Welcome to the Department of English

Majoring in English at UNC Wilmington means more than reading books and writing papers. The best minds in the country meet the students on the common ground of learning through the Buckner Lectures, which has brought such notables as Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike and award-winning author Susan Cheever to campus.

Here, English majors are part of a community of learners, contributing original scholarship and also putting this knowledge into practice.

From one-on-one interaction with faculty to service learning opportunities built into the curriculum, the English Department values student contributions and supports them in experiences that prepare them for life after college.

Dedicated Mentoring

English faculty get to know each of their students through small classes and one-on-one mentoring. Courses in English are typically no larger than 30 students -- and many are under 20 -- so professors have the time to meet with students individually to answers questions and guide their development. Majors also receive detailed advising, not only when preparing to register for courses each term, but also when they make decisions about what they plan to do after graduation. Also, being an English major doesn't mean saying goodbye at the end of four years; we keep in touch with our former students with an extensive and frequently updated area of our Web site called Alumni Update. If you're curious about where an English degree can lead you, click on Alumni Update and see the variety of careers our graduates have carved out for themselves.

Student Research

Faculty also guide students in developing their own research agendas. The Department awards Wentworth Travel Grants every year for students to pursue research abroad. Qualified undergraduates can also work with faculty to write an Honors Thesis, an individual research project based on the students own interests. Graduate students also have the option of completing a Masters Thesis as part of their degree, with the ultimate goal of producing original scholarship for publication.

Applied Learning

Being part of the English Department community also extends beyond Morton Hall. Students can apply their learning outside the classroom by working with real-world clients to put their education into practice. Our department prides itself on providing opportunities for students to become applied learners by incorporating service learning components throughout the curriculum, particularly Professional Writing courses and in the PW Internship. Each semester the department also highlights these service learning projects with the English in Action Showcase.

About the clickable photos below:

News and Events

Buckner Lecture Series

Charlotte Gordon, Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Endicott College, is the author of Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. In her lecture at UNCW, Gordon will discuss Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley and explore how their fascinating and unusual mother/daughter relationship materializes in Frankenstein. The event is free and open to all. (We had to postpone the lecture due to Hurricane Florence, and will post the new date and time as soon as we are able. Thanks for your patience!) 

Dean's Lecture Series in the Humanities

Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina's ninth poet laureate, will present a lecture titled "The Poet as Documentarian, Historian, and Agitator" at 6 pm on Thursday, October 18th in the Cultural Arts Building Mainstage (room 1069). The event is free and open to the public.

Alumni Highlight

Hannah Kendrick

Marketing Assistant, Kerridge Commercial Systems

"Learning Adobe in my Professional Writing classes has been quite a talking point in many job interviews and ultimately helped me secure my position at Kerridge Commercial Systems. We use Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator the most, and my experience from classes has provided me with a strong foundation for learning more!"

Internship Corner

Kendall Rogers

Port City Brew Bus

"Working for Port City Brew Bus and Wilmington Ale Trail allows me to interact with the public via social media. Because of this internship I feel more connected to the community of Wilmington and the business owners in it. I have also learned a lot about beer and been able to sample a lot of different styles of beer I never tried before."

See some of her work in her portfolio here. To see other common internship click here.