Department of English

Professors: Kristen Carella, Lucia Z. Knoles (sabbatical Fall2026), David Thoreen; Associate Professors: Becky L. DiBiasio (Chairperson), Christopher Gilbert, Rachel Ramsey, Paul Shields; Associate Professor of Practice: Shahara Drew, Thomas Burke; Visiting Instructor: Mary DiDomenico, Lauren Crockett-Girard, Barry Knowlton; Writer-in-Residence: John Hodgen; Lecturers: Paul Ady, Daniel Schwartz, Benjamin J. Smith, Marisa Segal.

Mission Statement 

“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.” – C.S. Lewis

Literature addresses profound and enduring questions about what it means to be a human being, while challenging us to recognize complexity and ambiguity in our exploration of those questions. The study and creation of literature in all its written, performative, auditory, and visual forms is an enlightening quest of self-discovery that exposes us to a wide range of aesthetic sensibilities and reveals our strengths, vulnerabilities, and potential for change. Experiencing literature leads us to ask deeper questions about our spiritual, intellectual, personal, and cultural assumptions, so that we can come to know ourselves and our larger world more fully.

Through their engagement with literature, students learn to pose questions and employ methods specific to the field of literary studies and to explore the implications of these ways of knowing. They learn to read critically and empathetically and to recognize the significance, quality, and consequences of language. Students learn the value of writing as a means of discovery, as well as to learn to write and speak effectively, exhibiting an awareness of audience. Our courses challenge students to ask ethical questions about literature and its consequences for their values and ways of being in the world. Students also gain a more informed and global understanding of cultural and historical differences. The department seeks to inspire students to take intellectual risks, to synthesize the questions and approaches of the discipline they have learned, and to take responsibility for their continued learning. The department’s programs of study prepare students to become active and engaged learners in both their personal and their professional lives.

Learning Goals 

The department understands “literary,” “literature” and “language” to include written, visual, and performative texts. As members of the English Department, we want our students to:

1. Pose questions and employ methods specific to the field of literary studies and to explore the implications of these ways of knowing;
2. Read critically and empathetically, recognizing the significance, quality, and consequences of language;
3. Write and speak effectively, exhibiting an awareness of audience;
4. Ask ethical questions about literature and its consequences for their values and ways of being in the world;
5. Gain a more informed and global understanding of cultural and historical differences;
6. Take intellectual risks, to synthesize the questions and approaches of the discipline they have learned, and to take responsibility for their own learning. To become lifelong active and engaged learners.

The English Department offers three majors: English, English with an Elementary Education Track, and Communication and Media. The Department also offers three minors: Literature, Writing, and Creative Writing and Magazine Design.