At Converse, students develop the abilities and skills needed to understand literature’s diversity and scope. With opportunities to experience diverse literary genres—from creative non-fiction to the epic to the novel—English majors gain a comprehensive understanding of the written word. The Department of English at Converse offers a BA in English; a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing, and a BFA in creative and professional writing. New to Converse is the low-residency MFA program for creative writers. Students have been accepted to top programs in their field of interest, including MA, PhD, MFA and communications programs across the nation. Broadly stated, the mission of the Department English is to develop skilled readers, writers and critical thinkers with a strong foundation in literary studies nurtured in a liberal arts environment.

In addition to classroom involvement, students in the Department of English have opportunities to:

  • attend and participate in numerous fiction, poetry and non-fiction readings
  • spend time both informally and formally with a variety of visiting writers and scholars
  • participate in service learning courses that emphasize community involvement alongside English coursework
  • take advantage of travel/study courses that allow participants to study a writer, a genre or a culture to explore literary subjects in a unique educational environment
  • contribute to the award-winning newspaper, The Conversationalist
  • gain editorial and publishing experience on the student-edited literary magazine Concept, as well as submit their own creative work to the magazine
  • participate in student organized readings, lectures and special literary events, recent themes including “Haunted by Words: A Literary Fright Night” and “Literary Heroes”
  • develop marketable skills through professional writing and media internships with local, regional and national literary arts organizations, magazines, news media and publishers
  • become more skilled writers and editors through serving as peer consultants in the Writing Center
  • participate in scholarly conferences such as the Victorians Institute (2006 and 2009) and the 2009 symposia on Hymnody
  • apply for and receive research grants to do research on primary sources in literature
  • present literary research at the National Undergraduate Literature Conference