English

Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts

Creative Writing

Take part in workshops in poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. Let literary texts inspire your writing journey. Connect with living writers through reading series and internships.

Learn More

Apply the traditional literary practices of close reading and critical thinking to the realm of film and media. Learn about various practices through historical study of American and world cinema, theoretical analysis and creative production.

Learn More

Literary Studies

Take courses in global English literatures, from medieval poetry to postmodern theory. Grow as a critical writer with skills in literary rhetoric and poetics. Learn about cultures. Participate in research projects, honors projects and internships.

Learn More

From Beowulf to Toni Morrison, from eco-poetry to Hitchcock films, the texts and images that we read help us to find wisdom across cultures, communicate what we know, initiate change and create the images and texts of the future. || Why English?

Bucknell’s English department offers three majors: creative writing, film/media studies and literary studies.

Student Spotlight

Action and Expression

Jackson Pierce-Felker ’18

double major: psychology and English - creative writing

"I believe that we can best unite humanity through art and creative expression."

Becoming a Leader

Alex Rosen '16

triple major: literary studies, history and Spanish

"The people I’ve met at Bucknell have inspired me to have confidence in my own strength as a leader within my majors, activities and other passions."

Reaching Goals Through Community

Zoe Russell '17

double major: creative writing and sociology

"The fulfillment I get out of being a part of these amazing communities where we work to achieve goals and watch them unfold with great success, and have fun — I wouldn't give it up for a million full nights of sleep."

Faculty Spotlight

Meet all of our faculty

Professor

Paula Closson Buck

Taking risks in thinking and supporting those risks with craft are things Bucknell prides itself on.

More about Professor Closson Buck

Assistant Professor

Ken Eisenstein

"Part of the fun of teaching and watching films with students is that they see things that I haven’t seen, which prompts me to think about the films in a different way. Working with their ideas is great."

Learn more about Professor Eisenstein

Professor of English; Director, Griot Institute for Africana Studies

Carmen Gillespie

"The literature that most moves me are the works that help us to not be confined by the experiences we've had, but to imagine something greater."

Learn more about Professor Gillespie

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 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.