English

English is recognized as one of the best undergraduate majors in preparation for participation and leadership in an increasingly fluid and information-based society. The English major is unique in its interdisciplinary nature, its drawing upon a range of insights and methodologies from, for example, history, philosophy, psychology, religion, and sociology.

Through the study of great literature, you’ll exercise your imagination and develop scholarly discipline and expertise, the ability to perform research and to read and write with sensitivity and rigor. You’ll likely discover, as well, on larger and richer and more subtle levels than you might have thought possible, what it means to be human, the ultimate subject of all literary study.

Degree programs offered:

• Bachelor of Arts

Distinctives:

English at William Jewell is in fact a great major for today’s world of work, preparing you for a range of careers in a shifting job market, developing and sharpening high-level skills in critical thinking and oral and written communication. You’ll, additionally, have the opportunity to take a “career paths” course, in which English alumni return to discuss their professional tracks and to offer advice. You can, as well, take advantage of a number of on- and off-campus opportunities:

• Because of the College’s proximity to Kansas City, William Jewell English majors can take part in a range of internship and mentorship experiences with area newspapers, magazines, businesses, and nonprofit agencies.
• At the College, English majors can serve as writing proctors or mentors for first-year students who are developing their writing skills across the curriculum.
• English majors can develop and expand their own genre-specific writing and editing skills by working for The Hilltop Monitor—Jewell’s student-run newspaper—and Inscape—Jewell’s student-produced literary magazine.
• English majors are advised in the process of submitting their creative and scholarly manuscripts to journals and conferences and are encouraged to participate in the annual David Nelson Duke Undergraduate Colloquium, an event wherein students from across the academic disciplines present their work to the College and local community.
• Eligible English majors can be admitted to Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society.

To find out more about the English major at William Jewell College, drop us an e-mail, schedule a visit, or call us toll free at 1-888-2-Jewell.

English Faculty:

Sara Morrison, PhD
Assistant Professor of English
Dr. Morrison received her BA in English from Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA. She received her masters and doctorate in English, specializing in English Renaissance literature and cultural studies, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Morrison’s teaching and research interests include English Renaissance literature and culture, women in the early modern period, and the English Reformation.

Ian Munro, Ph.D.
Professor of English and Chair
Dr. Munro received a B.A. from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas - Austin. Dr. Munro specializes in non-Western, and especially post-colonial, literature.

Cecelia Robinson, Ed.D.
Professor of English and Director of the Jewell Writing Center
Dr. Robinson received a B.A. from Prairie View A&M University. She holds an Ed. Specialist degree from the University of Missouri - Columbia and an Ed.D. from the University of Kansas. She has done further study at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, Exeter College at the University of Oxford and the University of Missouri - Columbia. Dr. Robinson teaches literature, composition and methods of teaching English with an emphasis in English Education courses.

Mark Walters, Ph.D.
Professor of English
Dr. Walters received a B.A. from Fort Hays State University. He also holds both his M.A. and M.F.A. from Wichita State University. Dr. Walters received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Dr. Walters teaches creative writing and modern fiction courses.

Rychetta Watkins, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of English
Dr. Watkins received her A.B. in English and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis in 1995. She received her doctorate in English with specializations in twentieth century American literature, African American literature, and Asian American literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005. Dr. Watkins teaches courses in composition, world literature, and African American literature.