Reading and writing are at the heart of human culture. Through the literature that we read and the literature that we create, we connect with others in our own communities and around the world. The English Department at Hiram College provides dynamic programs in literature and creative writing that prepare students for rewarding careers, challenging graduate-school experiences, and rich personal lives. Our graduates work as writers, editors, lawyers, reporters, college professors, high-school teachers, librarians, researchers, filmmakers, ministers, and in many other professional positions.
With two majors and two minors, the English Department offers students the flexibility to tailor their education to their own personal goals. Working closely with a faculty mentor, students design a course plan, seek out internships, and develop senior capstone projects that allow them to reach their full potential. Our creative writing program is one of the few in Ohio to highlight creative nonfiction while also offering advanced coursework in fiction, poetry, and screenwriting.
Literature courses in British, American, and world literature reach back to the classics, such as the Arthurian romance, and forward to the most contemporary writers, including Cormac McCarthy and Jhumpa Lahiri.
The English Department encourages each student toward professional-level work. During their senior year, students extensively revise a scholarly or creative work, pushing their own thinking, research, and writing skills beyond the undergraduate level. Recent senior projects have included poetry chapbooks, an analysis of Ann Radcliffe’s Gothic novels, short stories, and scholarly essays on Indian literature.
English SPOTLIGHT
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Young Adult Literature Symposium
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Two Days:
Tuesday, March 13 & Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Pritchard Room, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Chris Crutcher is the author of thirteen books, including the YA book Angry Management, which was a nominee for the ALA Best Book of 2010. His books are among those most frequently banned in the United States, and he is active in anti-censorship campaigns.
Wednesday: In today’s complex world, are there still subjects off-limits for young adults? And who decides where the boundaries are? Join a panel of prestigious Young Adult writers to discuss appropriate topics for teen fiction. Our panelists include Angela Johnson, author of 30 books, including Heaven and The First Part Last; Tricia Springstubb, author of Give and Take and The Moon on a String; J.T. Dutton, author of Freaked and Stranded; and Trudy Krisher, author of Spite Fences and Kinship. Moderator Rollie Welch is a librarian who has served on national book selection committees for the American Library Association and who reviews teen novels in several publications.