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Department of English

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The Department of English offers a number of majors and minors as well as courses in support of American Studies, Women’s Studies, teacher certification programs, the Liberal Arts Core and the University Honors program.

Coursework within the English Department aims to develop your skills as a creative thinker and perceptive analyst and to ensure that you can apply these skills to written works, digital media, and the world around you. You’ll develop confidence in your written and oral communication skills, skills that are valued highly outside of the classroom. Our diverse curriculum, which features coursework in rhetoric and composition, literary and cultural studies, creative writing, and linguistics, will help you uncover and develop your skills and passions in a wide variety of areas, opening up career possibilities in law, teaching, writing, editing, publishing, library and information science, higher education, human resources, and a variety of other fields.

Because of the breadth of English as a field, rather than preparing you for a handful of future pathways, a major in English will equip you with skills that will serve you all your life: strong written and oral communication, a keen analytical sense, emotional intelligence and empathy, the ability to consider multiple perspectives, an appreciation for diversity, ethical decision-making, experience working with others, a penchant for creative expression, a generous skepticism.  Many of these skills are highly prized by employers (Employers Actively Seek Humanities Majors' Skills) and they’re also incredibly flexible: they’ll serve you as a librarian or a banker, a teacher or a content creator, a poet or a lawyer. This might explain why humanities majors are accepted to medical and law school at higher than average rates (Humanities Majors Outperform Their Peers).

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Though my career path has been unexpected, my English degree from ECSU has continually been put to good use. Being able to clearly articulate yourself whether verbally or via writing is something that will serve you well in any field. I would encourage any current English major that your degree will not be put to waste and that there will be many, many open doors for you once you graduate. Don’t limit yourself!
Alee Rogan ‘15
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Department Chair
Dr. Stephen Ferruci
Webb Hall Rm. 230
(860) 465-0653
(860) 465-4580
ferrucis@easternct.edu		 Secretary
Ms. Miranda Lau
Webb Hall Rm. 225
(860) 465-4570
(860) 465-4580
laum@easternct.edu
Associate Chair
Dr. Jordan Youngblood
Webb Hall Rm. 255
(860) 465-1018
(860) 465-4580
youngbloodj@easternct.edu		  
members of the English department faculty
students from the Sigma Tau Delta honor society
english majors speaking at forum
professor and student posing for photo
professor teaching students
professor posing for photo

Faculty Spotlights

Christopher Torockio

Professor

“My favorite teaching moments are when a student who came to class having no idea that they liked to write discovers their voice and realizes that they have a passion for writing.” Read More

Christopher Torockio

Allison Speicher

Professor

“As a liberal arts true believer, a trained teacher and a first-generation college graduate, I knew Eastern’s students were the students I was meant to be teaching.” Read More

Allison Speicher

In the News

Awardees and Ferruci

English Night recognizes nearly 50 students for academic achievements

 December 16, 2024

Eastern Connecticut State University’s Department of English hosted an awards ceremony and capstone presentations on Dec. 5 to celebrate student achievements. English Night recognized five scholarship recipients, 39 inductees into the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and featured five capstone presentations.

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English students present among CSU peers

December 12, 2024

Twelve students from Eastern Connecticut State University’s Department of English showcased their literary research at the Connecticut State Universities (CSU) Undergraduate English Conference on Nov. 1. The event was held at Central Connecticut State University and allowed undergraduates to share their scholarly and creative projects, developed under the mentorship of faculty members Allison Speicher, Susan DeRosa and Ken McNeil.

Concepcion speaks with Windham High students.

New MLA grant provides 'pathway' for underrepresented English students

 December 02, 2024

English students will benefit from a new Modern Language Association (MLA) grant to promote academic success among students historically underrepresented in the humanities. Officially titled "New Pathways for Students of Color, First-Generation College Students, and Pell Grant Recipients to Enter Eastern Connecticut State University’s English Program," the initiative is designed to empower marginalized students and help them unlock their full academic potential.

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Connect With Us on Social Media Eastern English Department @ECSUEnglishDept ecsuenglishdept Eastern English Department
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Programs of Study

  • The Eastern English department is a vibrant and creative community that brings together students and faculty inside the classroom and out to support one another as writers, thinkers, and individuals. Whether we're practicing applying critical theories in class or enjoying one another's company at the annual Sigma Tau Delta ice cream social, we're united by a shared love of language and literature. That's not to say we're all the same: we're poets and rhetoricians, literary historians and linguists, composition theorists and film buffs. And that's why you should study English at Eastern: because you'll get an introduction to the wide range of disciplines that make up English studies and the opportunity to discover and develop the interests and passions that mean the most of you. Thanks to our small class sizes, we can offer you a powerful combination of support and rigor: we'll ask a lot of you but walk alongside you to help you get there.

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  • The Liberal Studies major at Eastern is offered exclusively to students who are preparing to become elementary or early childhood educators. Students may complete the undergraduate education program or enroll in the Early Start master’s degree program to earn their certification. The program offers concentrations in the Natural Sciences, History/Social Sciences, English, Mathematics and Environmental Earth Sciences to prepare students for certification as early childhood or elementary teachers and develop in-depth expertise in a single subject.

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  • Eastern's Women’s and Gender Studies program offers a quality undergraduate education in gender scholarship. Students learn about the achievements and activism of women and other historically underrepresented groups as they consider how gender and other identities shape social experiences. Students think about social change in informed ways and are able to apply their acquired knowledge, analytical skills and competencies to their careers and everyday life. A minor in Women's and Gender Studies is also available.

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  • Students in the Writing minor explore writing from the imaginative to the persuasive, from fiction to political blogs, from graphic novels to video essays – as writers and critics. Students develop interests and goals, whether in creative writing, rhetoric, business writing, editing and publishing, or any combination of these.

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