Students in Dickinson's Department of English study a range of English-language texts, including novels, poems, plays, graphic narratives, films, television and other work.
Our curriculum is flexible and focused, allowing majors to follow their own interests through diverse course offerings that address core questions (of author and audience; culture, nation and identity; form, medium and materiality; and history, period and influence).
Classes deepen the skills that help students to engage in critical conversations with authority and purpose. This culminates in an independently chosen senior thesis project—and then, a life beyond Dickinson in which English majors continue to show how reading, writing and thinking are vital to understanding and shaping our world.
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University
Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications
Johns Hopkins University
Columbia University
Where Students Have Interned
NPR
Christie’s
Rodale Inc.
WriteGirl Los Angeles
Smithsonian Institution
NBC/Universal
Penguin Group
WHDH Boston
Student Perspective
“I really loved taking Plague Years with Associate Professor of English Claire Seiler. Learning about the different types of literature, propaganda, films and advertisements produced in the influenza epidemic of 1918 and the midcentury polio crisis was incredibly interesting and introduced me to the fields of health humanities and disability/mobility studies, which are now part of my personal interests in the world of literature.”
Dickinson Celebrates Outstanding Research & Writing
Dickinson honors the winners of its annual FYS Excellence in Writing Award, the Prize for Excellence in First Year Research and the Research Prize for Sophomores or Juniors.
'High Fidelity' Connections: Nick Hornby Hits High Note at Dickinson
“It’s such a rare and amazing opportunity." Celebrated writer Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, An Education) packed a powerful punch of inspiration during his Dickinson residency.
Who gets to access the arts? Can you translate one art form into another? Students investigate these questions and more alongside Veronika Yadukha, our first Beyond the New Normal artistic resident.
Bringing Social Responsibility to Work: Rachel Keen Hutchisson '89
“The idea is to bring social responsibility to work and make data-informed decisions based on these values." Meet social-impact champion Rachel Keen Hutchisson '89.