The Major
Students majoring in English are encouraged to explore the department’s wide range of offerings in literature, film, culture and creative writing.
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Through courses in literature, film, poetry, culture and creative writing, our students learn to read closely, think critically and write well. Our faculty incorporate an increasing number of perspectives and traditions into their teaching and research.
Department Highlights
Notable Writers
The Amherst English Department has been home to many renowned writers, including Robert Frost, Richard Wilbur, Eve Sedgwick, James Merrill, David Ferry, Dan Chiasson, Lauren Groff and David Foster Wallace.
After Amherst
Our alumni go on to careers in writing, publishing, business, government, the economic sector, nonprofits, academia and more. They are an excellent resource for current students.
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Folger Library
Amherst’s Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., offers opportunities to study and engage in cultural and arts programs, including scholarships to conduct research there during summer and interterm breaks.
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Emily Dickinson Museum
Several of our poetry courses take advantage of the College’s Emily Dickinson Museum, which is located just across the street from campus.
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Student Steering Committee
This independent body of students is responsible for organizing events, advising the department on curricular matters and in general representing the needs and views of English majors to the faculty.
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Rare Books in our Classrooms
Amherst students are able to examine Wordworth’s own books, as well as Medieval manuscripts, theatrical holdings, Native American literature, and books by and about Robert Frost held in our archival collections.
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Our Building
The English Department is housed in the College’s iconic Johnson Chapel, built in 1827.
Our History
The Amherst English department has changed a lot over the course of the last century. We’ve put together a brief history of our department here.
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Literary Amherst
Amherst is one of the world’s premier writing colleges, with an enviable literary legacy. Our outstanding faculty and alumni include influential and award-winning novelists, poets, journalists and critics, and our renowned literary publications are read around the world.
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Current Courses
ENGL 105
Engaging Literature: Close Reading
Description
Dwell on texts patiently, slow down the process of moving from mystery to certainty, and open yourself to crosscurrents of potential meaning to become a more accurate and nuanced reader.
ENGL 221
Writing Poetry I
Description
Learn about the rudiments of craft through weekly writing exercises. Read and discuss your classmates’ work as you study the elements of prosody: line, stanza forms, meter, free verse and more.
ENGL 458
Indigenous American Epics
Description
Delve deeply into Native epics as “ancient American” literature, narratives of tribal history and living political constitutions. Study the specific contexts of each and the “intellectual trade routes” that link them together.
A Major Change
The English Department ends its comp exam, and launches a dynamic student symposium instead.
For some six decades, each senior English major, in order to graduate, had to pass the department’s Comprehensive Exam. Until something better came along.
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Prizes & Awards
Our department offers annual prizes for student essays, poetry, fiction and other writing.
Featured Article
Breaking the Language Barrier
“Translation is the art of failure,” said Umberto Eco. But these two students found success and connection by gathering resonant, hard-to-translate phrases from across campus.
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