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 Wordsworth’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 180
Film and Writing
Description
A study in reading films and writing about them, partly to illustrate the main elements of film language and partly to pose challenging texts for reading and writing.
ENGL 222
Playwriting I
Description
A workshop in writing for the stage, we will begin with exercises that lead to the making of short plays and, by the end of the term, longer plays—ten minutes and up in length.
ENGL 372
Reading the Romance
Description
Is the “romance” genre an escape from real-world conflicts or a resolution of them? This course analyzes romantic narratives from across the world through the lens of feminist theories of sexuality, marriage, and romance.
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.
Creative Writing at Amherst College
January 2, 2019
Judith Frank talks about what it takes to succeed as a writer and touches on what students can expect from the creative writing program at Amherst College.