Wake-up call for these BW students gives 'rise' to new group October 14
BW students put a positive light on 8 a.m. classes by gathering for a zen moment of sunrise, friendship and coffee.
School of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences
(440) 826-2293
A versatile, career-preparative major that builds outstanding skills in critical thinking, reading and writing, English is a rewarding program of study. At BW, you'll engage in rigorous coursework, enriching experiential opportunities and comprehensive studies that span classic and contemporary literature.
English is intellectually stimulating and intrinsically rewarding. It offers outstanding preparation for graduate and professional school or entry into the fields of business, communication and education.
It builds competencies in oral and written communication, close reading, formal analysis, critical thinking, research strategies and debate.
Personal attention and faculty mentoring are at the forefront of the major. You'll supplement classroom studies with experiential learning opportunities that include independent study projects, internships, service-learning and study abroad.
BW professors bring impressive academic and scholarly credentials to the classroom. Whether you are fascinated with American, British or World literature, playwriting, poetry or other genres, BW faculty can help you explore your interest.
If you're looking to be published, you can contribute to BW's literary magazine and student-run newspaper. Another valuable source is BW's faculty, many of whom have published books, poems, articles and scholarly works.
Majoring in English aligns well with career preparation by developing characteristics employers value:
If you would like to become an English teacher, BW has an outstanding teacher education program.
Comprehensive and rigorous, English offers the following programs of study:
Baldwin Wallace is one of only two schools in Northeast Ohio offering a creative writing major.
Within the English program, dynamic, engaging courses span traditional offerings like American, British and World Literature, Composition, Exposition and Argumentation, as well as contemporary and creative offerings that include:
At the upper level, a departmental thesis and the honors thesis are options that invite students to engage in singular, long-term projects with a faculty director. Creative theses have focused on the writing of short stories, prose poems, vignettes, poetry and the lyric essay.
The English major prepares students to:
Small class sizes, individual attention and faculty mentoring are at the core of BW's English program.
Hands-on learning opportunities include independent study, research, study abroad, internships and service-learning.
Independent study offers students enrichment opportunities beyond the classroom for individualized and advanced study. Students work one-on-one with a faculty member. Summer Scholars is another BW opportunity that blends faculty mentoring and independent study with research, scholarly and creative endeavors.
BW's 20-minute proximity to Cleveland puts you within easy access to impressive networking, internship and career connections at corporations, government and nonprofit agencies, advertising and media organizations and more.
Study abroad offers exciting immersion experiences. Consider studying British writers by spending a semester in Great Britain or traveling to Costa Rica, Italy, Hong Kong or any of the many other sites recently visited by BW English majors.
The student literary and arts journal, "The Mill," is a high-quality publication that enables you to hone your craft as a writer or editor. The Mill Reading Series sponsors emerging and established writers to read their works on campus each semester.
You also can gain writing experience serving as an editor or staff member of the student-run campus newspaper "The Exponent."
Other hands-on activities include a project that places BW students at local high schools to tutor writing and a Grant Writing course that matches students with nonprofit organizations to research and write real-world grant proposals.
Students in Dr. Susan Oldrieve's advanced studies Chaucer class delve into their studies in a fun, creative way. They reenact the famous Canterbury Tales pilgrimage with their own version that takes them throughout Northeast Ohio.
The department's Career Explorations Book Club assists students in charting their path to a satisfying career in the early stages of their English major.
On campus, English students are regularly recognized for their achievements.
Alpha Mu Zeta (BW's chapter of Sigma Tau Delta) is the international English honor society. It fosters a sense of community among English majors and minors by organizing social and cultural events.
At the annual Honors Ceremony in the spring, recognitions include:
Denise Kohn
Associate Dean, School of Humanities
Professor
Ph.D., University of Houston
Michael Garriga
Chair, Department of English and Creative Writing
Professor
Ph.D., Florida State University
Ana de Freitas Boe
Professor
Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo
Sharon Kubasak
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
Terry Martin
Professor
Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo
Heidi Thoenen
Associate Professor
M.A., University of Akron
Eric Gardner
Writing Specialist
Ph.D., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Judette Kullins
Literacy Specialist
Tammy Layton
Writing Specialist
M.A., John Carroll University