"The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions hidden by the answers."
– James Baldwin
In Department of English coursework, we seek to read down to the essential questions and learn to articulate them through critical and creative writing.
Department of English Diversity Statement
The Rhodes College English Department seeks to foster a vibrant academic community where students and faculty with a diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, and lived experiences can thrive. The English literature classroom at Rhodes is a place where diversity and difference are not only welcomed, but also creatively interrogated and collaboratively discussed. In this effort, the Department recognizes that the discipline of English has traditionally been a site of the reproduction of ideologies of normativity and exclusion. The Department thus seeks to understand literary works as enabling the interrogation of those ideologies and fostering an acute social consciousness, an expansive imagination, and the provisions for building a more equitable world.
The Department of English sponsors a number of internships that offer opportunities to participate in a workplace environment and explore various career options.
The critical reading and writing skills English majors gain prepare students for postgraduate degrees and careers in a wide variety of fields.
Sigma Tau Delta seeks to recognize exemplary scholarship and promote life long passions towards reading, writing, and the study of literature.
Awards are presented each year to students who excel in the study of English, including for creative writing in poetry, prose, essays, and more.
The Summer Writing Institute at Rhodes College takes place annually for two weeks during June and is a residential academic program committed to developing the critical thinking and writing skills of high school students.
