English majors focus their studies on one of three emphases: Literary Studies, Film Studies, or Creative Writing.
Regardless of their emphasis, all students acquire a breadth of knowledge about British and American literature and enjoy opportunities to conduct research; compose analytical and interpretive essays; study literary theory, film, and global literature; and participate in creative writing workshops. The department also supports several interdisciplinary programs: Africana Studies, American Studies, Environmental Studies, Film Studies, Gender Studies, and Documentary Studies.
The Department also fosters the reading, critical thinking, and writing skills of all students at the College with our “Introduction to Literary Studies" courses, taken in a student’s first or second year. And we offer a number of writing courses in support of the College’s writing program.
We also provide extracurricular literary and learning events for the entire community through the Murphy-Hendrix Foundation, the Drake Foundation, and other programs; and we help students enrich their Hendrix experience by studying abroad, attending academic conferences, pursuing stateside research opportunities, and working on college and local publications. Recent speakers include Stephen Greenblatt, whose book on Shakespeare, Will in The World, was a finalist for the 2004 National Book Award; poets Rita Dove and Jorie Graham; graphic novelist Art Spiegelman; and fiction writers Tim O'Brien, Richard Ford, Maxine Hong Kingston, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Lydia Davis.
Our students routinely study in London and Oxford, and look forward to regular trips to William Faulkner’s Oxford, Mississippi; Ernest Hemingway's Piggott, Arkansas; and the annual Jane Austen conference