r/englishmajors

I’m currently doing my undergrad in BA English in the Middle East and am in my third year. In my university, we don’t strictly follow the canon, we have covered the famous ones and I too have ventured out to read some in my free time. I wish to pursue my MA in English, what books do you recommend I should read? With summer coming up I’d love to lock in.

Update :

I apologize my question was very general to be more specific I’m adding adding my other post text here too

I have so much to learn and am very confused about what I may need for MA. I have tons of questions any sort of advice would be helpful!

The university options I am looking at :
• Waterloo

My mom is also looking :
• University of Toronto
• McMasters

But I am now very keen on it since they don’t have with thesis. My goal is to become a Proffesor so I have plans of doing my PHD.

For context, I’m currently doing my third year of BA in English in an American institution in the Middle East.

The courses I have taken so far/ completing :

ENGL 101 - Critical Reading and Writing
ENGL 102 - Writing & Information Literacy
ENGL 200 - Intro to Literary Studies
ENGL 207 - Int to Rhetorical Std
ENGL 220 - Survey of World Literature
ENGL 221 - Survey of world literature
ENGL 300 - History of English language
ENGL 301- Literature and Film
ENGL 307 - Shakespeare
ENGL 308 - Early American Literature
ENGL 311 - English Novel
ENGL 314 - Modernism / postmodernism
ENGL 315 - 20th Century American Lit.
ENGL 345 - Creative writing
ENGL 375 - Rhetorics of Cult Dissonance
ENGL 389 - Introduction to TESOL
ENGL 389 - Arab Anglophone Lit
ENGL 401 - Seminar on American Authors
ENGL 405 - Seminar on Postcolonial Lit.
ENGL 415 - Literary theory & criticism
ENGL 450 - Senior Seminar

The courses I will take next sem :
ENGL 302 - Medieval Literature (500-1500)
ENGL 389 - Comparative Literature (Mythology)

What I like / interested in :
Era : 19th and 20th century
Location : American and British
Movements : Romanticism, Gothic, Modernism, Post Modernism, Victorian
Theories : Gender Studies (only familiar with Feminism) Postcolonial, Gastro Criticism (never studied but will look into this summer)

I would like to specialize in Gender studies while doing a MA in English.

Questions :

1. Let me ask the most basic question, how does a MA work?
2. Is a thesis MA required for PhD admission, or just preferred? What the advantages and disadvantages.
3. What are your recommendations of university in Canada for MA English with thesis
4. Do I need to be familiar with Canadian literature? If so, is there anything I should focus on? I did find a doc online so I’ll start with that.
5. What books and theories would you recommend I read for Gender studies? I think I would like to specialize in this since it would also later on allow me to look at other things I’m interested in (POCO and Gastro criticism)
6. Silly question, but I want to teach in an American institution (I know I need a PHD but apart from that) would it be hard to get a job in an American school and later on university if I have my MA from Canda. All my professors hold MA from America so I am wondering if universities have preferences?

Please feel free to give any advice you think would help me.

Dear English majors, anyone from before the 2010s,

Could you, please, tell me what names you used to study in literary theory? I am curious, since I noticed a pattern in the current approach they have in classes. All of the names we study are anti-colonial theorists and anti-white-(something, depending on the field) agenda builders. I am curious as to how it used to be before...whatever that is.

The question arose when I tried to work with texts and felt stuck. Then I thought about how I have seen "old-school" English majors work through texts, and it is not all about colonialism, nor about victimizing or blaming someone. They looked at politics, history, sociology, psychology, the art aspect of it, the author's biography, and so on. I have deep respect for how academia used to be, so I got curious.

Thank you.

As an English major often times you come across theory that is dense, it’s discouraging but also I feel like I have improved a bit. Do you guys have any advice?

Hello everyone,

I just need to vent because I am fed up and I will try to keep it short.

