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Become a Dynamic Writer and Communicator

Our English program teaches you to closely analyze text, improve your writing through peer review and workshop exercises and develop strong communication skills.

Through our English major, you will be encouraged to look past your own experiences in order to understand others, and to study both past and present authors ranging from William Shakespeare, Herman Melville, Bram Stoker, and Emily Dickinson to Chinua Achebe, Sylvia Plath, Junot Díaz and Zadie Smith.  

You will also learn to analyze texts in historical and social contexts. With class sizes averaging around 15 students, our English program allows for a more dynamic and participatory classroom experience. You will receive individualized help, guidance and feedback from your professors and peers.

Pictured is English alumna Kidde Kokole. Photo by Seong Beom Go

Pictured is 2018 English alumna Kidde Kokole, Native Guest English Teacher for the English Program in Korea, known as EPIK.

Courses & Topics

You will receive a well-rounded education through our core curriculum and classes in the English major. You may take courses that study individual genres, such as Art of the Short Story, Art of Poetry, and Introduction to Literary Studies.

Upper-division English courses fall under six different themes: Surveys, Topics, Authors, Language and Theory, Historical Periods and Traditions and Creative Writing.

Examples of these courses are as follows:

  • Surveys: American Literature 1 and 2, British Literature 1 and 2, World Literature: Novels and World Literature: Poetry, Drama, Epic

Students may also take Theoretical Approaches, a rotating topics course. Recent and upcoming topics include: Black Lives and Social Justice in 20-21st Century Literature, Rough Harmonies: Poetry & Self, Faith and Fiction, Mad Science and Lit, LGBTQ Lit, Latino Lit, Witch Lit and Graphic Novels.

  • Topics: Scribbling Women in the 19th Century, Feminist Fairy Tales, Detective Fiction, Postcolonial Literature, Reading Race in Shakespeare and Haunted America

  • Language and Theory: Linguistics, History of the English Language and English Language Learners

  • Authors: Plath and Sexton, Faulkner and Morrison, Zadie Smith, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare and The Brontës

  • Periods & Traditions: American Romanticism, Victorian Poetry and Prose: Women and Empire, Harlem Renaissance and Contemporary Literature 

  • Creative Writing: Workshops in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction and Poetry

  • All English majors also take a course in Literary Criticism. Seniors also take a Senior Capstone course where they undertake a self-designed final project according to their individual interests and career aspirations.

Faculty bring industry experience and expertise to the classroom.

The faculty in the Department of Literary Arts have extensive expertise in a wide range of disciplines including American and British literature, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, linguistics, women's studies, composition, public speaking and more.

Meet the faculty
Pictured is Kristin Hanley. File photo.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
  • Published pieces include Mary Wollstonecraft, Pedagogy and the Practice of Feminism, "Didacticism" and "'A New Servitude': Pedagogy and Feminist Practice in Brontë's Jane Eyre"
  • Research interests involve the intersections between proto-feminist literatures and composition studies
  • Teaches English Composition I & II, writing studio, senior seminar, college composition, romanticism and effective speech

Career Options

Pictured is alumna Andie Fullmer.Contrary to the belief that English majors are unable to find jobs, or can only be teachers, graduates of Point Park’s English program move on to graduate school, law school or find other positions such as:

  • Editor
  • Publisher
  • Copywriter
  • Positions in nonprofit organizations
  • Grant writer
  • Journalist
  • Communications professional
  • Writer

Read this Inside Higher Ed article about job outcomes and career satisfaction for liberal arts majors

2022 Literary Arts & Social Justice Career and Internship Summit

In the videos linked below, Point Park students, alumni and faculty share how English, creative writing and social justice programs prepare you for competitive career opportunities:

News & Features