Union University

Department of English

Department of English

The Department of English promotes an understanding of literary traditions, teaches students to think analytically and to write with power, and fosters human awareness through course offerings in composition and literature. READ MORE

The English major and minor challenge students with a wide range of courses appealing to the aesthetic as well as the practical nature of humanity, preparing them for the finest graduate programs, qualifying prospective teachers, or providing a strong liberal arts foundation for a professional career.

Program Highlights

  • Three-track major in English (Literature, Writing & English Education)
  • A student-to-teacher ratio of 11:1 in upper-level classes.
  • Nationally-recognized student scholarship and publications
  • A high rate of graduate school acceptance
  • High standards for participation in the Teacher Education Program (3.00 GPA)
  • An excellent placement rate for majors seeking teaching positions
  • Study abroad opportunities
  • A variety of scholarly and social activities each semester
  • The Torch, a student-published creative writing journal
  • Sigma Tau Delta National Honor Society

Faculty

Programs of Study

Please see the Academic Catalogue description for more detail. Some minors do not appear here.

Student Organizations

The department presents an annual award to the student selected as the most outstanding in English. A special award for creative writing, the Helen Blythe Award, is also presented annually. Local, regional and national writing contests are open to students in the department. Recent visiting writers and guest judges at the department’s Annual Creative Writing Workshop include Charles Wright, Kate Daniels and Mark Jarman.

Many students contribute work to the campus publications - The Cardinal and Cream and The Torch. Recent editions of The Torch, the student edited campus literary magazine, have been honored with national awards from Columbia University.

The department sponsors an international studies opportunity every other year. Recent trips have focused on British travel literature and on French and English modern fiction. Students travel with professors during the Winter Term, earning credit toward an English major, minor, or the general core.

Recent News

Garcia to study film in Los Angeles during fall semester

Los Angeles, the center of the entertainment industry, will gain a bright, new mind this fall.  Union University junior Josh Garcia will spend the fall 2010 semester studying at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, a Christian program affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Unive... - (READ MORE)

MORE STORIES
  • 12/4/2009 - Rogers wins Starrett Poetry Prize, will have poetry book published
  • 4/2/2009 - The Torch wins CSPA’s Silver Crown Award
  • 4/3/2008 - Brugaletta to read poetry April 7
  • 4/2/2008 - Richardson to lecture at Lambuth
  • 10/29/2007 - Noted poet Pinsky to speak Nov. 1

View All Union News Releases

Recent Photos

Large | X-Large
5/4/10 - English majors presented their semester long projects outside Barefoots Joe for the annual scholarship symposium. - Morris Abernathy
5/4/10 - English majors presented their semester long projects outside Barefoots Joe for the annual scholarship symposium. - Morris Abernathy

Large | X-Large
5/4/10 - Faculty and students listen to English majors present their semester long projects outside Barefoots Joe for the annual scholarship symposium. - Morris Abernathy
5/4/10 - Faculty and students listen to English majors present their semester long projects outside Barefoots Joe for the annual scholarship symposium. - Morris Abernathy

Large | X-Large
5/4/10 - English majors presented their semester long projects outside Barefoots Joe for the annual scholarship symposium. - Morris Abernathy
5/4/10 - English majors presented their semester long projects outside Barefoots Joe for the annual scholarship symposium. - Morris Abernathy

Contact Information
Course Schedules
Undergraduate Catalogues (.pdf)
Undergraduate Areas of Study
  • Creative Writing, English
  • English-Creative Writing*
  • English-Literature*
  • Literature, English*
  • Writing (Creative), English*

  • * Teacher Licensure Available
  • ** Secondary School Licensure is built around the student's majoring in the teaching field, such as Mathematics, PE, English, etc.
  • *** Indicates area of study available as a minor concentration; all others are available as a major concentration