English “Why study literature? …It expands you in every way. It illuminates what you’re doing. It shows you possibilities you haven’t thought of. It enables you to live the lives of other people than yourself. It broadens you. It makes you more human.” — M. H. Abrams English graduates work in a range of careers. From teaching to publishing and public relations to law, there are a world of possibilities. An English major or minor builds and strengthens the writing and analytical skills needed by today's employers. Literature gives a valuable background in the ideas and questions—both eternal and contemporary—that we seek to understand. Through literature, we learn to appreciate the complexity of the human experience, see the arts as a necessary exploration of society’s values and reflect on our own.
Major Requirements Required Courses • Survey of British Literature I & II or • Survey of American Literature I & II • Textual Analysis: Theory and Practice • Designated Capstone Course • Choice of two (2) historical survey courses (6 credits): Survey of British Literature I & II Survey of American Literature I & II Survey of World Literature I & II • Textual Analysis: Theory and Practice (3 credits) • Four (4) EL Electives at the 200 level. Can include survey courses not taken from above (12 credits) • Five (5) EL Electives at the 300 or 400 level (15 credits) • Among their elective classes, majors are required to take two (2) courses in pre-1800 literature. Concentrations: Individual course offerings vary year to year. • American Literature • Drama/Theater • Film/Interdisciplinary/Theoretical Studies • Literary Origins (Western & Global) • Romanticism (British & American) • The Victorian to the Modern Age Minor Program in English English minors must take 18 credits in English, including two 200-level courses and four EL electives. Space permitting, minors may petition to take the Capstone Seminar in their senior year.
For course descriptions and additional information visit
www.saintpeters.edu/academics 11/21
Faculty Sherlyn Abdoo, Lecturer M. Phil., New York University Specialties: British and American Lit, Poetry, Short Stories Stephen Cicirelli, Lecturer M.F.A.,Columbia University Specialties: Creative Writing (fiction), Philosophical Literature, Comparative Religion Raymond Conlon, Professor Ph.D., New York University Specialties: Renaissance Drama, Great Books, Dante, Chaucer, and Boccaccio Deborah Hairston, Lecturer M.P.A., New York University Specialties: Business, Technical and Grant Writing, African American Literature and History William G. Luhr, Professor Specialties: Literature of the Victorian and Romantic Ages Film and Television Studies including Film Noir, American Film, Gender and Sexuality Kathleen N. Monahan Ph.D., New York University Specialties: Early American Literature, American Renaissance including Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, American Gothic fiction Scott F. Stoddart, Chairperson, Associate Professor Ph.D., University of Illinois Specialties: American and British Literature both the Novel and Theatre, Cinema and Television Studies Constance G. Wagner, Lecturer (Writing Program Director) M.A., New School for Social Research Specialties: Tolkien Scholarship, Theatrical Criticism, Writing Specialist Michael Walonen, Associate Professor Ph.D., University of Louisiana Specialties: Modern and Contemporary Literature of the Developing World, Critical Theory, Globalization Studies Rachel Wifall, Professor Ph.D., New York University Specialties: Shakespeare, Early Modern Drama, Literary Adaptation, Pop Culture
Meet some of our English major graduates! Tom Driscoll, ’06 Attorney “Law school was a daunting challenge. However, I felt prepared to take it on thanks to my English studies at the University. Essentially, law school is a test of reading and writing skills. Law students have to read a lot of different texts and have to fully understand the content. Wrestling with great works of literature was excellent preparation for the lengthy, legal reading assignments I was faced with.”
Lisette Santiago, ’14 Actress “After graduation, I decided to pursue acting and landed a six-month national tour with Junie B. Jones. I attribute my success to my time at Saint Peter’s as an English major. I wouldn't have the skills and the knowledge needed to perform if I hadn't taken so many Shakespeare and Elizabethan/Jacobean drama classes, or Arthurian literature and countless poetry classes. I feel that my English education has been more useful for my acting career than many of my colleagues who studied Musical Theater or Acting.”
Charles Lassiter, ’03 Assistant Professor of Philosophy “Studying English taught me to savor literature. Learning to find pleasure in reading breaks down the barrier between the person and the work being read. There are, of course, practical benefits to studying English: reading and writing as much as English majors do makes you a better and faster reader and writer. But practical benefits aside, learning to love literature on its own terms sticks with me most from my time at Saint Peter’s.”
Student Awards
Sigma Tau Delta
With the generous support of individual donors, alumni, and faculty, the English Department confers a number of student awards each year including: • The Ellis Award • The Emeritus Faculty Legacy Award • The Elizabeth Nelson Award • The Rosen Award • The Sigma Tau Delta Membership Award • The Spinelli Award
Saint Peter’s maintains a local chapter (Xi Psi) of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. English majors who meet the credit number and grade point requirements are nominated for membership and inducted during a ceremony in the spring semester.
Seniors who are judged to have written superior capstone theses are recognized as Hopkins Scholars at commencement.