The English Department of Washburn University serves a wide range of students, from those completing general education requirements to those pursuing English as a major or minor. It is located in Morgan Hall, Room 237.
According to the department’s website, English courses emphasize reading, writing and critical thinking skills that apply across careers.
“Within the English department, there are three majors. They are all English education, which is if someone wants to teach English, which, by the way, has become a very high in demand position,” said Curtis Becker, lecturer of English.
In addition to English education, students can choose literature or writing emphases within the major. These options allow students to focus on areas such as creative writing, professional writing or literary studies while preparing for graduate school or the working culture.
“We also have an English degree with literature emphasis and then we have an English degree with a writing emphasis, which would be creative writing, poetry, fiction, creative non fiction, things like that,” Becker said.
Beyond majors, the department is known for its composition program, which all Washburn students complete as a part of their degree requirements.
Kara Kendall-Morwick, director of Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning and professor of English, mentioned that composition plays a key role in the department’s mission.
“The English department does serve a number of functions at Washburn. We are perhaps best known to most students for our composition program,” Kendall-Morwick said.
The department also offers an English minor which is flexible and easy to pair with other majors. Courses include literature, rhetoric, professional writing and technical writing, allowing students to tailor the minor to their academic interests.
“The writing and critical thinking skills that you develop as an English major are among the most important in the workplace today,” Kendall-Morwick said.
English majors at Washburn University have many opportunities to grow both inside and outside the classroom. Programs like the Washburn transformational experience, Apeiron, Inscape, Sigma Tau Delta and essay competitions allow students to explore their interests, build professional skills and showcase their work. These experiences help students prepare for future careers while making the most of their time at Washburn.
“Some people think that writing is about writing, but writing really isn’t about writing. Writing is about expressing ourselves critically. It’s just a step in critical thinking,” Becker said.
Students have access to academic support through the Writing Center, which is in the lower floor of the Plass Learning Resource Center. It provides one-on-one help with all writing disciplines.
“The Writing Center is our department. It’s staffed by professors from our department and then by students who are hired to work there,” Becker said.
Scholarship opportunities are available for English majors and minors.
“All English majors who are minors are automatically considered for our department scholarships and those are distributed on a merit basis,” Kendall-Morwick said.
The department continues to evolve as the field of English changes. Courses now extend beyond traditional literature and composition to include film, professional writing and technical communication.
“The study of English is really so much bigger than just composition or just literature,” Kendall-Morwick said.
Edited by Bidhya Sapkota and Arohi Rai
