English at Mount Holyoke

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Welcome

We are a diverse faculty of teachers, writers, and scholars who offer a wide variety of courses in writing, American Literature, British Literature, and the literatures of other English speaking countries. We like writing of all sorts; we approach literature and culture from many angles; and we do interdisciplinary work with colleagues in many other fields.

The English major at Mount Holyoke offers students an opportunity to study a diverse range of texts written in English, both those comprising the tradition of British and American literature as well as the work of writers from other parts of the world. A student of English should be acquainted with texts from different historical periods and different national traditions, as well as with works in a variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

English is a complex field with a variety of intellectual-interpretive approaches. The English department expects each major to take advantage of the variety of departmental offerings by thoughtfully devising her own path of study while gaining familiarity with all genres. Certain core requirements insure exposure to a body of material and a range of critical methodologies generally held to be essential to the mastery of the field.

We encourage our majors to explore the creative process by taking writing courses. We also urge them to link the study of literature in English with the study of history, art, and other literatures. Courses in classical and modern languages and literatures, art history, philosophy, religion and history complement and supplement courses in English.

Highlights

The Blackstick Review
The first online literary magazine at Mount Holyoke
Kathryn Irene Glascock '22
Intercollegiate Poetry Competition