The Department of English

CSU, Chico’s Department of English creates teachers, editors, readers and writers who make connections across time and cultures. We make sense of language in its stunning diversity through creative, editorial, linguistic, literary, and rhetorical work. We develop arguments, stories, and meaning. We strive to provide an educational experience that functions as both mirror and window, enabling our students to see themselves and the realities of their lives reflected while gaining an understanding of the lives and realities of others. We welcome all students regardless of race, class, gender, sexuality, age, ability, religion, nationality, political affiliation, or immigration status.

Whether you are a student interested in majoring, minoring, earning a certificate, or looking for classes to fulfill your general education requirements, we have something that is bound to pique your intellectual curiosity. We offer courses covering a wide range of topics, from Shakespeare to Zombies, and subdisciplinary areas such as Creative Writing, Composition and Rhetoric, English Education, Linguistics, Literature, and Literary Editing and Publishing.

Join us in reading and writing towards a better future.

Majors:

• English Studies
• English Literature
• English Education

Minors:

• Creative Writing
• English
• Linguistics

Certificates:

• The Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
• The Certificate in Teaching College-Level Writing
• The Certificate in Literary Editing and Publishing

We pride ourselves on our ability to offer students a number of co-curricular, extra-curricular, and pre-professional opportunities, such as tutoring in the ESL (English as a Second Language) Support Services; working as an editor for Chico State's online literary journal, Watershed Review; mentoring in our undergraduate writing workshops, Early Start program, and EOP Summer Bridge; participating in student organizations--The English Society, Sigma Tau Delta, and the English Graduate Student Council; and attending Writer’s Voice readings by nationally recognized authors. As a graduate student in the program, you may have the opportunity to teach an introductory level course in composition, creative writing, or literature.

In addition, the English Education option assists students in developing the breadth and depth of knowledge required to teach by the California Department of Education.

We provide students with effective learning opportunities in the areas of:

• Contemporary, Classic, Multicultural and International Literature
• Composition and Rhetoric
• Creative Writing
• English Education
• Literary Editing and Publishing
• Linguistics

We have a broad and balanced curriculum designed to develop:

• Critical reading and writing practices
• Wide-ranging interpretative abilities
• Historical and cultural awareness
• Real-life experiences appropriate for an educated, literate community

Browse our website to learn more about our department and please feel free to contact us and stop by our department office in the Arts and Humanities Building, Room 269 if you have any questions.