The English Major at Tulane University is a flexible course of study, offering a range of courses in which students learn to think, read, and write creatively and critically. In addition to coursework in diverse literatures, the English Department offers classes in such areas as creative writing, expository and persuasive writing, film, television, graphic novels, hip hop, standup comedy, new media, environmental studies, digital humanities, archival research, cultural studies, gender studies, race, postcoloniality, sexuality, and theory. Our majors receive extensive training in writing, speaking, and critical thinking throughout the curriculum and become adept at close reading, argumentation, complex and inventive thinking, interpretation, analysis, and research. Our courses also invite students to approach their world with a sense of empathy, civic engagement, fairness, and inclusion, both through reading literature and through service learning experiences that allow students to collaborate with local community members, such as those in schools and prisons.
The English Major is at the heart of a liberal arts education. It is also a highly versatile degree: the skills gained in the English Major at Tulane are excellent preparation for many kinds of business and professional careers, as well as for further academic work or artistic endeavors. The experience of our own alumni has proven that English is a desirable degree for those interested in a wide range of career paths. Our graduates have successfully pursued careers in law, television, radio, publishing, editing, communications, business, consulting, management, development, marketing, advertising, the nonprofit sector, writing, speech-writing, museums, journalism, teaching, medicine, psychology, politics, activism, libraries and archival collections, and advanced technology fields. English majors are increasingly in demand in a variety of fields for their ability to write well, to navigate complexity, and to think critically, inventively, and humanely.
For study abroad credit for the English major, consult Prof. Nghana Lewis nlewis2@tulane.edu.