Program Overview
The English Department offers two majors/minors: English: Literature and English: Creative Writing.
English: Literature is a great major for readers and writers. From the start, our students are encouraged to see reading and writing as meaningful and interconnected activities.
In our literature classes, our students work with diverse texts, from literary classics to contemporary media, responding to them in writing and in class discussions.
The career possibilities from studying English: Literature are open and flexible. The major can lead students down the expected paths—into teaching, writing, or editing. But it can also get students going in exciting new directions—toward law school, library school, into careers in business or the arts.
Program Highlights
Grow as a Reader and Communicator
Strengthen your ability to read closely, think critically, and communicate clearly in discussion and writing.
Understand the Power of Language
Explore how language shapes ideas, relationships, cultures, and the ways people connect with one another.
Find a Welcoming Community
Join a program where students enjoy learning together and build meaningful connections in and beyond the classroom.
Challenge and Support One Another
Grow through thoughtful feedback, shared inquiry, and a community that brings out the best in your work.
Spotlight
LAWRENTIAN SPOTLIGHT
Student Perspective
“It’s that personal element, getting one-on-one time with professors and staff, that can’t be replicated at larger schools.”
Luther Abel ’22
English
Appleton, Wisconsin
Types of Degrees
Students may pursue a Bachelor of Arts with a major or minor in English: Literature. Some students major in English: Literature and minor in Creative Writing. The English: Literature minor is also popular among students.
Advising
At Lawrence, academic advising helps you shape an educational experience that reflects your interests, goals, and aspirations. Your faculty advisor will support you as you plan your path, connect with campus resources and communities, and make informed decisions that prepare you for a meaningful and fulfilling future.
Get Started
Fill out the form below and a Lawrence University academic advisor will be in touch shortly!
Faculty
Engage deeply and collaboratively with professors who are experts in their field and committed to supporting your education.
Chairs
David E. McGlynn (He / Him)
Professor of English
I teach courses in creative writing, particularly fiction and nonfiction, as well as contemporary American literature. I'm the author of several books, including the novels, Everything We Could Do and Liberal…
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Celia B. Barnes (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor of English
I teach courses in Restoration and eighteenth-century British literature. When I'm not geeking out on all things eighteenth-century, I love to cook–and I've been known to watch marathons of true-crime…
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Karen A. Hoffmann (She/her/hers)
Associate Professor of English
I teach courses in the English department and the Ethnic Studies program, such as Literature of the Harlem Renaissance, Toni Morrison, Expressions of Ethnicity: Ethnicity and the Arts, and Gender…
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Claire E. Kervin (she/her)
Adjunct Associate Professor of English and Director of Fellowships Advising
As a faculty member, I teach courses in the English and Environmental Studies departments on topics including unreliable narrators, multiethnic literature, and environmental justice. My research interests center on modern…
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Lena L. Khor (she/her)
Associate Professor of English
I love reading literature: It teaches, delights, and moves me. I enjoy sharing my love of literature with others through my research and teaching. My research areas are human rights…
View Full Profile David E. McGlynn (He / Him)
Professor of English
I teach courses in creative writing, particularly fiction and nonfiction, as well as contemporary American literature. I'm the author of several books, including the novels, Everything We Could Do and Liberal…
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Melissa H. Range (she/her)
Associate Professor of English
I teach courses in creative writing (poetry), nineteenth century American literature, and contemporary poetry, with particular emphasis on women writers and writers of color. I'm the author of two collections…
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Austin Segrest (he/him)
Associate Professor of English
charles.a.segrest@lawrence.edu
I teach classes in English and Creative Writing as well as First-Year Studies. My literary specialties are contemporary and 17th-century poetry. I also teach classes in Puritan New England literature.…
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Timothy A. Spurgin
Bonnie Glidden Buchanan Professor of English Literature and Associate Professor of English
timothy.a.spurgin@lawrence.edu
Dr. Timothy Spurgin is a distinguished faculty member at Lawrence University, holding the position of Bonnie Glidden Buchanan Professor of English Literature and Associate Professor of English. He has been…
View Full ProfileLearning Spaces
The English Department makes its home in Main Hall, a historic building built in 1853, and in the Humanities Center in Hall Commons, a state-of-the art facility built in 2025. Main Hall features an elegant yet cozy lounge—Strange Commons—and is surrounded by a beautiful and relaxing lawn—Main Hall Green. Most of our English courses are taught in Main Hall or, when the sun shines bright and warm, outside on the Main Hall Green. Students also create and collaborate with visiting artists, scholars, and community leaders in the Humanities Center, which features a digital humanities laboratory.
