Overview

Whatever field you eventually pursue, however, our majors enter their chosen career with carefully honed skills in analytic reading, writing, and argumentation. They can claim a thorough education in the English literary tradition. In addition, the department’s increasingly interdisciplinary and transnational focus enables majors to become conversant with non-western literary texts and traditions and literary theory. Beyond teaching a body of literary works, the department’s courses aim to give our students sophisticated skills in literary and cultural analysis—skills that equip them well for a lifetime of ongoing education.

By offering three distinctive programs, the Department of English encourages individual students, in consultation with faculty advisers, to personalize their studies while still acquiring the breadth of knowledge and skills of the traditional English major. Our curriculum provides extensive coursework in the history of British and American literature, in literary theory, and in expository as well as creative writing. Our diverse offerings—both at the level of broad survey as well as more advanced, specialized topics in literary movements and problems—reflect the interests of students and faculty in the ever-widening area of English studies.

The English Department encourages its students to participate in a number of study abroad programs to enhance their study of literature and culture with overseas study and travel. Our majors regularly study abroad both through Vanderbilt programs and programs sponsored by other universities in Australia, Italy, France, Denmark, and China. For students on campus, the English Department’s Gertrude Vanderbilt and Harold S. Vanderbilt Visiting Writers Series brings writers to campus every year to give public readings from their work and to meet with students. There is a spring Literary symposium with a different theme each year. These have included African American Writers of the South, Asian American Writing, Writing in Different Genres, and Memory and Imagination. Writers as diverse as Garrett Hongo and Yusef Komunyakaa, Ellen Douglas and Antonya Nelson, Billy Collins and Karen Yamashita have been guests. Every other year, the English Department hosts a visiting writer for a semester that teaches creative writing classes and takes part in the spring symposium. Peter Guralnick, Philip Levine, James McConkey, and Amanda Little have held the position recently. Finally, the Department offers a number of awards every year to recognize excellence in undergraduate achievement, awards for best contributions in poetry and short stories as well as the analytic essay.