Over the last one-hundred-fifty-five years, the Beloit literary tradition has developed, most notably, from its folds the Beloit Fiction Journal and the Beloit Poetry Journal. The English department is home to one of the nation's most highly regarded undergraduate creative writing programs and the Lois Wilson Mackey'45 Chair in Creative Writing, which brings writers of international renown to campus each year as teachers. Mackey chair holders teach creative writing to small seminars of Beloit students. Mackey Chairs have included Raymond Carver, Billy Collins, Ursula LeGuin, Denise Levertov, Bei Dao, and Amy Hempel.

THE MAJORS
Students who study English at Beloit have the choice of two majors: literary studies and creative writing. Each major begins with a core curriculum that focuses on the methods of literary study, English-language literature, and creative writing. After these courses, each major becomes distinct.

Literary studies majors explore a range of approaches to understanding and appreciating literatures in English. Majors examine artistic forms, historical contexts, and social significance of diverse literary works, as well as how the discipline engages with other media (such as film) and discourses (such as science). Literary studies majors develop critical thinking, reading, writing, and communication skills that are uniquely cultivated by literary study and broadly effective beyond it. In creative writing, students practice creative composition in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and writing for performance. Their creative work is informed by the critical study and appreciation of literature, both past and present. Creative writing students may also assist in editing the Beloit Fiction Journal.

WRITING AND PUBLISHING AT BELOIT
Beloit's English department is home to the highly-regarded Beloit Fiction Journal. The Journal publishes the best in new fiction and includes undergraduate students on its editorial staff.

The English Department sponsors several writing contests each year. Students make substantial contributions to Pocket Lint, a student-run literary journal publishing Beloit College submissions as well as submissions from other colleges; to the Round Table, the student newspaper, complete with its own literary supplement. More generally, students have found Beloit to be a vibrant community for creative writers and literary critics; the campus supports a remarkable number of literary readings and writing groups. The Department also hosts a visiting writer series each year.

FUTURES FOR ENGLISH MAJORS          
Beloit English majors complete many local and national internships at newspapers, public relations firms, radio and television stations. Although many majors pursue work related to these internships, others go into high school teaching, law school, business writing, or graduate school in English. Some of our top alumni teach at Harvard, Stanford, Rochester, and Macalester. Others have published award-winning novels and collections of poetry. Our graduates have used their skills in publishing and editing for employers as varied as Alfred A. Knopf, Business Week, and Adventure Travel; in newspaper and magazine writing for outlets ranging from the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times to National Geographic and The New Yorker.          

For more information about recent departmental news and events, check out the English Department's facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beloit-WI/Beloit-College-English-Department/118936244828074