English Department Opportunities
We offer our students plenty of opportunities for gaining professional experience and making connections before graduating. Between our study abroad and internship opportunities and all of the guest poets, students can meet or get involved in a variety of projects.
Study Abroad
Many English majors study overseas for a semester, most often during their sophomore or junior years. Through our study abroad office, we have arrangements with universities in other countries so that, in most cases, courses taken abroad can count towards students' major or elective requirements.
All students are encouraged to study abroad while at 禁漫天堂. Studying abroad offers great opportunities to live in other countries for an extended period, to study with students from other colleges, and to learn about different cultures. Aside from providing students with an exciting learning experience, studying abroad also helps students to develop a global perspective and helps to distinguish them in a competitive job market.
Guest Poet Series
For many years, we have hosted a Guest Poet series, bringing to the College two poets every academic year. The readings are free to the community, and include a reception and book signing open to the public.
Poets invited to read have included nationally well-known names as well as others whose names may not yet be so well known, but whose work merit attention. In recent years, Galway Kinnell, Donald Hall, Daniel Hoffman, Sharon Olds, Mary Oliver and Marge Piercy have read on campus, as well as Steven Behrendt, Maria Mazzotti Gillan and Ronald Wallace.
Not many English major programs have as many opportunities to meet nationally well-known poets as we offer.
Internships
Student internships for English majors are designed to give students practical experience in research, writing, and editing in a 鈥渞eal world鈥� setting.听English majors have interned at newspapers, magazines, law firms, government offices, advertising agencies, businesses, or non-profit organizations in order to gain hands-on experience in writing environments outside the classroom.听
To earn credit for an internship, students must first听apply听to and be accepted both by the English Department and the organization offering the internship.听Students may find internships through the Career Development Center, with help from the English Department, or on their own.听 Many local internships are competitive, with numerous students from various colleges submitting applications.听Students should apply for internships using the same job search skills that they would employ in seeking a full-time position, including a professional-looking resume and careful preparation for a face-to-face interview.听
Students who have received departmental approval and been offered an internship will then submit an internship contract, in consultation with their on-site supervisor and with the department internship coordinator. This contract specifies the internship employer, dates of employment, weekly hours, goals and objectives for the semester, written work, and the basis for evaluation. Internship contracts should be completed by the time a student registers for the upcoming semester.听
Students in all English major concentrations should consider signing up for an internship during their college experience.听 These not only provide valuable 鈥渞eal world鈥� work experiences in research, writing, and editing, but they broaden your opportunities in the job market after graduation.听
About the internship-for-credit:
- Students may apply for internships of 2-4 credits after their first year, usually in their junior or senior year.听 Fall and Spring internships run during a 14-week semester term and Summer internships run in either 6- or 8-week terms.听 Internships for credit require students work a minimum of 160 hours per term for 4 credits (11-12 hours/week), 120 hours for 3 credits (8-10 hours/week), and 90 hours for 2 credits (6-8 hours/week).听
- In addition to their on-site work, students will complete a series of reflections about their internship and have opportunities to meet with other interns and the department internship coordinator to discuss their workplace experiences.
- No internship credit may be earned retroactively.
- The internship candidate completes a contract form for review and approval by the faculty internship coordinator and the on-site supervisor.
- An internship can be either paid or unpaid.
- Students may not intern at a company owned or managed by a family member of the student, nor may the on-site supervisor be a member of the student's family or working under the supervision of a family member.