English

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts

Harold Schweizer

Ask the Experts

Harold Schweizer

Professor of English Harold Schweizer talks about the value of waiting in an impatient world.

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See our beautiful campus from anywhere.

Virtual Tour

Start with the Academic Quad, the heart of campus. The Quad is flanked by Vaughan Literature, Marts Hall and Coleman Hall, home to our humanities, languages and social sciences classrooms and faculty offices.  

Start Touring!

Literature as catalyst

Eliza MacDonald '14

"Though literature is a catalyst for our imaginations, to actually enter, and feel like a part of the spaces and personal worlds of the authors and texts that we were studying, is such a transcendent experience."

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Confused about a reading? Need another set of eyes on your writing?

Talk to the English graduate students in the British and American Literature Lab.

Check out the schedule.

Question

Do I need to take ENGL 101 if I want to be an English major, or ENGL 106 if I want to concentrate in creative writing?

No. If you have fulfilled your W1 requirement and feel confident about your reading and writing skills, you should begin your studies in English with a 200-level class.

Words, words, words. From the immortal works of Shakespeare, to LGBT poetry, to hip-hop lyrics and Hitchcock films, texts and writing are our way of communicating, understanding and challenging each other, putting forth new ideas, expressing ourselves and initiating change.

At Bucknell you can concentrate on literary studies, creative writing, or film and media studies. Learn from award-winning writers and respected scholars who will see to it that you grow intellectually. Whether your career plans include writing, acting, academics, medicine or advertising, you'll impress with your analytical skills.

Did You Know?

World-renowned writers visit Bucknell to share their insights. Past visitors include Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike and Salman Rushdie.

Students study a range of topics in literature and culture, such as Caribbean and Irish literature, literary theory, African American literature, gay and lesbian literature, gender studies, film studies, science and literature and children's literature.

Students publish in literary magazines and participate in poetry and fiction readings.

Three concentrations: literary studies, creative writing and film and media studies. Three minors: American literature, British literature and creative writing.

Faculty Spotlight

Meet all of our faculty

Robert Roseberg

Associate Professor

Robert Rosenberg

Contemporary English fiction has become wonderfully diversified, with a thrilling number of voices, all chiming in to capture the flux and interconnectedness of our time.

More about Professor Rosenberg

Why English?

We asked students to tell us in five words or less why they love English.

Hands-on Experience

Outside the Classroom

Study Abroad

Complement your English major by spending a summer, semester or year abroad exploring the culture, traditions, language and literary style of another country.

Recently, English majors have studied in London and Barbados.

Research

Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects

Students have many opportunities to work with professors and pursue scholarly and creative projects. Often this work culminates in an honors thesis. Recent honor thesis have included:"Global Readers: Woolf on the Russians, Emerson on the Persians" and "Taking the Stand: Meditations on Suffering."

Internships

Internships

Internships prepare English majors for career success by providing firsthand experience in the field. Recently, English students have interned with Goldman Sachs, People Magazine and CBS News.

West Branch, a nationally distributed and widely respected literary magazine published at Bucknell, offers internships to two Bucknell students each semester.

Department of English

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