English B.A., Literature Concentration

The B.A. in English with a concentration in Literature allows students to explore their own literary and linguistic heritage and to become acquainted with representative works of major world writers. We offer a wide range of courses in English, American, multicultural, and international literature. Courses in critical theory and the history and structure of the language help students sharpen their analytical faculties, encourage clarity of thought and expression, and stimulate and develop the critical and creative imagination. The degree in literature develops critical thinkers and effective communicators, people whose skills are applicable in a wide range of careers including education, publishing, writing, information and research, media, politics and public service. Our recent graduates have gone on to study literature in graduate school, both at Georgia College and around the country, and to study law. Look here for more information on what you can do with an English major.

As a literature student, your time in the program will be dedicated to the cultivation of literary appreciation and critical inquiry. English majors in the Literature concentration develop a sense of literary tradition and cultural history while refining their analytical skills reading and writing about both classical and canonical as well as contemporary and cutting edge literature.

A booklet listing recent extracurricular opportunities, special topics courses, capstone opportunities, graduate admissions, and career paths is here.

Courses and Capstones

Catalog course descriptions, which provide a general overview of our regularly offered courses, are here.

Class section descriptions, which provide more details of how upcoming scheduled class sections will be taught by specific instructors, are here.

We also offer upper-division special topics courses and single author special topics courses in the major. Recent special topics classes include:

American Film and the South
21st Century American Fiction
Captivity and Freedom
Haunting and the Literary Imagination
Race & Gender in Latin American Literature
From the Roaring Twenties to Reunification: Berlin through the Ages

Recent single author special topics classes include:

Don DeLillo
E. L. Doctorow
Louise Erdrich
Herman Melville
Miyazaki & 19th-Century Literature
Henry David Thoreau
Alice Walker

Students complete their program in the Literature Concentration by choosing a Senior Capstone project. Options include an undergraduate thesis, an internship, and study abroad.

What Can I Do with a Degree in English?

The degree in literature develops critical thinkers and effective communicators, people whose skills are applicable in a wide range of careers including education, publishing, writing, information and research, media, politics and public service. According to the 2012 census, 23% of English majors have careers in education, training, and library, while 17% go into management, business, sciences, and the arts (Source: ADE&ADFL). The skills you master as an English major could prepare you for a job as a staff culture writer, a professor, a research associate, a nonprofit grant writer, a program officer at a think tank or foundation, or a curriculum designer at an education technology company (Source: MLA Profession). Literature majors develop written/oral communication skills, listening skills, strong reading abilities, critical thinking and creative problem solving abilities, storytelling, research skills, the ability to work independently, the ability to justify ideas and articulate arguments, respect for deadlines, the ability to learn quickly and accurately, and respect for different cultures and world views.

Employers want and need graduates who can write and communicate well, who can analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information, who have organizational, time management, and teamwork skills, who appreciate diverse viewpoints, and who have a global perspective. The courses and programs in the Department of English, which is the cornerstone of a liberal arts education, will help you to master these skills and become a lifelong learner.

Student Organizations

Literary Guild is Georgia College's book club. The club is sponsored by the English Department but is open to non-majors as well. It meets once a month to discuss novels or watch film adaptations suggested by the membership, ranging from classics like The Great Gatsby to modern day satire like Good Omens. Recently, the club held book discussions on The Book Thief, Ender's Game, and Bossypants, hosted book adaptation movie nights for Gone Girl and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and held its second Book Bonanza, a philanthropic event that sells and trades books and donates a portion of the leftover books to Better World Books. In this wildly successful year, Literary Guild was fortunate enough to raise $400. Ms. Nancy Beasley is the faculty advisor. Email | Facebook | GC Connect

The Peacock's Feet is Georgia College's own undergraduate literary and creative arts journal. Published annually, The Peacock's Feet features poetry, fiction, nonfiction, visual art and music, and is available free of charge for all students. Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program, English majors (both creative writing and literature) serve on the editorial board. Email | Facebook | GC Connect | Web

Romanticism Reading Group The Romanticism Reading Group meets two-three times a semester to discuss Romantic literature and view film adaptations of Romantic works. The faculty advisor is Dr. Julian Knox.

Shakespearean Circle meets once a week to do a round table reading of a Shakespeare play. Plays are chosen at the beginning of the semester by the membership. All English majors and non-English majors are welcome to attend. The organization also puts on small events such as staged monologues and scenes as well as trips to National Theatre Live events in Macon. Recently, Shakespearean Circle read Richard II, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Julius Caesar. The faculty advisors are Dr. Jenny Flaherty and Mr. John Sirmans. Email | Facebook | GC Connect

Sigma Tau Delta is the International English Honor Society. English majors are eligible to be considered for membership with at least 36 semester hours and at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average that includes at least two English courses beyond first-year composition. Recently, members collected approximately 240 used textbooks and shipped them to the Better World Books charity organization. Dr. Hali Sofala-Jones is the faculty advisor. Email | Facebook | GC Connect

Research Opportunities

The Corinthian: Students work with literature faculty mentors to revise essays for submission and blind review by our university's student research journal. Recently, literature student Teddi Strassburger was the editor of The Corinthian, and three literature students published articles in The Corinthian: Sarah Beth Gilbert, "Veiling with Abjection: Carson McCullers' Reflections in Golden Eye"; Mikaela LaFave, "Mother Knows Best: The Overbearing Mother in Coriolanus and Psycho"; and Hannah Miller, "Whiteness, the Real Intermediary Agent: Harriet E. Wilson’s Medium for Amalgamation in Our Nig; or, Sketches in the Life of a Free Black". Facebook | Web

Student Research Conference: Students work with literature faculty mentors to prepare presentations for the annual event that is organized by MURACE (Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors). Recent presentations by literature students include Elise O'Neal, "Henry James' Turn of the Screw and the Dangerous Ambiguity of Transcendental Belief" and Christian Pontalti, "That's Been Done Before: Tropes and Cliché in The Canterbury Tales." Web

Women's and Gender Studies Symposium: The annual event is organized by the Women's and Genders Studies Program. Literature professors Dr. Mary Magoulick and Dr. Katie Simon serve on the Women's Studies Board. Recent presentations by literature students include Catherine Maloney, "A Southern Girl's Guide to the Apocalypse" and "The Bisexual Ghosts in the Closet"; Sophia DiCarlo, "'Are You My Mother? Assumptions of Femininity and Motherhood in Hudes's Water by the Spoonful" and "Transcendent Familial Roles in Hamlet and A Thousand Splendid Suns"; Matthew Dombrowski, "Motherhood, Misconceptions, and Myth: In the Blood as Welfare Queen Allegory" and "Fetishized Identitites: Orientalism, Authority and Escapism in Jasmine and Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits"; and Emmie Meadows, "Prostitution: The Road to Empowerment."

Scholarships

Sarah Gordon Scholarship: The scholarship helps literature students who plan to become teachers and literary scholars. The recipient should

Be a rising junior or senior majoring in English with a concentration in Literature
Have a minimum 3.5 GPA
Have earned at least 15 semester hours at Georgia College
Show promise as a literary scholar and /or teacher
Be recommended by the chair of the department, based on input from faculty
If in any given year, should there be no student to meet each of the criteria for eligibility set down in the agreement, an award may be made to a student who most closely meets the criteria as determined to be appropriate by such University authority as may be designated for that purpose.

Wellington Study Abroad Scholarship: The scholarships helps English majors study abroad.