The English department offers undergraduates the opportunity to explore the many facets and features of literary study in an environment that fosters intimate and interactive learning and teaching. Our extensive and varied course offerings introduce students to the major texts, genres, and traditions of British and American literature, as well as to other literatures in English. They invite students to think about literature in relationship to other arts and disciplines and to examine critically not only acknowledged masterpieces but new and emerging works and the practices of popular culture. Emphasizing the creation and performance of imaginative literature as well as the study of it, the department offers a rich array of courses in creative writing and theater; and it offers courses focused on literary media, from oral to electronic, including an extensive repertoire of film and media studies courses. It also offers courses in public speaking, debate, rhetoric, expository writing, and the study of language. Undergraduates are encouraged to pursue independent research through general course work and special research seminars, and they are encouraged to pursue internships both within the College and in the Rochester community through the department's Internship Program.
The Major in English offers students four distinct paths for fulfilling their concentration: the standard English major, with an emphasis on literature; the English major with an emphasis on creative writing; the English major with an emphasis on language, media, and communication; and the English major with an emphasis on theater. English majors can apply to take part in the English Honors Program, where they participate in a special advanced seminar and write an extended honors thesis in their senior year; with the approval of the Creative Writing Advisor, students can do creative writing projects for their honors thesis. The department also offers Minors in English in literature, writing (creative writing or journalism), and theater, and it offers a choice of thirteen clusters for undergraduates seeking to fulfill a humanities cluster in English.
The Undergraduate English Council (UEC) sponsors numerous intellectual and social events for English majors and minors. These events complement the department's rich program of outside speakers, including its longstanding reading series, the Plutzik Reading Series, which has brought to campus some of the most distinguished poets and fiction writers of the 20th century.
