profiles/cunningham-leslie-wingard-600x800.jpg)
Leslie Wingard Cunningham
Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Professor of English and Africana Studies
As Associate Provost, Wingard Cunningham serves as a member of the provost's leadership team, working to cultivate a coordinated, intentional and robust effort to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion across Academic Affairs.
![Edward Adams](/Directory%20Profiles/adams-edward-600x800.jpg)
![Michael Berlin](/Directory%20Profiles/berlin-michael-600x800.jpg)
![Laura Fairchild Brodie](/Directory%20Profiles/brodie-laura-600x800.jpg)
![Lubabah Chowdhury](/Directory%20Profiles/chowdhury-lubabah-600x800.jpg)
![Freddy Fuentes](/Directory%20Profiles/fuentes-freddy-600x800.jpg)
![Chris Gavaler](/Directory%20Profiles/gavaler-chris-600x800.jpg)
![Genelle Gertz](/Directory%20Profiles/gertz-genelle-600x800.jpg)
![K. Avvirin Gray](/Directory%20Profiles/gray-k-avvirin-600x800.jpg)
![Leah Naomi Green](/Directory%20Profiles/green-leah-naomi-600x800.jpg)
![Lena Hill](/Directory%20Profiles/hill-lena-600x800.jpg)
![Wan-Chuan Kao](/Directory%20Profiles/kao-wan-chuan-600x800.jpg)
![Emily King](/Directory%20Profiles/king-emily-600x800.jpg)
![Diego Millan](/Directory%20Profiles/millan-diego-600x800.jpg)
![Bill Oliver](/Directory%20Profiles/oliver-bill-600x800.jpg)
![Kary Smout](/Directory%20Profiles/smout-kary-600x800.jpg)
![Beth A. Staples](/Directory%20Profiles/staples-beth-600x800.jpg)
![Taylor Walle](/Directory%20Profiles/walle-taylor-600x800.jpg)
![Lesley Wheeler](/Directory%20Profiles/wheeler-lesley-600x800.jpg)
![Leslie Wingard Cunningham](/Directory%20Profiles/cunningham-leslie-wingard-600x800.jpg)
![Holly Pickett](/Directory%20Profiles/pickett-holly-600x800.jpg)