English

The English curriculum emphasizes the development of critical reading and writing skills as an essential preparation for professional life or graduate school. In addition, the study of literature offers the most enjoyable approach to the study of human nature, ideas, and age-old human situations and dilemmas. The English faculty are highly qualified, Ph.D. trained educators from diverse content areas and backgrounds, who specialize in a broad range of literary topics and themes. As accomplished scholars, they have published impressive works in poetry, fiction/non-fiction, novels, essays, and scholarly articles, in journals. Students receive individual attention and academic advising to thrive in their studies.

What makes Misericordia’s English program stand out from all the rest:

The English Program at Misericordia offers a flexible and dynamic curriculum that allows students to pursue their interests. In addition to a traditional literature track, students in English can complete the major with a number of professional emphases. The department’s Bachelor of Arts to Master of Arts with the University of Reading in England is still the only international fast-track to a Master’s degree, and provides students the chance for advanced study of literature with the faculty of a top-tier university. The size of the English major also allows students the opportunity to complete a second major and/or multiple minors in fields ranging from History, Philosophy, Fine Arts, Religious Studies, Communications, and Business, to name a few.

Program degree options:

• Bachelor of Arts in English: Major in English - Literature – Professional Writing
• Bachelor of Arts to Master of Arts in English: four years Bachelor of Arts at Misericordia, then one-year Master of Arts at University of Reading, UK
• Bachelor of Arts Secondary Education Certification
• Bachelor of Arts Pre-Law Specialization
• Bachelor of Arts Pre-DPT Specialization
• Minors available in: English, Writing, or Theatre

Research/internships opportunities available:

• Local media outlets including: newspaper, radio, public relation offices, and television.
• Organization such as:
  • Don Mazella Communications
  • Steamtown Historical
  • Pagitica Magazine
  • Institute Public Policy
  • Frontier Communications
  • Harding House Publishers
  • iGourmet
  • Glitter Groupe Media

• Presented nationally and internationally, including Paris, France for the International Hemingway Conference.
• Students studied in Florence, Italy for a Literature & Film course.

English alumni have gone on to achieve employment at:

• Web.com, a digital marketing firm
• LSEO, search engine optimization and digital marketing agency
• Language Arts Teacher at Roselle Borough Public Schools, New Jersey
• Reading/Literacy Coach at Henrico County Public Schools, Virginia
• English as Foreign Language Teacher at Jinju Academy, South Korea
• Education and Volunteer Coordinator at Eckley Miners’ Village Museum, Pennsylvania
• Video Game Designer/Educator, Atlantic Divide Games, Pennsylvania
• Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishing Company

The Misericordia English Department offers a Professional Writing & Rhetoric Major Track. This program leads to a degree: English BA – Professional Writing and Rhetoric.

The Professional Writing & Rhetoric (PWR) degree is designed to prepare students to meet the demands of the evolving landscape for practicing professional writers, preparing them for careers as diverse as publishing, technical writing, grant writing, editing, and consulting. The degree reflects best practices in Professional Writing & Rhetoric, built on a scaffolded curriculum that both introduces core theories of writing for various professions and emphasizes hands-on, real-world practice through service projects and internships.

Majors in PWR also explore genres, time periods, and themes of their choosing, continuing to develop the humanistic, culturally competent, and ethical skillsets in high demand by today’s employers across fields like marketing, technical communication, user experience, non-profit writing, and more.

What makes Misericordia’s Professional Writing & Rhetoric Major Track stand out from all the rest:

• Our “Introduction to Professional Writing and Rhetoric” course grounds students in critical, theoretical frameworks for understanding how writing does work in the world.

• Our range of electives give students the opportunity to become expert writers and communicators in areas such as healthcare, environmental advocacy, business, social justice, and technology.

• Our courses and our internships give students direct experience working with real-life clients and collaborators, granting them ample and diverse work experiences before graduation.

• Our emphasis on “Digital Composing” ensures students not only become experts in writing and editing, but that they also gain expertise in applying that writing in the increasingly digital and technologically-mediated workplaces of today.

• Our thesis option gives students the opportunity to develop a portfolio of their work for prospective employers or study critical issues of writing more deeply, preparing them for both graduate study and the workplace

Outcomes:

• Graduates of this program can go on to achieve writing-intensive careers in a range of for-profit and non-profit sectors, including publishing, marketing, advocacy, editing, content management, technical writing, research, education, law, and public policy.

• Graduates of this program are trained in high-value, high-demand skills that managers and executives say are highly important, including written communication (78%), oral communication (90%), ethical decision-making (87%), collaboration (87%), and evaluating and organizing sources (79%).

• Students have obtained paid writing and editing work while continuing to work on their degree, gaining direct, paid job experience semesters before they graduate.

• Students have gone on to careers in content creation, digital marketing, SEO, education, and publishing, demonstrating the range of high-value, high-impact careers open to PWR majors.

  Data from AAC&U employer survey found in 2018 report, “Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work.”