A few months ago I overheard my mom and my older sister talking about job hunting etc. and my mom was telling my sister to get a job because she is 32 now and never worked a day in her life because "she just doesn't want to and can find a job in an instant whenever she wants to" and then my mom said "your sister (me) has been trying to find a job for the past 3 months and even though she is trying she fails because the job market is oversaturated and how do you expect to find a job real quick when you have no job experience at the age of 32"

AND THEN MY SISTER HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY

"she is probably applying to some stupid job like teaching and no one hires her"

and then my mom said "she is applying to every job that she is interested in and qualified for, it's not her it's the job market"

AND MY SISTER SAID

"YEAH NO ONE WOULD HIRE HER WITH THAT STUPID USELESS DEGREE SHE HAS, I AM A STEM GRADUATE AND I COULD GET HIRED IN AN INSTANT IF I WANTED TO"

the audacity.

I felt so bad when I heard their convo but didn't say anything because I didn't want to argue.

Anyway, fast forward to today I have a job that pays me pretty well and I have my own place. The other day when I visited my parents (she lives with them) she asked me about my salary and when I told her she said "I wish I had that kind of money, I would be very happy".

I am so sick of almost every STEM major thinking they are superior or something. At the end of the day, it is about what you do with your own life, not the type of degree you have. Hard work always pays off.

Just what the title says. I’ve always done my best to appreciate Shakespeare’s work, and I definitely do, but I always felt like I was missing some major wow factor that everyone else seems to get.

Well, just finished a final paper on 12th Night. It might be garbage, I still have so much to learn, but wow. Breaking it down on paper was an insane experience. I feel like I’ve uncovered a hidden treasure trove!!!! I’m starting to get the hype, lol

So I’m double majoring in English and psych at one of the top universities here, I thought what I needed for an English major is pretty easy honestly. Then, I looked what I need to apply for a masters and realized it’s at least 8 more courses, as it said 53 credits, which I would not have just in English if I followed my requirements for my bachelors.

Does anyone know why? And would it be intense if I make up for that by taking 3 English courses a semester? I can manage this by taking 2 psych courses and finish my degree easily for that that way.

I don’t know if I want a masters but I do want the option of it without more school down the line. I’m thinking of taking mostly 300 courses to make up for those 8 courses if I do this. Just want some thoughts and advice since I cant tell what’s normal or not.

also I tried emailing the masters board at my uni, they just gave me a link to the website I got the info from and said to confirm it from there. So hopefully Reddit is more helpful.

Hi everyone. I'm currently a rising sophomore majoring in English (specifically, the major is called Writing, Literature, and Publishing - at Emerson College) and now that I'm confident I'm staying in this major and have completed freshman year I want to start getting serious about my career path, internships, experience, post-grad etc. I'd really appreciate some insight on what things I should be aware of during my undergrad years in order to set me up for post-grad and what successful career paths I should consider or start looking into. I'd also be interested in the general English major experience and some tips outside of career-finding. Any experience is welcome, I'd love to hear from people either currently post-grad or years into their career. Thank you so much! Here are some specifics about my situation right now if that helps.

- My plan has always been to go to grad school. Emerson has a 4+1 program for WLP majors where you only do one year of grad school through a specific path, but I'm not sure if this is 100% what I want to do. I've always leaned toward building up experience/a portfolio and going to another institution for grad school. I am very fortunate to have some family that will help me for part of the costs and want to prioritize education since I have the means to. For a while I've been interested in going to grad school for law, but I'm not sure what specific careers come with this as an English major and if it's feasible. Other than that, I'm very drawn to the idea of getting a doctorate and teaching English at the collegiate level.

- My school has a lot of internship opportunities and networking tools as it's majorly a film and theatre school and in a major city. I don't have a lot of experience in regards to internships and clubs since I'm only a freshman and opportunities are usually offered more to upperclassmen. I'm a Staff Writer and Publishing/Social Media Manager/Head for one magazine, and a Copyeditor for another, but that's it. Through one of my classes I was able to interview an alumna of my school who currently works at the MA State House and she said she'd be happy to get me an internship at the State House during my sophomore year, so thats likely where I'm going next if I'm continuing down the law school path.

I’m a current transfer student going from a CC to a 4-year and, well, I got rejected from every T25 to T30 I applied for. I committed to my state school, Rutgers University—New Brunswick, and I know it’s respected—but I just am soaked with envy from watching everyone get into these great schools. Especially schools that are amazing for English.

Hey all, a bit of a long post. I just want to get it all out there!

