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UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES


The Schools of Nursing and Pharmacy operate on both the Oxford and Jackson campuses. The Schools of Dentistry, Health Related Professionals and Medicine, and the Health Sciences Graduate School, are based in Jackson only. (Additional healthcare programs are available through the School of Applied Sciences on the Oxford campus.) Other than these exceptions, the schools above are on the Oxford campus.

B.A. in English

Explore the power of texts in human cultures and imaginations.

English majors at the University of Mississippi encounter novels, poems, stories, epics, plays, films, autobiographies and more from the year 449 CE to today. Students will navigate the stimulating and diverse world of English-language literatures. They may also select an emphasis in creative writing where they develop their own voice. Students complete a literary interpretation course, courses across five literature periods or groups, and a capstone course with a significant research and writing component.

Key Benefits

The annual John and Renee Grisham Fellowship and the Summer Poet in Residence program bring renowned creative writers to campus to join our nationally acclaimed faculty. From hosting the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference to attending book readings at the Thacker Mountain Radio Show on the Square, students and faculty members see themselves as heirs to the rich literary history of Oxford.

Graduate Outcomes

A liberal arts education empowers and prepares graduates to deal with complexity and change through a broad knowledge of the world. They gain key skills in communication, problem-solving, and working with a diverse group of people. Related careers to English include journalism, education, business, marketing and social media, professional and creative writing, information technology and science, editing and publishing, medicine, public relations, law, communications, politics, advertising, activism, and more.

Experiences Offered

Our creative writing and academic essay contests provide scholarships and allow students to showcase their talents outside as well as in the classroom. Students have been recognized in the Southern Literary Festival, Mississippi Review competition, & the UM Cinema Competition. They publish in the undergraduate literary magazine, Hyperbole, and work for various student media outlets.

B.A. in English Faculty

Students will find many decorated scholars among our 42 faculty members in the Department of English at the University of Mississippi including Karen Raber, current Executive Director of the Shakespeare Association of America, novelist and screenwriter Chris Offutt (True Blood, Treme, Weeds, Country Dark), Mississippi's Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly, memoirist and essayist Kiese Laymon (Heavy), poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil (winner of the Pushcart Prize), and the award-winning novelist Tom Franklin (Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter).

Adetayo Alabi
Professor of English
Patrick E Alexander
Associate Professor of English and African American Studies
Sarah Elizabeth Baechle
Assistant Professor of English
Monika Rani Bhagat-Kennedy
Assistant Professor of English
Matthew R Bondurant
Associate Professor of English
Erin Elizabeth Drew
Associate Professor of English
Leigh Anne Duck
Associate Professor of English and Director of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Cinema
Cristin E Ellis
Associate Professor of English and Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Environmental Studies
Beth Ann Fennelly
Professor of English
Ann Fisher-Wirth
Professor Emerita of English
Tommy G Franklin
Associate Professor of Fiction Writing
Ari Friedlander
Assistant Professor of English
Melissa Allee Ginsburg
Associate Professor of English & Creative Writing
Adam Stefan Gussow
Professor of English and Southern Studies
Jaime Lynn Harker
Director of the Isom Center and Professor of English
Derrick Avin Harriell
Director of African American Studies, Otillie Schillig Associate Professor of English, African American Studies, and Creative Writing
Mary Elizabeth Hayes
Associate Professor of English and Director of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Medieval Studies
Vivian B Hobbs
Senior Lecturer in English
Shari Hodges Holt
Instructional Associate Professor in English
Ivo Kamps
Professor of English
Deanna K Kreisel
Associate Professor of English and Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Environmental Studies
Jennifer Dorothy Lightweis-Goff
Lecturer in English
Scott MacKenzie
Associate Professor of English
Kathryn B McKee
Director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, McMullan Professor of Southern Studies, and Professor of English
Alida Moore
Lecturer in English
Aimee C Nezhukumatathil
Professor of English and Creative Writing
Chris Offutt
Professor Emeritus of English
Dustin J Parsons
Senior Lecturer in English
Andrew Pfrenger
Adjunct Instructor in English and Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program, and Director of the Multi-Disciplinary Studies Program
Karen L Raber
Distinguished Professor of English
Peter P Reed
Associate Professor of English
Jason David Solinger
Associate Professor of English
Elizabeth Carole Spencer
Senior Lecturer in English
Daniel Stout
Associate Professor of British Literature
Annette Trefzer
Professor of English
Judson D Watson
Howry Chair in Faulkner Studies and Professor of English
Ian Whittington
Associate Professor of English
Caroline H Wigginton
Chair and Associate Professor of English
Ethel Young Scurlock
Dean of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and Associate Professor of English and African American Studies

