Literatures and Languages: English
When you major in English, you study everything. Literature is about the world—including science, politics, human behavior, history, religion, philosophy, economics, music, art, and film. English is the major for people who are curious, and love to read and love to learn.
Our English major at UW-Parkside requires courses in both writing and literature, keeping your career options open by grounding your education in reading, writing, and analysis—three things that employers consistently say that they want. You can then transfer these skills to more specialized training in graduate or professional school, or the workplace.
For English majors looking to get experience in the publishing industry, the English department publishes its own literary journal, Straylight, an arts publication that accepts fiction, poetry, and graphic artwork from writers and artists worldwide. Straylight is completely student generated. From the first edit of an author's story to selling the journal, Straylight creates many opportunities. Students working on Straylight’s web component, The Villa read a variety of alternative works such as flash fiction, novellas, and book reviews; additionally, they have the opportunity to interview critically acclaimed authors from all over the world.
Should you decide to teach, our English Language Arts major prepares you for certification for middle or high school. Or, if you want to teach elementary school, major in Elementary Education and minor in English. The employment opportunities for English teachers will always be there, at all levels in large numbers, and our grads have been consistently successful. Plus, your English degree can help you travel the world, since English is the most sought-after second language in the world. You can take your skill, and teach it abroad.
We also offer three certificate programs. Any student who wishes to explore his/her creativity by writing poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction can pursue our 18 credit Creative Writing Certificate. The 21 credit Professional Writing Certificate is designed for students who want to improve marketable writing skills for a business or professional context—including courses in business writing, technical writing, editing, and etc. The Film Certificate is designed for those who want to study film and film-making.
UWP’s English professors are all dedicated, experienced, and creative teachers. In fact, UWP’s Teaching Excellence Award is named the Stella Gray Award after a retired English faculty member. English majors at UW-Parkside get to know their professors and get the benefit of strong mentoring relationships with the dept. faculty.
Come to Parkside. Major in English!
DEPARTMENT CONTACT INFO
Literatures and Languages | 262-595-2331 | RITA 278