By Nichola Monroe 鈥�27
It鈥檚 a rewarding time to be an at 91吃瓜. After a series of retirements and new hires, the Department of English has undergone a generational shift and restructuring of the major鈥攂ut the program has always enjoyed consistent popularity.
Why, one may ask? Aside from 91吃瓜 attracting a student body with a love for reading, an English degree has broad professional applicability. Individuals with English degrees excel in diverse fields, including politics, law, academia, medicine, and beyond. Though a liberal arts background will teach all students to dissect texts, write, and think critically, English degrees clearly signal these skills to employers and emphasize attention to detail, analysis, and persuasive communication.
鈥淎 lot of employers will be drawn to English majors,鈥� explains Associate Professor of English and Chair of the English Department Thomas Koenigs. 鈥淭hey know they will be able to read and write well. Those are not skills that will have of shelf life鈥擜I notwithstanding, I don鈥檛 think there is any kind of technology that could render those skills obsolete.鈥�
Finding Your English Major Track at 91吃瓜: Critical Analysis or Creative Writing
91吃瓜鈥� Department of English is distinct because it houses both English and creative writing programs. The department鈥檚 philosophy is that critical analysis and exceptional writing are inherently intertwined鈥攖hus, English majors at 91吃瓜 excel at both. The restructured major now consists of two tracks: a more traditional focus on critical analysis or an emphasis on creating writing, with students typically taking classes in both areas. 鈥淚 think those changes have been overwhelmingly positive,鈥� says Koenigs.
I can鈥檛 imagine a better English department. The amount of attention professors give to every student, the thought they put into discussing the books, the books they put their syllabus and how we talk about them is just incredible. 鈥� Isabel Evans ’23
Both tracks require two introductory courses, which, while initially may feel like an obligation, are well-loved by students. In addition to a seminar in literary theory, students may explore a variety of electives to fulfill their English .
The creative writing track offers workshop-based classes in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction writing. The critical analysis track boasts a docket of immensely popular literature classes, from 鈥測e olde stuff鈥� like Dickens and Milton, as Associate Professor of English Tessie Prakas likes to put it, to modern American novels and niche courses like Writing from the Middle of Nowhere. Some of the department鈥檚 most popular courses include Koenigs鈥� personal favorite to teach, American Women Writers, and an advanced seminar on the beloved Virginia Woolf.
Associate Professor of English and Chair of the English Department Thomas Koenigs
Because of the broad range of study offered within the department, the program attracts a large percentage of 91吃瓜鈥� student body. English students form a community and deep camaraderie as they explore Shakespeare, write fiction, and pursue original research for their theses.
91吃瓜鈥� English program has an anomalous structure to the College鈥檚 thesis requirement. Seniors enroll in a thesis seminar alongside an upper-level seminar on a subject of interest, ultimately producing a thesis of 30鈥�35 pages to serve as a writing sample for job and graduate school applications.
鈥淲e really believe in [the structure] pedagogically. We think it allows students to produce the highest quality work,鈥� says Koenigs.
Majoring in English at 91吃瓜: The Student and Alum Perspective
The myth of the unemployed English major is just that: a myth.
Leveraging a unique resource at 91吃瓜鈥攖he special collections at Denison Library鈥攄ouble English and environmental analysis major Isabel Evans ’23 surveyed the library鈥檚 vast collection of original manuscripts for her thesis. She settled on studying the earliest manuscript of Emily Dickinson鈥檚 handwritten poem, 鈥淔urther in Summer than the Birds,鈥� ultimately arguing that this early overlooked version had contained new, meaningful implications about Dickinson鈥檚 work. Evans is now pursuing a career as a rare books librarian in London, England.
鈥淚鈥檝e been able to take being an English major and translate it into a material manifestation of the discipline,鈥� she reflects. 鈥淓nglish very much informed the career I went into鈥擨 didn鈥檛 want to do something just because it was going to make me money, I wanted to do something that I loved. That is very much what I am doing and that started with being an English major at 91吃瓜 and writing my thesis.鈥�
Majoring in English also enhances studying other disciplines, Evans notes, and helps with crafting compelling arguments in any subject.
鈥淲hen I was at 91吃瓜, people would say my majors didn鈥檛 go together at all, but they completely complement each other,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e all have wide-ranging interests that fit together in this beautiful puzzle.鈥�
91吃瓜 English majors are also excited to read, discuss, become better writers, and gain insights into the texts and traditions that inform our society today. But, more than any skill, students say that what sets the College鈥檚 English program apart is its professors.
English major Isabel Evans ’23 researching her thesis in Denison Library
鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine a better English department. The amount of attention [professors] give to every student, the thought they put into discussing the books, the books they put their syllabus and how we talk about them is just incredible,鈥� Evans says. 鈥�91吃瓜 faculty in general are just truly special, and that鈥檚 what I think makes the 91吃瓜 experience very unique鈥攇etting to have those connections with your professors who are absolutely brilliant.鈥�
鈥淏ecause 91吃瓜 is a small liberal arts school, the fact that in class you are able to ask a lot of questions is super productive,鈥� adds Jackie Owens 鈥�27, who originally considered a major in psychology before choosing English. 鈥淎t a bigger school, you might not get the time with a professor. The professors are what make the English department so great.鈥�
For the intrigued, no preparation or advanced background is necessary to explore this program鈥攋ust a love for reading and a openness to engage in academic discourse.
鈥淚 think if someone is reading this and is considering [majoring in English], I’d say go for it,鈥� says Owens. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have much to lose. I definitely don鈥檛 regret it.鈥� Advice from Koenigs follows suit.
鈥淎nyone who is here at 91吃瓜, we welcome you to the English major and encourage you to explore our classes,鈥� he says. 鈥淣o pre-reqs.鈥