We strive to create a community of readers and writers who value both tradition and innovation, and who understand literary art as a medium of moral reflection as well as aesthetic pleasure.

The Department of English offers three emphases.

1. The Major in English provides students with broad exposure to literature in historical contexts, within and across national traditions and theoretical frameworks, and in relation to other intellectual and artistic disciplines, along with writing for scholarly and professional purposes in both traditional and digital forms.

2. The Major in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis gives students a foundation of study in literary history and genre along with a sequence of writing courses focused on poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction for both traditional and digital forms.

3. The Major in English with a Secondary Education Emphasis (5-12) prepares students for teaching middle and secondary school through coursework in literature, linguistics, writing, and writing pedagogy. This particular major also requires additional coursework from the Department of Teacher Education and the Department of Communication and Journalism. Successful completion of these requirements will lead to eligibility for a 5-12 Communication Arts and Literature license in the state of Minnesota.

The study of English helps students develop a broad range of practices that are valuable for a variety of career paths and life aspirations. Students graduating with a major in English will be able to write thoughtfully about literature and life, in forms that range from personal responses, to close readings of primary texts, analyses and interpretations engaging theory and criticism, and creative and professional projects in a variety of genres and both traditional and digital forms. They will understand and practice writing as a process that involves substantial revision and be able to reflect thoughtfully upon the writing process that works best for them. They will be able to read sophisticated literary works with imagination and intelligence and will be able to respond critically and creatively to their empathic, ethical, and aesthetic dimensions.

The Major in English, the Major in English with Creative Writing Emphasis, and the Major in English with a Teacher Education emphasis (5-12) consist of 44-credits each, including fulfillment of the core curriculum in literature and writing courses. The department offers courses for non-majors to fulfill the Literature and Writing component of the core curriculum and the Human Diversity requirement.

English majors and minors are encouraged to study abroad. Specific courses taken abroad may substitute for St. Thomas requirements. See the chair of the department, a study abroad advisor in the Office of Study Abroad, or Academic Information & Programs in the front section of this catalog for program options.

English Honor Society

Sigma Tau Delta, the national English honor society, formed a chapter at St. Thomas in 1988. The honor society brings together students and faculty with a love of literature, language and writing; it sponsors a variety of scholarships, holds regional and national conventions, and provides a forum for both creative and critical writing. Students who have a grade point average of at least 3.0 in English courses, rank at least in the highest 35 percent of their class in general scholarship, and have completed at least three semesters of college are eligible to apply for membership.