Departmental Brochure
 As an English major at Fairfield University, you will find a program that offers the satisfaction that comes from the study of literature and writing, as well as preparation for careers that require skills in analysis and communication. The English department offers a lively and diverse program, with courses in literature, creative writing, journalism, and professional writing. Writing students have many opportunities to present their work in public, including readings, publications, and performances. The largest internship program in the College of Arts and Sciences allows students to assess their interest in real-world contexts and to prepare for future employment. The English major is also an excellent preparation for graduate study and careers in teaching.
Course of Study
As an English major, you may choose courses in literature, creative writing, journalism, and professional writing. You will work closely with an advisor in the English department to plan your course of study.
The following are prerequisites to all English courses:
- Composition and Prose Literature
- Introduction to Literature
In addition to these two courses, the major requires 10 upper-level courses. Five of these must satisfy the core requirements in literature. These ensure that you are familiar with historical perspectives and the ways in which the production and reception of literature are affected by literary genre and theoretical and societal positions. The other five courses for the major are electives. You are encouraged to develop a plan of study that suits your own interests and goals. Some courses among the many you can choose are:
- Rise of the British Novel
- Race, Culture, and American Realism
- Irish Drama
- Love, Gender, Spirituality: Literature of Early Modern England
- Introduction to Cultural Studies
- News Writing
- Creative Writing: Poetry II
- Language and Literacy
- International Professional Writing or Technical Writing
- Journalism Editing and Design
Career Preparation and Internships
The English department works closely with the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions to prepare English majors to teach in secondary schools. Many other English majors are interested in careers in publishing, journalism, public relations, or broadcasting and can test their interests and find postgraduate opportunities through internships. Students have held internships at The New Yorker, Greenwood Publishing Group, daily newspapers, with television stations - including network affiliates - and in many other areas. Some who are interested in careers with nonprofit organizations have completed internships at such places as the Mercy Learning Center, an adult literacy program for women in Bridgeport.
Special Opportunities
Students have the opportunity of working on the department's national literary magazine, Dogwood: A Journal of Poetry and Prose, by taking the course EN/W 340 World of Publishing. Dogwood has won many honors.
One of its authors was awarded a Pushcart Prize for work in the magazine, and four of its poems appeared on Verse Daily. One poem in the work appears each day on this site. Students participate in hands-on decision making and learn the stages of magazine editing.
Students can showcase their writing through public readings, competitions, and publication in The Sound, the literary magazine. In drama courses, students see their work performed on stage through a collaboration with the theatre program.
 Fairfield's writers have published poetry in more than 25 national journals, including Indiana Review, The Spoon River Poetry Review, National Forum, and Willow Springs, as well as book reviews in Quarterly West and Calyx. Two former students founded a national literary magazine, Amaranth, and another is a poet-in-residence.
Students have the opportunity to meet in small groups with visiting writers and to attend public readings and performances. Such writers have included Julia Alvarez, Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, June Jordan, Galway Kinnell, Frank McCourt, Sharon Olds, and Joyce Carol Oates.
Peter Bayers
Ph.D., University of Rhode Island
American literature, the Frontier and the West in literature, Native American literature, gender studies |
Elizabeth Boquet
Ph.D., Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Composition theory, Writing Center administration |
Betsy A. Bowen
Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University
Rhetoric, composition, literacy |
Kim Bridgford
Ph.D., University of Illinois
Creative writing; poetry, 20th-century literature |
Robert Epstein
Ph.D., Princeton University
Medieval literature, Chaucer |
Johanna X. J. Garvey
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Comparative literature, African American literature, gender studies, Caribbean women writers |
Diane Menagh
Ph.D., City University of New York
18th-century English literature, Irish literature |
James F. Mullan
Ph.D., Fordham University
The novel, modern British literature, Irish-American literature |
Sally O'Driscoll
Ph.D., City University of New York
18th-century literature, comparative literature, women's studies, lesbian and gay studies |
Nels C. Pearson
Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park
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Elizabeth A. Petrino
Ph.D., Cornell University
19th-century American literature, poetry, gender studies |
Gita Rajan
Ph.D., University of Arizona
Victorian literature, cultural studies, post-colonial and globalization studies |
Mariann Regan
Ph.D., Yale University
Early modern literature, gender studies |
Richard Regan
Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Shakespeare, comedy, computer-assisted instruction, film |
David A. Sapp
Ph.D., New Mexico State University
Professional writing, rhetoric, composition/critical pedagogy |
James Simon
Ph.D., Arizona State
Print journalism, environmental reporting, student media |
Michael C. White
Ph.D., University of Denver
Creative writing, fiction, the American short story |
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Life After Fairfield
 English majors find a wide range of occupations where they can use their knowledge and skills. Some recent graduates have gone into publishing, taking positions at St. Martin's Press and Random House, newspapers such as the Connecticut Post, and at magazines such as Redbook and Rolling Stone. A number have completed the minor in secondary education and qualified for teaching jobs in public and private schools around the northeast. A few have combined their writing skills and an interest in science to work as technical writers. Business firms seek out English majors for their analytic and communication skills. Recent English majors have been employed by numerous corporations. Others go to prestigious law schools like Stanford. Those seeking further education in the last few years have been accepted at such institutions as Boston College, Columbia University, Fordham University, Northwestern University, and Sarah Lawrence College.
For further information please contact:
Dr. James Simon, Department Chair
Donnarumma Hall 104
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
Telephone: (203) 254-4000 ext. 2792
E-mail: jsimon@mail.fairfield.edu
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