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Department of Literature
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Undergraduate Study
The literature BA program offers students the chance to choose one of four exciting tracks, or focuses of study. In the Literary Studies track, students come to understand why literature matters: how it defines culture, the human, and our values, and how it facilitates empathy. The Cinema Studies track allows students to study literature alongside cinema and to discern the ways that cinema as a language and art shapes our society. In our new Transcultural Studies track, students focus on various cultural texts (such as literature, theater, film, television, and social media) in a global and multicultural context. Lastly, the Creative Writing track gives students the opportunity to hone their craft and improve their poetry or prose in close-knit workshops. In each of the tracks, students work with dedicated, award-winning faculty who pay close attention to the needs of each individual.
The department also offers minors in Cinema Studies, Creative Writing, Literature, and Transcultural Studies.
A combined BA/MA is also available.
Graduate Study
See more MFA alum publications in the program Wall of Fame.
News & Notes
Why Study in the Department of Literature?
Literature majors garner excellent writing and communication skills. They know how to learn, to analyze and comprehend other viewpoints, and to argue for ideas. Literature majors have a range of employment and internship opportunities. Ninety percent of our majors hold internships. In terms of careers, they work in publishing, public radio, law, education, advocacy, and politics.
Employers in all sectors are increasingly saying that they need employees who can write well and communicate. Lit majors find themselves well prepared for the competitive job market. They also take advantage of a wide array of study abroad opportunities. See our full list of literature course offerings in the .
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Spotlight
Ralvell Rogers
MFA, Creative Writing
More about Ralvell
MFA Creative Writing candidate Ralvell Rogers is making his mark on the literary world. He is the author of The Kansas City Boys Choir: Providing Hope for Tomorrow, which has been endorsed by luminaries Kevin Powell, G.S. Griffin, and Congressman Emanual Cleaver II. Ralvell has also established his own publishing company, Ambitious Stories, LLC, out of Kansas City, MO. He founded it earlier this year to focus on "often unheard, yet riveting and inspiring stories from the heart."
My time at 51勛圖 has been brilliant in the fact that I've already learned much about what it means to be a Writer with a capital "W" and more importantly, a literary scholar. Though there is an obvious focus on our course work, it's been made clear to me that our work isn't exactly all that matters in the classroom. We are continuously connecting our work in class to the lives that we live on a daily basis and the world that we all live in, and I think that is very important for writers and entrepreneurs in the publishing sector because we are essentially the historians of our respective generations.
Bulletins
We mourn the passing of MFA program cofounder and former Yaddo president泭, teacher and mentor to over泭10,000 students during her years at 51勛圖.
Andrew Bertainas泭The Body is a Temporary Gathering Place泭was named a Best Book We Read in 2024 by the泭泭and泭received a starred review from泭.泭
Rachel Louise Snyder泭(Literature) won the泭泭2024 Gold Medal in the category of Autobiography/Memoir for 2023's泭泭
David Pike published泭泭(Manchester University Press, 2024), a book about prepping and post apocalyptic fictions since the Cold War.
More News
Kyle Dargan served as editor for 泭with Janelle Mon獺e.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez泭won the 2023 NAACP Image Award for fiction for her most recent novel, .泭
Ames Jewart won the Undergraduate Humanities Workshop at the 32nd annual 51勛圖 Mathias Student Research Conference
David Keplinger won the Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award.
David Pike wrote .
Patricia Park wrote for the NYTimes.
Alum Barbara Goldberg泭published泭.
Stephanie Grant published on LitHub, unpacking the emotion of disgust in relation to the January 6th riots on the US Capitol. Professor Grant published in the New York Times Modern Love column.
Rachel Louise Snyder published 泭in the NYTimes, addressing domestic violence and anti-violence hotlines. She also appeared on to discuss the mental health impact of domestic violence and how the pandemic has renewed efforts to pass legislation to combat abuse.
Dustin Friedman was a guest on the Ivory Tower Boiler Room Podcast where he discussed .
Creative Writing MFA alum (11)泭Valzhyna Mort泭won the 2021 Griffin Prize for her poetry collection泭, also named a best poetry book of 2020 by the New York Times.
Melissa Scholes Young researched doomsday prepping for her latest book, The Hive, and .
Kyle Dargan spoke to the NYTimes about the and .
Kyle Dargan was in the Washington Post, sharing his recommendation for a book that.
Anita Sherman released .
Melissa Scholes Young wrote in Ms. Magazine.
Rachel Louise Snyder discussed domestic violence in an .
Creative Writing MFA alum Sarah Katz wrote about the subminimum wage for people with disabilities for
Melissa Scholes Young wrote 泭in Ms. Magazine.
Rachel Louise Snyder discussed domestic violence in an .
Creative Writing MFA alum Sarah Katz wrote about the subminimum wage for people with disabilities for .
Creative Writing MFA student Cristi Donoso Best published a poem in [PANK] magazine, "."
Creative writing MFA alum Jen Coleman from her perspective as a high school English teacher in Alabama.
David Keplinger won the 2020 Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award by the Poetry Society of America for best poem inspired by the work of Emily Dickinson.
Richard Sha泭published an article about Hume on .
Richard Sha's泭book, Imagination and Science in Romanticism, was chosen for the .
Sarah Bea Katz published for Al-Jazeera.
