Welcome to the English Program

The mission of the undergraduate English Program is to provide students with an understanding and appreciation of the development and aesthetic achievement of literatures in English, including the cultural, linguistic, and historical influences on English, American and world literatures.

Our program has two primary areas of study -- Literature and Creative Writing -- and offers two majors: the B.A. in English and the B.A. in English with the Teaching Licensure Option.  We also offer the English Minor, which provides students in other majors the opportunity to pair their primary area of study with the skills in reading, writing, interpretation, and critical analysis that the English Department develops in undergraduates.  

For more detail, please see the individual plans of study listed below, and contact our Department Chair with any questions.

Areas of Study

Our department offers a robust creative writing program, including continuing introductory and advanced workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and magazine writing.  The program also hosts visiting writers, lecturers, and guest instructors on a rotating basis.

A full list of currently offered creative writing courses can be found in the .

The study of literatures in English is a central feature of the English major at MSUB.  In addition to rotating survey courses in World, British, and American literatures, our faculty offers specialties in Shakespeare and twentieth-century British literature, nineteenth-century American literature, and environmental literature.

A full list of currently offered literature courses can be found in the .

Majors

Satisfactory achievement of the student’s professional goals depends, in large part, on careful planning. In order to help students majoring in English to develop programs of studies that best reflect their professional goals, the faculty in the Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages requires students to participate in a strong program of academic advisement. The close personal and professional relationships of such a program can strengthen both students and faculty. Certain courses in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Arts with Teaching Licensure programs have prerequisites, and students should check with their advisors for courses in the catalog with required prerequisites.

By the end of the second year of study, Bachelor’s degree candidates should have developed, in consultation with their advisors, a program of studies designed to meet individual goals. In addition, students should supplement requirements in the major with coursework in related academic disciplines. The student’s faculty advisor will help select related courses that best supplement a program of studies.

Some students who major in English continue their professional education beyond the baccalaureate degree. Law school is an example of a professional school which recommends English as an undergraduate major for applicants. Areas of employment open to English graduates with Bachelor of Arts degrees include journalism, public relations, technical writing and editing positions, and other career fields which require the ability to use language effectively. Graduates in Education with majors in English most often enter the teaching profession at the secondary level.

Students who attend class regularly, complete the required courses, and work diligently will achieve the following outcomes:

  • Skills in writing expressive, literary, referential, and persuasive discourse;
  • Knowledge of the grammar, structure, development and use of the English language;
  • Understanding of the critical approaches to and development of American, British, and World literature.

In conjunction with the College of Education, the English Major with the prepares students for teaching careers in Montana's primary and secondary schools.

Teaching majors must complete the College of Education's  in addition to a specialized list of required English courses tailored to future teachers.

Faculty in English

Our faculty is dedicated to the teacher-scholar model of higher education, and our faculty members are engaged in research and writing projects that support and extend the work of the classroom.

Allison Bailey
Senior Lecturer, English

Jay Gentry
Assistant Professor of English

Dr. Amalie Kwassman
Assistant Professor of English 

Dr. Jennifer Lodine-Chaffey
Assistant Professor of English

Leigh Ann Ruggiero
Assistant Professor of English