Department of English
Department of English
Monmouth University’s Department of English gives students the opportunity to study literature, writing, and rhetoric in a supportive and engaging intellectual community of faculty and peers. English majors and minors are encouraged to pursue their interests under the direction of dedicated and accomplished faculty mentors both inside and outside the classroom, and can choose from a range of programs and courses offerings in the areas of literature, creative writing and professional writing. Students will enhance their close reading and analytical skills as they encounter the pleasures and possibilities found in reading literary works of aesthetic and cultural value. A major or minor in English enables students to develop critical awareness that prepares them for careers in the areas of teaching, law, business, publishing, writing, and administration, and most importantly, lays the foundation for a lifelong engagement with the versatility, power, and beauty of language.
M.A./M.F.A in Creative Writing
Monmouth’s M.A./M.F.A. dual-degree program builds upon our 30-credit M.A. in English with a new 18-credit M.F.A. curriculum. Graduates will leave the program ready to pursue publication of their own work and qualified to seek careers in higher education, publishing, and related fields.
After completing their M.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration, Monmouth’s M.F.A. students will immerse themselves in an additional 18 credits of intensive study that includes advanced craft seminars, workshops, networking opportunities with publishing professionals and visiting writers, and career preparation in our internship program and reserved adjunct teaching positions.
Transfer students from other M.A. programs and alums with non-CW M.A. degrees from Monmouth may apply for our bridge program to complete the M.F.A. Part-time status, night classes, financial aid, graduate assistantships, and paid teaching opportunities available.
Scholarly Speaker Series
Hélène Quanquin
“Men in the American Women’s Rights Movement, 1830-1890: Cumbersome Allies.”
Monday, March 1, 12 p.m.
Read the article on this unique series featured on page 4 of our Department Newsletter, Words Matter.
Virtual Tuesday Night Book Club
Tuesday Night Book Club is hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack and Michael Thomas. Each month they’ll explore a different novel. All you have to do is Zoom in and join the discussion!
Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About
When We Talk About Love
January 26, 2021
Register here.
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
February 23, 2021
Register here.
Rebecca Skloot’s
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
March 30, 2021
Register here.
Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad
April 20, 2021
Register here.
Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six
May 11, 2021
Register here.
For more information about the Virtual Tuesday Night Book Club, please visit https://www.monmouth.edu/mca/series/tuesday-night-book-club/.
Visiting Writers Series
The Visiting Writers Series was introduced to campus in 2005 as a way to connect students with contemporary authors whose works have significantly impacted the world of literature. Founded by Michael P. Thomas, poet and Associate Dean for the Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities & Social Sciences, the Series has become a celebrated component of the University’s Center for the Arts.
Read our Q & A’s with the 2019-2020 Visiting Writers here. For more information about the Visiting Writers Series, please visit https://www.monmouth.edu/mca/series/visiting-writers-series/.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Welcome 2021! Mark your calendar for two events on Friday, January 22! Join us for the EN MA & MFA
Meet and Greet: Graduate Faculty, New Students, Current Students at 3:30 p.m., followed by the
New Student Q&A at 4:30 p.m.!
Read the Fall 2020 issue of our Department newsletter,
Words Matter.
The 2nd Annual
Toni Morrison Day celebration will be held on February 18! Submit a brief paper proposal
to participate in the
Student Symposium.
Meet Monmouth University Polling Institute Intern, Jimmy Watson! Read his blog post, “‘Unprecedented Times’? We’ve Seen This Stuff Before.”
Monmouth Now:
Congratulations to Professor Estes on her election to the MLA Forum Executive Committee. Read the complete article.
Congratulations to Professor Bluemel for winning the Leverhulme Visiting Professorship! Read the full article.
Read Professor Womack‘s article, “What Happened on John Lennon’s Last Day,” in Smithsonian Magazine.
Professor Moscaliuc Hosts Reading from “Border Lines: Poems of Migration” on Nov. 15. Read the full article here.
—————–
Read the “MLA Statement Deploring Systemic Racism” at www.mla.org.