Learn to live a richer, fuller, more examined life in an English program that enables you to fully explore your place in the world. As an English major at Wells, you'll have opportunities to publish your own writing, interact with internationally-recognized poets and writers as part of our Visiting Writers Series, design your own internship experience, and make valuable career connections. Working in small classes at a private liberal arts college in scenic New York State, you'll also find a strong sense of community and benefit from close mentorship by accomplished and accessible faculty.
Develop your skills in creative writing—whether poetry or prose, fiction or nonfiction, drama or humor or journalism. Advanced writing courses in each type of form will encourage you to develop a refined awareness of your strengths and interests. You'll learn the "rules" for writing for different purposes or audiences and the ways to best express your ideas through language and style. You'll also gain opportunities to publish your work long before graduation.
Creative writing is available as a concentration in the English major or as a minor.
Literature students learn to apply different methods of critical interpretation, craft meaningful and persuasive arguments, and become familiar with many different writers and their work—including both well-known classic literature and lesser-known but equally-important authors from minority communities. Wells professors teach both classic texts (from 1750 onward) and contemporary ones, focusing on those that continue to generate remarkably different responses over time.
Literature is available as a concentration in the English major. Students wishing to add a minor with a focus in literature can simply choose the minor in English.
With concentrations in both creative writing and literature, our English program enables you to tailor an educational experience that meets your needs and interests. English students at Wells learn to say what they mean, to mean what they say, and to understand the world as a rich, complicated, and dynamic place. We also emphasize an awareness of a wide range of subject areas, so that your education in English will prepare you to approach professional writing or critical reading and research in any career field.
Meet nationally and internationally recognized writers who join our literature and creative writing courses as part of our Visiting Writers Series. Take part in interdisciplinary internships with the Wells College Press that offer hands-on experience with all aspects of book production, from inspiration to publication. Or pursue exciting internship opportunities off campus in nearby New York City and across the country. The English bachelor’s degree program at Wells offers a variety of enriching experiences designed to prepare you for today’s job market.
Internships in the English program offer an opportunity to link your classroom learning and independent work to a professional context. These experiences provide insights into publishing, technical writing, library work, journalism, and other careers through interactions with the individuals and groups who are driving them. The following is a sample of internships recently held by Wells English students:
Would you like to travel the world and write about your adventures? How about studying the British classics in Bath, England? English majors can pursue fascinating programs across the country and around the world. Learn more about study abroad programs at Wells.
Want to see one of your stories published? Enjoy practicing your reporting skills? Wells has student publications and literary organizations that provide out-of-the-classroom and out-of-the-box learning for English majors. Students have the opportunity to write for publication, learn to closely edit the work of others, and meet with many visiting writers and publishers. Below are just a few clubs and activities that might catch your interest:
The English program at Wells is available as both a major and minor. If you’re interested in studying English, you might also want to explore our minors in:
English is spoken by a quarter of the world’s population, even more as a second language than a first. It’s the language of global business. It’s also the number one undergraduate major for law school students. That’s why, when you earn a bachelor’s degree in English, you’ll enter the job market with writing, research, and analytical skills that will prepare you for careers around the world.
Recent graduates of the English program at Wells are now working in law, editing and publishing, marketing and public relations, social work, stage acting, law enforcement, and teaching. Our English majors have also gone on to a variety of graduate school programs at institutions such as Cornell University, Mills College, Brown University, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Simmons College, and the Denver Publishing Institute.
Catherine Burroughs, Professor of English Literature submitted a proposal for her book, Closet Drama: Theory, History, and Genre; it is currently under review at several presses. Professor Burroughs contributed the chapter on drama to “The Cambridge Companion to Women's Writing in the Romantic Period,” released by Cambridge University Press.
Professor of English Cynthia Garrett's research explores gender and religious issues in early modern English literature, specifically lyric poetry. Her courses take students from British poetry and prose of the medieval period through the 19th century. Her own research and study has led her to begin writing historical fiction.
Assistant Professor of English Daniel Rosenberg’s chapbook-length collection of 22 poems, Mine, was a finalist for Verse Magazine's Tomaž Šalamun Prize, and will be published in the magazine this year. His poems have also been accepted this month for publication in From the Finger Lakes: A Poetry Anthology and Boston Review.
Take the first step toward earning your bachelor’s degree in English at Wells College. Apply now.
Interested in learning more about Wells College and our English Bachelor of Arts program? Request more information.
