Storytelling is a powerful means of representing ways of thinking and being, teaching cultural norms, sharing ideas, and, of course, entertaining audiences. In turn, the practice of reading, discussing, and writing about texts past and present deepens our understanding and appreciation of literature’s role in shaping and reflecting society.

At Southwestern, majoring or minoring in English opens doors to a range of worldviews and experiences. Here, you can 

• analyze Shakespeare’s tragedies on the page and on the stage
• view world cinema or Hollywood romantic comedies with a more critical eye
• discuss the representation of gender in Restoration drama or Romantic verse
• explore the complex and divergent perspectives in the fiction of Mary Shelley, Charlotte Brontë, Mark Twain, Toni Morrison, Chinua Achebe, and Michael Chabon

You’ll learn valuable 21st-century skills of interpretation, analysis, research, and writing, and you’ll graduate ready to apply those skills to a broad spectrum of personal and professional pursuits. In addition to graduate study in English, our alumni have gone on to a variety of careers: teaching in K–12 and higher education, humanities research, social-media marketing, content writing, law, fundraising, instructional design, event planning, and project management.