English
About Our Program
We see creative writing and the study of literature as closely tied together, which means you’ll explore coursework in each as you carve out your focus in one track. Literary studies coursework ranges from traditional to cutting edge—from Elizabethan drama to literature of the borderlands. In your creative writing courses, you’ll find your unique voice as you craft works of fiction, personal essays, and poetry while sharing your perspectives and understanding others.
You’ll gain the critical abilities you need to evaluate sources, make informed arguments, and communicate clearly—skills that stand out in today’s job market. You’ll also have ample support to publish your work, conduct graduate-level research, and connect with working writers making a mark in their fields.
Learning Experiences to Prepare for Your Career
Discover your passions, refine your written voice, and hone your communication skills through experiences on and off campus. Turn the questions you investigate in your courses into a research fellowship, an honors thesis, and even a fully-formed portfolio for graduate school applications.The Writers Series
Several times a year, our department invites writers producing some of today’s most innovative works across mediums and genres to visit classrooms and perform a reading for the community. You’ll have opportunities to ask them questions, make connections, and expand your network.
Tanner Fellowship
Tanner Fellowships fund adventurous research experiences, and the possibilities are as vast as your imagination. Quinn Bermingham ’22 used his to work on a musical score for a story he wrote in one of his classes.
Explore Research Opportunities
Honors Projects
Collaborate closely with a faculty mentor and dedicate a semester or an entire year to a question, issue, topic, or author that ignites your curiosity. It could even combine interests from other disciplines or off-campus experiences.
Meet Your English Mentor
Professor of English Sarah Gates brings a love of classic literature and creative approaches to her teaching, inspiring students to connect deeply with timeless texts. Whether she’s guiding students through Hamlet or The Lord of the Rings, her courses bring older literature to life in fresh and exciting ways.
How do you make older texts engaging for students?
I use semi-embodied learning to make older works relatable. For example, I have students cast modern actors in Shakespearean roles, imagining how scenes would play out if set at St. Lawrence today. In the Tolkien First-Year Program, students transform a challenging chapter into a script and perform it as a play. These creative exercises help students connect with the material in personal and meaningful ways.
What’s an innovative or unusual course you’ve taught?
The Tolkien courses are especially innovative. They challenge students to think critically about storytelling while exploring rich literary traditions. I also love teaching students how to create their own literary works, such as writing poetry that mirrors the styles we study in Introduction to Poetry. These exercises emphasize the creative process and deepen their understanding of literary techniques.
What’s a favorite alumni success story?
There are so many! One student, an English and business major, now works for the Federal Reserve, a testament to the versatility of an English degree. Another recently published her first short story collection and teaches creative writing at a liberal arts college. And one is an architectural historian in Buffalo, N.Y. They all show how an English degree can lead to diverse and impactful careers
Past Internships
Learn by doing in a real-world environment. Our majors intern with a wide range of organizations, including:
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- FleishmanHillard
- Curley Company
- Washington Monthly
- Central Park Conservancy
- NCPR
- U.S. Embassy in London
Gain a deeper appreciation of your coursework and the people and places that make up the fabric of the St. Lawrence community. These courses promote empathy while helping you understand your place in your new community. You could work at a local farm or anti-hunger organization while studying food systems in “A Literary Harvest” or learn alongside incarcerated individuals at the local prison while studying diverse cultural backgrounds in “Multi-Ethnic American Literature.”
Study Abroad
Choose from more than 30 semester-long programs offered in more than 20 international locations, including London and New Zealand.
The London Program
Immerse yourself in this vibrant global city while studying its rich tradition of literature and drama. Conclude your semester with a month-long work-study in an industry of interest, including print and digital media, publishing, communications, or theatre.
Off-Campus Study in the U.S.
Other U.S-based off-campus study programs include a Liberal Arts in New York City experience, which includes an internship with a Manhattan-based business or nonprofit.
