Mark

We invite you to take a good, close look at the rich and varied program of the University of Portland’s English Department.   Our talented faculty of literary scholars and writers offers a major in English, with courses in British, American, and trans-national  literatures in English, and in academic and creative writing. We also present our students with an unusual and vivid range of extra-curricular programs.

English majors, and other interested students from across the University,  see, hear, and meet noted poets, writers, and scholars through our Readings and Lectures series and the Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers series. The Department’s own Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature (NUCL) allows our students, along with those from many other universities in the region, to present their scholarly and creative work, serve as respondents to panel chairs, and/or work as interns behind the scenes. The Writers journal is an in-house publication edited by English majors and featuring students’ creative writing, art, and photography. Finally, many of our students join the thriving English Society to discuss their own writing, attend plays together, and swap books. The English Department is a dynamo, always aglow with something bright and interesting.

The Department also houses the University’s Integrated Writing Program, which trains student Writing Assistants and runs the Writing Resource Center (in Franz Hall 120) used by students in all fields of study for help with their writing.  A good number of English majors serve as Writing Assistants.

Active writers, scholars, and critics, the English faculty provides a challenging and exciting academic experience for our students.  We are dedicated literary scholars who are passionate about teaching, developing personal relationships with students, and assisting students academically and personally throughout their college career and after.  Careful advising rests at the center of our work with our students, which culminates in each English major’s Senior Capstone Project, a paper that includes a semester of one-on-one consultation between each student and his or her Capstone advisor.

And after a successful four years as an English major at UP?  Our students develop finely honed skills in analytical reading, varied forms of writing, and web and library-based research. Their study of literary texts past and present equips them with a broad-based awareness of history, human character, and social and religious traditions. Some majors, moreover, find internships in the Portland community helping them to gain hands-on experience in writing, editing, or publishing. This combination of skills and understanding enables them to recognize and handle the new century’s opportunities and problems.  Being an English major prepares students for careers in many areas of business and not-for-profit enterprise, as well as the pursuit of graduate study in English and the humanities, creative writing, education and the law. And some English majors also become teachers, or, in the years just after graduation, participate in such challenging and rewarding volunteer programs as Jesuit Volunteers, Teach for America, and the Peace Corps.

So please explore our detailed English Department website: watch a video of a former student discussing her experience at UP or of a renowned poet reading on campus; click on a link to a copy of Writers magazine;  examine our curriculum and its array of courses; take a look at the English Majors’ Handbook and the Senior Capstone Project Handbook.   See the many ways English majors at the University of Portland expand their horizons, enhance their skills, and enrich their spirits—and so prepare themselves for interesting and productive lives.

Very truly yours,

Molly Hiro
Chair, Department of English
Associate Professor of English
hiro@up.edu

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