The Bachelor and Master of Arts in English degree programs at the University of South Alabama prepare students for jobs in professional settings including teaching, writing, and business areas. English majors and minors are taught by talented faculty and field experts in creative writing, literature, and professional writing in the College of Arts and Sciences. English undergraduate student Kelsi Fails describes her passion for writing poetry and studying literature at USA.
The English undergraduate program allows students to explore the study of literature and interpretation of novels, stories, poems and essays through critical approaches and writing, build the skills to craft meaningful creative work, and develop skills in professional writing and editing. The English master's program offers students in the creative writing and literature concentrations advanced study and preparation for careers in English as well as further graduate study. Through classes, as well as research opportunities and internships, students build skills in critical reading and writing, research, and instruction that support a range of career fields in business and education.
Upcoming Events
Legacies of Slavery Video Launch - Monday, September 23, 2024 - 3:30pm
Join us in celebrating the release of the Legacies of Slavery video project at a Video Launch and Reception on Monday, September 23 from 3:30 to 5 pm in the Archaeology Museum. These videos feature Myra Davis-Branic and Frye Gaillard together for two vibrant discussions about their family histories and a rich dialogue about the shared history of the South. Myra Davis-Branic’s ancestors were enslaved by Frye Gaillard’s family, and their conversations, facilitated by Dr. Kern Jackson, offer a powerful perspective on race, history, and community in the present.
Major and Didi Jackson - Thursday, October 3, 2024 - 5:30pm
Join us for two powerhouse poets in one evening! Major Jackson is the author of six books of poetry, most recently Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems. He is also the author of A Beat Beyond: The Selected Prose of Major Jackson edited by Amor Kohli. A recipient of fellowships from the Academy of American Poets,
John S. Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Radcliffe
Institute for Advanced Study, Major Jackson is the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair
in the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. He is an elected member of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences. He serves as the Poetry Editor of The Harvard Review.
Didi Jackson is the author of the poetry collections My Infinity (2024) and Moon Jar (2020). Her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Bomb, The New Yorker, and Oxford American among other journals and magazines. She is the recipient of the Robert H. Winner Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee and teaches creative writing at Vanderbilt University.
Please note: this free event will be held in the Student Center Terrace Room with
a book signing and reception to follow.
IMC Book Fair - Wednesday, October 23, 2024 - 9am to 4pm
Weather permitting, the Independent Music Collective (IMC) will be holding its third book fair of the semester in the HUMB courtyard from 9am to 4pm on Wednesday, October 23th. Come browse a wide selection of used books (on all topics) and music in a variety of formats. Proceeds fund the IMC Concert Series!
Richard Buckner - Thursday, October 24, 2024 - 8:00pm
TICKET LINK: $25 via Undertow
The Independent Music Collective is thrilled to partner with Undertow to present Richard Buckner at 8pm on Thursday, October 24, 2024. NPR calls Buckner "an immensely gifted artist"; The New York Times finds Buckner "riveting" and bemoans his "unjustly modest reception"; and Pitchfork deems him "one of the most intriguing songwriters working." There are only twenty-five tickets available for this intimate, living-room show, so you'd better grab one before they're gone!
Yuri Herrera - Wednesday, November 13, 2024 - 5:30pm
Born in Actopan, Mexico, Yuri Herrera is the author of three novels, including Signs Preceding the End of the World, which The New York Times called "Short, suspenseful . . . outlandish and heartbreaking," as well as the collection Ten Planets, which was a finalist for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize. This fall Graywolf Press will publish Season of the Swamp, Herrera’s major new novel set in nineteenth-century New Orleans, where a young exile named Benito Juárez disembarks at a fetid port city at the edge of a swamp, and, years later, becomes the first indigenous head of state in the postcolonial Americas. Herrera teaches at Tulane University.
Please note: this free event will be held in the Student Center Terrace Room with
a book signing and reception to follow.
IMC Book Fair - Wednesday, November 20, 2024 - 9am to 4pm
Weather permitting, the Independent Music Collective (IMC) will be holding its final book fair of the semester in the HUMB courtyard from 9am to 4pm on Wednesday, November 20th. Come browse a wide selection of used books (on all topics) and music in a variety of formats. Proceeds fund the IMC Concert Series!
One-Year-Only Instructor
The University of South Alabama's Department of English invites applications for two (2) non-tenure track (9-month, one-year-only) full-time Instructor positions to teach primarily freshman composition courses. Departmental, college, university, and/or community service also expected. Positions begin starting August 15, 2024 (4/4 teaching load).
Required: MA in English or related field with a minimum of 18 graduate hours in English and evidence of strong commitment to teaching college freshmen and sophomores.
To apply, send by email the following: vita, cover letter, one-page teaching statement, and names of three references to Dr. Patrick Shaw, Search Committee Chair, c/o Ms. Mary Ricciardi (english@southalabama.edu).
Applicants invited for a campus interview will arrange to have official graduate and undergraduate transcripts sent directly by the Registrars of all colleges and universities from which a degree was received to the Search Committee Chair:
Dr. Patrick Shaw
Department of English
5991 USA Dr N / HUMB 240
University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL 36688-0002
Official electronic transcripts may be emailed to Dr. Patrick Shaw (pjshaw@southalabama.edu). Review of applications will begin June 24, 2024 and continue until the positions are filled.
Part-Time Teaching
The English Department reviews applications on a continuing basis for part-time instructors, mainly to teach composition. Literature surveys and technical writing sections are available occasionally for those who are qualified in those areas.
Minimum Requirement: M.A. in English.
Please send your vita, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references and transcripts via email to Dr. Patrick Shaw: pjshaw@southalabama.edu
The University of South Alabama is an EO/AA employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, religion, age, genetic information, disability, protected veteran status, or any other applicable legally protected basis in admission policies and practices, educational programs, activities, or employment practices.
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