A major in English for the B.A. degree consists of 30 hours in addition to the 200-level literature courses (Eng 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226) required by the College of Liberal Arts. At least 24 hours must be upper-division, including at least 12 hours at the 400 or 500 level. English majors must take Eng 299 (Introduction to Literary Studies) and at least one course in each of three categories as listed below. One of the 400-level courses must be a capstone seminar. See the department website's course descriptions to determine which 400-level courses satisfy the capstone requirement. Eng 199 (Introduction to Creative Writing) and Eng 299 are the only 100- or 200-level courses that may be counted toward the major. No more than 3 hours of Z-graded coursework may be applied to the major. The following categories must be satisfied:   

Sem Hours Category Courses
3 Introduction to Literary Studies Eng 299
3 Literature of the Medieval and Early Modern Periods Eng 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 324, 326, 327, 328, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 426, 427, 428, 506, 507, 513
3 Literatures of the 18th and 19th Centuries Eng 330, 332, 333, 334, 335, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 343, 344, 361, 431, 434, 435, 438, 439, 442, 443, 445
3 Diverse Perspectives Eng 357, 359, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 370, 371, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 396, 462, 465, 468, 469, 472, 473, 474, 476, 479, 481, 483, 486, 488, 489, 490, 491, 493
18 English Electives 199 and 300-, 400-, and 500-level Eng courses as well as the following approved electives taught outside the department: Clc 303, 304, 305, 307, 308, 309, 333; Lin 303, 304, 305, 506, 510, 511, 520.
   No more than 12 hours of English department writing courses (Eng 199, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405) will count toward the major. In lieu of one or two courses during the senior year, a student may take Eng 499 (Senior Thesis) for 3 or 6 credits with approval of the director of undergraduate studies. Students may satisfy the capstone seminar requirement by completing a senior thesis and with approval of the director of undergraduate studies.    English majors may choose to specialize by using their English electives to add one emphasis. The overall degree requirements remain the same.    ### Emphases: English majors may choose a creative writing emphasis by taking 12 hours of creative writing classes. The creative writing emphasis consists of Eng 199 (Introduction to Creative Writing) and three of the following courses: Eng 301, 302, 303, 304, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405.    English majors may receive an editing, writing, and publishing emphasis by taking 12 hours of editing, writing, and publishing courses. The editing, writing, and publishing emphasis consists of Eng 199 (Introduction to Creative Writing), Eng 308 (Editing, Writing, and Digital Publishing), 3 hours of Eng 394 (Internship in Editing, Writing, and Publishing), and one of the following courses: Eng 301, 302, 303, 304, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405.    English majors may choose a literature, justice, and society emphasis by taking 12 hours of the following courses: Eng 307, 357, 359, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 370, 371, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 380, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 388, 389, 391, 396, 407, 412, 458, 462, 465, 468, 469, 472, 473, 474, 476, 479, 481, 483, 486, 488, 489, 490, 491, 493, 494, 495.

Admission requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in English program are the same as the general undergraduate admission requirements.

Julie Dhossche

Julie (B.A. in biochemistry and English, 2011) participated in science research and explored Spanish, but turned to her love of English for the honors thesis where she examined songs in the plays of Shakespeare, exploring the meaning of song and music in Renaissance culture. She earned her medical degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, completed an internship in pediatrics at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, and is finishing a dermatology residency in Portland, Oregon. She is applying for a pediatric dermatology fellowship.

Why study English at UM?
"The study of English is multifaceted--you're learning literature, language, culture, art, philosophy--and you're honing your skills in speaking and writing. The ability to communicate is so valuable in life, and what better place to learn this than in Oxford, MS? The English Department is stellar, and there is something about this place that inspires development and creativity. I never did study abroad in the traditional sense, but my English classes definitely provided me with an opportunity to travel. I spent four years traveling through time and space and humanity with writers, professors and fellow students in our exploration of the English language. I stepped in and out of books and stories and essays, each time gaining an appreciation of how language is manipulated to create meaningful expression and convey ideas and truths about ourselves and our world. People may ask, 'Why a B.A. in English?' I tell them I like to travel."

Student Organizations

Join the Sigma Tau Delta honor society.