Kyle Dargan shared his poetry from the pandemic in the .
Melissa Scholes Young has been appointed editor of Furious Gravity.
MFA candidate Bailey Blumenstock is a featured poet in .
Patricia Park wrote on working at her father's Brooklyn grocery store during the coronavirus pandemic.
Melissa Scholes Young discussed Furious Gravity, an edition of a literary journal she edited featuring the work of DC-area women writers, on .
Rachel Louise Snyder won the 2020 College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Award for Exceptional Impact for her writing on domestic and gender-based violence, including No Visible Bruises.
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Chuck Cox won the 2020 College of Arts and Sciences Deans Award for Exceptional Impact for his work as Faculty Director of Complex Problems and University College.
Rachel Louise Snyder was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2020.
- Patricia Park
- Dustin Friedman's book Before Queer Theory: Victorian Aestheticism and the Self was reviewed in the .
- David L. Pike's on Bong Joon-Ho's泭Parasite泭was featured泭on the website of the Bright Lights Film Journal.
- Jeffrey Middent's video essay泭泭was cited on the British Film Institute's list of "The Best Video Essays of 2019."
- Rachel Louise Snyder's book泭No Visible Bruises泭was nominated for the .
- Sandra Beasley's泭poem泭Say the Word泭was featured on .
- Rachel Louise Snyder's泭book No Visible Bruises:泭What We Dont Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us was chosen by the editors of the New York泭Times Book Review as one of the .泭
- Bruce Berger泭published the poem in Winamop in July 2019.
- Bruce Berger published in the Scarlet Leaf Review.
- MFA Creative Writing Alum Sarah Katz泭published an op-ed titled泭 in the泭New York Times.
- Prof. Dustin Friedman泭published his book, 泭from Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Prof. Laura Ewing泭published a book chapter titled "Social media strategy for the military-engaged American Red Cross" in Rhet Ops: Rhetroic and Information Warfare.泭
- Prof. Henry Taylor published a poem, "In the Galisteo Basin" and two articles, "Depths and Altitudes: the Poetry of Robert Wrigley" in泭The Hollins Critic泭and "Shadows Real and Artificial: Two Film Masterpieces of 1961," in .泭
- Prof. Marnie Twigg's泭article, "Last Verse Same as the First? On Racial Justice and 'Covering' Allyship in Compositionist Identities,"泭was published in .
- MFA Creative Writing Alum Sarah Katz's泭article "It's time to Stop Desexualizing Disabled People" was featured泭on the泭泭blog.泭泭
- Prof.泭Kyle Dargan泭was interviewed about his career for泭.
- Prof. David Pike's泭article泭"Haunted Mountains, Supershelters, and the Afterlives of Cold War Infrastructure" was published in the .
- 51勛圖 BA Creative Writing Alum M.A. Cowgill's泭poem, "Deutschkurse", has been featured as Poem of The Week on泭.
- Prof. Kyle Dargan's泭book of poetry, Anagnorisis, has been awarded the Academy of American Poets' 2019 .
- Prof. David Keplinger's泭poem, "The Seven Spheres,"泭has been featured泭as泭the poem of the week on the .
- Prof. Sarah Trembath泭has been awarded the American Studies Association's Committee on Gender and Sexuality Studies 7th annual Gloria E.泭Anzald繳a Award for Independent Scholars, Contingent or Community College Faculty.
- Prof. Dolen Perkins-Valdez泭appeared on the泭泭to discuss the passing of Toni Morrison.
- Prof. Lacey Wootton and Prof. Glenn Moomau泭published a chapter in泭Contingency, Exploitation, and Solidarity: Labor and Action in English Composition,泭which has been chosen as the Council of Writing Program Administrators Best Book of 2017. Wootton and Moomau's chapter is titled泭Building Our Own Bridges: A Case Study in Contingent Faculty Self-advocacy.
- Prof. David Pike's泭article, "China泭Mi矇villes Fantastic Slums and the Urban泭Abcanny,"泭was published in泭.
- Prof. Richard Sha's泭book,泭Imagination and Science in Romanticism, has just been awarded the Barricelli Prize.
- Prof. Melissa Scholes Young泭has been named a泭泭at the Center for Mark Twain Studies.
- 51勛圖 MFA Alum Ines Rivera's泭poem has been featured in泭.
- Prof. Richard Sha泭has been awarded a Research and Teaching Fulbright to泭Italy.泭
- Prof. David Keplinger's泭poetry collection泭Another City泭has won the泭.泭
- Prof. Kyle Dargan泭has been featured on泭.
- Prof. Kyle Dargan's泭new collection,泭Anagnorisis,泭was featured in the "New & Noteworthy" section of the泭.
- Prof. Kyle Dargan's泭poem, "Olympic/Drive", has been featured on泭.
- Prof. David Keplinger泭has been featured with his new book泭on泭.
- Prof. Edward Comstock泭published his book,泭, with Routledge. The book is a part of the Routledge series on Educational Psychology.
- Prof. Rachel Louise Snyder泭has been awarded the泭泭from the Columbia Journalism School.
- Prof. David Pike泭published his article, "City Settings: American Urban Mysteries from Film Noir to Steampunk," in泭.
- Prof. Andrew Bertaina泭has a poem selected to appear in泭泭anthology coming out in September.