Department of English

Versatility is the rule, not the exception, in Nazareth's English Department. You will take courses from top-notch professors with background in literature, linguistics, rhetoric, creative writing, and information technologies. These faculty have studied and hold the highest degrees from leading universities in the United States and abroad.

The programs offered through the Department of English also reflect this versatility. You can choose to study the great authors of the past and present by majoring in English Literature; you might combine English with education certification and teach; or enroll in the Program in Professional Communication and Information Design (PIPCID). The ability to communicate effectively is critical, and each program within the English Department offers excellent ways for you to learn this critical skill.

The Literature Program displays the department's versatility in its broad range of course offerings and opportunities to study different literatures and cultures. It integrates traditional and multicultural literatures, providing students with an extensive background that few liberal arts colleges the size of Nazareth can offer. Expanded course offerings in world literatures in English, combined with expanded opportunities for study and professional internships abroad, give the Literature Program a global dimension, in keeping with our culturally and economically globalized world.

The Program in Communication and Rhetoric combines the study of classical and modern rhetorical theory with contemporary study in information design and technologies, scriptwriting, video production, and technical communication to give you a balanced and broad communications background. Of key importance in the Communication and Rhetoric Program is the "Professional Writing and Project Management" course in which students work on all aspects of writing, design, and production to create a publication for a 'client'. Both programs, Communication and Rhetoric, and Literature, offer students the opportunity to complete internships in a professional area and open up a world of career and graduate school opportunities.

Students seeking certification in English Education do extensive observation and fieldwork before teaching for a semester at a level appropriate to their area of certification. The professors in the English Department work to match your talents with the needs of local schools, so that you can make the most of your student teaching experience. Through your internship or teaching placement, you'll gain important hands-on experience and establish valuable contacts with professionals in the field.

It seems fitting that a program dedicated to versatility produces graduates in diverse fields. Some have gone on to earn M.A.'s and Ph.D's in literature and education; others work in public relations, editing, publishing, library sciences, law, journalism, technical writing, personnel and human resources management, and in many other fields that require excellent communication and interpersonal skills.