New Student Guide

What is “English?”

The field of English breaks down into three major categories for graduate school research: composition and rhetoric, literature, and creative writing. The divisions within these larger categories, however, break down even further—not all creative writing is the same (poetry, nonfiction, fiction) or in literature, the categories range from the classics and Anglo-Saxon literature to contemporary novels and chapbooks. Therefore, “English” is much more than it seems.

 

Join Organizations Early:

First-year students are required to take ENG 111 and ENG 112 before they can move onto the upper-level English courses meaning that in the first year at McKendree, they aren’t able to take anything else. Because of this, we encourage students to join the Literary Interest Society to get acclimated to the major, meet current students, interact with faculty, and most importantly, enjoy literature with fellow literature lovers!

 

Go beyond the book list:

In any given class, a professor can only cover so much material.