Opportunities
English students at Carthage have many opportunities to win scholarships, hold internships, study abroad, exercise their writing skills, and attend literary programs and performances.
J-Term
J-Term is a month-long period of study in January in which all academic departments at Carthage offer innovative courses on campus as well as study tours in other countries. Recent study tours offered by the English Department include An Ecological and Cultural Writing Tour of Puerto Rico. Recent on-campus courses include “Walking, Writing, Winter,” a poetry course that combines creative writing and winter walks through Kenosha’s January landscape; and Literature In Its Time II: “Victorians Gone Wild,” a course that examines science writing and fictions about science in 19th-century British literature.
Student Organizations: Writing, Reading and More
Carthage English majors can hone their writing and critical reading skills in any number of organizations on campus. Students interested in creative writing can join Poetry Underground or Centrique, Carthage’s creative arts journal. Students interested in journalism can join the student newspaper, The Current, or yearbook.
See student organizations popular with English students
Sigma Tau Delta Honors Fraternity
Sigma Tau Delta is the national English Honorary Fraternity. The Carthage chapter meets to promote and involve members in literature, poetry, and theatre. With more than 600 chapters nationwide and more than 7,000 active members, Sigma Tau Delta is a wonderful way to become more involved in the Carthage community and make connections with scholars across the nation.
Stratford Festival
See up to five Shakespearean plays at the internationally recognized Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada. The English Department leads students and faculty from multiple academic disciplines to the festival every fall.
Creative Writing Emphasis or Minor
Regardless of your major, hone your writing skills in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. You’ll work closely with faculty and visiting professional writers, with opportunities to publish your original work.
Learn more about Creative Writing at Carthage
Awards and Scholarships
The English Department awards several scholarships each year to recognize and support students who have done outstanding academic and creative work. Scholarships include The Altera Scholarship, The Chapin-Tague and Juanita Jones Awards in Creative Writing (given each year in prose and poetry), The Dawe Scholarship, The Shakespeare Festival Award, The Tolleson Scholarship, and The Vorpahl Scholarship. The department also offers departmental fellowships, among other honors.
Teaching English
Many Carthage English majors plan to teach in elementary, middle, or high school. Students who want to teach English to grades 6-12 must complete a major in English and a minor in early adolescence and adolescence education. Students who want to teach English to grades 1-9 must complete an English minor in addition to their education major. The Carthage English Department works closely with both groups of education students to ensure they meet the requirements for their career goals.
Carthage Writing Center
The Carthage Writing Center, staffed by student writing fellows, is a free resource available to all members of the Carthage community. Whether you need help figuring out what to write about, formulating a thesis statement, organizing your thoughts, or polishing your final draft, the Writing Center can help. The Center tutors students from all majors, at all levels of ability and any stage of the writing process.