Why English

People have always told stories to explore what it means to be human. Our department is a supportive community of readers, writers, and scholars contributing to this ever-changing story.  Through seminar-style discussion and project-based learning, English majors learn how to analyze texts, think critically, and communicate their knowledge and ideas. Our faculty are active in their fields, publishing their scholarship and creative work; our department brings noteworthy writers to campus for readings, workshops, and conversation. Many of our students take on internships, conduct independent and faculty-mentored research, publish in our university’s literary journal Headwaters, and are active in Asheville’s vibrant writing community.

What You’ll Learn

From antiquity to our contemporary moment, you will study Western and world literature to learn how novelists, poets, playwrights, and literary critics shaped, and were shaped by, our shared cultural and historical contexts.  Creative writing students learn how to critique poetry, fiction, drama, and creative non-fiction in a workshop setting, and craft a longer manuscript of their own in their senior year. Our graduates enjoy meaningful careers as teachers, professional writers, journalists, entrepreneurs, and more.