Among the 150+ clubs and organizations at St. Lawrence, you’ll find many that involve writing, publishing, print and digital media. You’ll also have opportunities to connect what you learn and discuss in the classroom to the issues and organizations you care about.
- The Hill News
- The Laurentian Magazine
- Irving Bacheller Society
- Creative Writing Club
- Film Club
- The Gridiron
- The Underground Journal
- Carefree Black Girls
- Literacy for Nepal
- Nature Up North
- KSLU
- Planned Parenthood Generation Action
- Reading Buddies
- Thelomathesian Society
- The Finer Things Cheese and Turophile Society
- UBUNTU
- Weave News
- WORD Studio
Why St. Lawrence for English
95%
of English majors are employed or enrolled in graduate schools less than a year after graduation.
7
The number of professional writers you could meet on campus each year who visit as part of the Writers Series.
1856
Our founding year and the year the oldest building on campus and home of the English department, Richardson Hall, was erected.
Meet Prof. Barber
Professor Sarah Barber brings passion and creativity to the classroom—from co-teaching poetry and printmaking in the First-Year Program to leading dynamic poetry workshops and literature classes. Her student-centered approach celebrates each writer’s strengths and explores how literature reflects and reshapes our world.
Read the Story
Environmental Studies Combined Major
Your love for the natural world can guide your creative writing or literary studies with a popular English-Environmental Studies combined major.
Recent Graduate School Program Placements
- Brown University
- University of Oregon
- Wichita State University
- Northwestern School of Journalism
- Indiana University
- Boston College
London Calling
Many English majors study off campus in places like London and use their experience to enrich their understanding of diverse literary traditions.
Recent Employment Opportunities
- American Public Media
- Teach For America
- Universal McCann
- Morgan Stanley
- Thomson Reuters
- Conservation International
- AmeriCorps
- Planned Parenthood
More Program Information
Program Requirements & Courses
Explore English major requirements for both the literary studies and creative writing tracks, as well as electives and combined study options.
Complementary and Related Programs
We offer an environmental studies combined major, which allows you to pair your passion for literature and writing with another area of study.
Popular Double Majors with This Program
Other Programs You May Be Interested In
English Faculty
Dr. Sarah Barber
Associate Professor
English Department
Dr. Caroline Breashears
Professor
English Department
Dr. Bob Cowser
Professor
English Department
Santee Frazier
Visiting Assistant Professor
English Department
Dr. Sarah Gates
Professor and Chair of English
English Department
“Visiting English Professor J. Michael Martinez merges all fields of life into his art, and his philosophies of ethics within the written format. He deeply impacted me and the way I approach my writing. I completed an independent study with him and spent a summer doing research with him, both dedicated to novels I’ve been working on.”
Ramon Veras
2021
Aspiring novelist, McNair Scholar, President of Men in Color, member of the Black Laurentian Initiative
Compassionate Faculty, Lifelong Mentors
Your faculty get to know your personal interests and academic passions so they can help you bring them to life in your writing and your research.
Unexpected Course Topics
Explore the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, the meaning of wilderness in literature, representations of gender in Shakespearean drama, and contemporary narratives from the LGBTQ+ community. Understand literary traditions and the voices reinventing them today.
Walking and Talking
While hiking the Appalachian Trail, English minor Ryan Schlosser ’21 chronicled his experiences and connections with fellow hikers in a podcast that’s both a time capsule of his adventure and its moment in history.
Viebranz Visiting Professors
Emerging screenwriters. Established poets. Prominent memoirists. Every year, the English department invites a distinguished professional writer to teach and mentor students. During the 2020-21 year, we welcomed author Ana Maria Spagna.
Get More Information
We’re excited to learn more about you, tell you more about our interdisciplinary academic programs, show you around our beautiful campus, and help you navigate your college search.
Apply to St. Lawrence
We’re looking for curious students who are eager to make a difference. We take a holistic approach to reviewing applications and consider all aspects of your application and what we learn about you.