The Department of English and Creative Writing brings together Creative Writers and Literary Scholars to offer students a variety of programs in Creative Writing, Literary Studies and Composition. The Department of English and Creative Writing is also home to new and expanding opportunities in Cinema and Screen Studies.

Literary Studies
Like most academic disciplines, English is changing. Reading, writing and interpretation take place in more complex, extended and sophisticated media environments. Discoveries and innovations in the natural and technological sciences today interact in very full and exciting ways with English and the other humanities. Some things, however, do not change. English majors are expected to write clearly, elegantly and convincingly; and English majors are expected to attend with care and creativity to the literary heritage and the emerging literatures of today. Transmission, adoption and modifications of that heritage demand supple interpretive skills.

Creative Writing
Creative Writing has never been more exciting, more open to innovation, and available in more forms and venues than it is today. As always, writers must master conventional forms even as they turn toward the experiments of the present. Creative writers should be proficient in various expressive modes: in fiction, poetry, drama, screenwriting and multiple forms of non-fiction and expository prose. Then a writer can begin to define and refine a commitment to a specific form of the craft.

Cinema and Screen Studies
The English Department houses the major in Cinema and Screen Studies. Our program combines a rigorous course of study in the history, theory and criticism of cinema, as well as of new and pre-cinematic screen media, with a four-course sequence in screenwriting and digital film production (co-sponsored by Communication Studies). Interdisciplinary options allow students to link their studies of moving images to exciting developments in cognitive science, computer and information sciences, and the other humanities, fine arts and social sciences.

College Writing and Beyond
Most students begin their college careers in one of the College Writing courses offered by the English Department. Students from across the college return here to refine their writing skills and reacquaint themselves with the joys of literature. But the  Department of English and Creative Writing is also an entryway to a number of exciting, interdisciplinary programs, including: American Studies, African-American Studies, Linguistics, Native-American Studies and Women's Studies.