English Department

A professor teaching a Shakespeare class outside on the grass

Explore rich and diverse literature in small, discussion-based classes led by accomplished writers and scholars.

As an English major, you will work closely with accomplished professors, reading, contemplating and writing about the principal genres of literature and the related medium of film. The critical thinking and writing skills you develop can be applied in a wide range of professions.

Our graduates have gone on to pursue careers in a variety of fields from teaching to tech. A myriad of possibilities await you, and we are ready to prepare you for them.

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English Department Programs

English, BA

English: Film, Drama, and Cultural Studies Concentration, BA

English: Literary Theory and History Concentration, BA

English, Minor

English, Teaching Credential Track, BA

Do you want to be an English Teacher?

You can get your BA degree in English and your teaching credential in four years. Or if you want to continue you can get a BA degree in English and a Masters in Teaching in five years. Get one step ahead of the rest and join this new English track to become an English teacher.

Click here to see a Four year plan

A class meeting outside on the grass with the SMC chapel in the background

English Department Scholarships

In addition to need- and merit-based scholarships, first-year English majors are eligible for the English Department Scholarship, totaling $5,000 per year.

Explore Scholarships

Student at the writing center meeting at a table outside on Saint Mary's campus

Internships and Publishing Opportunities

Get hands-on experience and intern at one of the many literary journals and magazines located in the Bay Area. Or use your writing skills to benefit your peers (and get paid!) at the Center for Writing Across Curriculum.

Get Hands-On Experience

Success Stories

Get to know our faculty.

Bhattacharya in front of a colorful background

Read the article about Prof. Bhattacharya and her new book

Professor Sunayani Bhattacharya's first book, The Novel in Nineteenth-Century Bengal published by Bloomsbury in 2023, is an examination of how Bengali people took colonial notions of grammar and literature and established their own way of reading and writing. The story analysis is balanced with personal anecdotes of her life growing up in India. She is featured in the "Scholars At Work" series.

Prof. Yin Yuan's first book published by Bucknell University Press

Prof. Yin Yuan's first book Alimentary Orientalism: Britain’s Literary Imagination and the Edible East was released in June 2023 and examines the exotic representation of foods, drinks, and other consumables from the "Orient".

Prof. Manter wins 2023 National Grant

Professor Lisa Manter receives a 2023 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Grant for her work in Public History and the Power of Narrative. This new award will keep the College's Public History programs moving forward.

School and Department Information

Contact Us:

English Department Chair: Interim Chair, Molly Metherd, Ph.D. mmetherd@sydotnet.net

Writing Studies (WRIT 100/101/201) Director: Meghan A. Sweeney, PhD. mas36@sydotnet.net

Creative Writing Director: Chris Feliciano Arnold, MFA. cfa1@sydotnet.net

English Department Administrative Assistant: Ryan McKinley
Email: rm20@sydotnet.net
Phone: (925)631-4414

The English Department is located on the third floor of Dante Hall

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