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English

“All that Mankind has done, thought, gained or been: it is lying as in magic preservation on the pages of books. They are the chosen possession of man.”

--Thomas Carlyle

Welcome to the King College English department website.

Here you’ll find information about our faculty, our course offerings, our special programs and activities, our alumni, and resources for academic research. We are proud of our department and hope you’ll consider majoring or minoring in English at King.
The English major is devoted to the understanding and celebration of language and the literary imagination. As they study ancient to modern works of literature, students of English explore the power of words to teach, delight, move, inspire, and persuade the reader. Courses in the English major are intended to teach thoughtful reading, effective writing, and attention to the text, along with all of the skills essential to creative and responsible research.  Our students usually go on to careers in teaching, ministry, writing, or law

The English department emphasizes classroom teaching. Although its professors actively engage in scholarship and writing, each is a teacher first and foremost. For several years, English professors have been chosen by the students from among the entire college faculty for the honor of Faculty Lecturer. We are all about helping each student achieve his or her greatest potential intellectually, spiritually, and vocationally.

Why Major in English?

An English major graduates with exceptional abilities to read, research, comprehend, articulate, and analyze—all skills valued and sought after by today’s employers. Whether you go on to graduate school for a career in academia or start the job search directly upon graduation from King, your English degree is a marketable commodity:

“Employers are once again realizing that the English major not only already has an expertise employers need desperately [communication and grammar skills], but also that English majors have had, in their academic training, the kind of solid preparation needed to learn the ins and outs of any new environment . . . a study of the English language is a study of ideas, cultures, mores, and concepts through time. We study English to be truly educated, and the English major brings his or her employment setting a high level of general information about the ideas of people and how those ideas have been expressed . . . the English degree [will] prove important, versatile, and supremely applicable to life in an ever more complicated world.”

-from Great Jobs for English Majors (2nd edition), by Julie DeGalan and Stephen Lambert, 2000.

Concentrations Available

A general degree in English is indeed a powerful tool for life beyond King College, but students also have the option of concentrating in particular fields of study within the English major which include more specific courses:

Literature

Literature concentration students examine the range of literary experience in British and American literature in addition to postcolonial literatures written in English. The variety of courses is designed to enable students to identify, research, and discuss major trends and themes in literature; students are also exposed to contemporary literary criticism and cultural theory. King literature faculty attempt to integrate matters of faith with their teaching and prod students to think deeply about and beyond the text.

*Also, Tennessee teaching licensure for Secondary Education is available with modifications to the English major and the King College Core Curriculum, and successful completion of the Secondary Education minor. See the School of Education for more details.

Internships

While our department can prepare you for a career within the halls of academia, we are also intent on preparing you to use your English degree in the world of industry and commerce. In the past, we have set up internships for English majors with the following industries with whom we have connections through the CCCU (Council for Christian Colleges and Universities) or locally:

• Barter Theater (Abingdon, VA)
  
• Bristol Chamber of Commerce
  
• Electrolux
  
• Los Angeles Film Center
  
• King College Public Relations
  
• King Pharmaceuticals
  
• Meadowview Convention Center
  
• Newspapers (Bristol, Danville, and Marion, VA)
  
• Office of Naval Intelligence
  
• Television (WJHL, WKPT, and others)

Such internships usually involve in-house writing projects, editing, and public relations. They are invaluable ways to begin, learn, and grow in a new career.

Required Coursework

Academic Catalog: (To download this Acrobat PDF: Windows OS > Right click; MAC OS > Control click)

2007-2008 King College Academic Catalog