I got my BA in English, with a specialization in Secondary English Education a few years ago and have been teaching for 4 years. Through the local university, I get tuition waivers for taking student observers and student teachers. I've been using them to get a EdM in Curriculum and Instruction, with a focus in Bilingual-Bicultural Education. I've been burning out with teaching at the secondary level for a few reasons, such as student apathy & workplace drama. Working through my EdM has reignited a love of learning again and so between that and work disillusionment, I am considering a PhD.

A few facts that are possibly important: a) I received a 3.51 in undergrad. b) Right now, about halfway through my EdM, I have a 4.0. c) Monolingual. d) When I finish my EdM, I'd be the second in the family with a Master's Degree. e) If I pursue a PhD, I'd be the first in my family. f) White, agender/nonbinary, grew up lower-middle class, this changed when I was in HS and college. g) Grew up Roman Catholic, have experience in church literature.

My specific interest in an English PhD is cross-disciplinary, in Medieval studies. As of now, I have interest in studying Medieval English hagiography and its role in the religious and moral instruction for lower-class lay people. This seems a fair middle ground between English and my interest in Church history, but I wouldn't qualify for a history PhD. It would also take from my background and interest in education, though obviously in a much different context.

I imagine after the PhD, I'd move into academia, or more realistically, return to secondary education. Something I did not mention that is a motivation to leave education is the tier 2 system in IL, which is awful! I would hope it would be fixed by the time I return, but I am not holding my breath. In some ways, the PhD is motivated by the idea of being the first in my family to do, in a family who has generally seen me as less intelligent and capable than others in my family (I've struggled with a learning disability my family refused to pursue a diagnosis for..). However, I do love learning! I love the idea of TA'ing, doing research, or attending conferences in a subject I care for (English and church literature).

So, in what ways am I qualified and more importantly, in what ways am I not? What considerations do you have for me to dwell on? Does anything in this post stand out?

Thank you!

I may move to Dehradun soon. I plan to pursue MA English from there. Which are the best colleges when it comes to academics, and if there are any all rounders that have good academics, a good social life and infrastructure that would be ideal. But my priority is academics, ofcourse. Please give some valid suggestions and ask others you know, I really don't know too many people in Dehradun yet. It would be a great help. Thank you.

I'm a freshman year student majoring in English translation as it was a profession i really wanted to master and build my life on it. Initially i was thinking of pursuing medical degree, i realized that i had no passion for that and felt like choosing the path i am the most passionate about since i had a decent understanding of linguistics as well as skills. And i got into the university that i wanted, by the major i wanted of course, then i started feeling skeptical. I was told by one of my professors that translation is a dying field and if i genuinely want to study languages, switch into linguistics (he's a linguist). Now i am learning Chinese and Russian (also wants to study Japanese) while studying my major classes, and thinking of double-majoring in English and Chinese translation.

If i were to switch, i would go for Psychology but first of all, i'm knee deep into my English translation courses and even registering into the exam for switching would cost me an arm and a leg, and second, i still wants to major in my current major. They say if you're going to major in translation, at least specialize in a specific field, and i feel like it's literature for me (i want to translate foreign books/novels into my mother language and vice versa or just work in a publishing company). As far as i did research across the internet, in the future, if not work as a translator, i could also teach in languge institutes or work as a tourist guide (i hope).

How are translators/English majors doing today? Is there any hope for me if i desperately wanted to pursue my passion?

I have so much to learn and am very confused about what I may need for MA. I have tons of questions any sort of advice would be helpful!

The university options I am looking at :
• Waterloo

My mom is also looking :
• University of Toronto
• McMasters

But I am now very keen on it since they don’t have with thesis. My goal is to become a Proffesor so I have plans of doing my PHD.

For context, I’m currently doing my third year of BA in English in an American institution in the Middle East.

The courses I have taken so far/ completing :

ENGL 101 - Critical Reading and Writing
ENGL 102 - Writing & Information Literacy
ENGL 200 - Intro to Literary Studies
ENGL 207 - Int to Rhetorical Std
ENGL 220 - Survey of World Literature
ENGL 221 - Survey of world literature
ENGL 300 - History of English language
ENGL 301- Literature and Film
ENGL 307 - Shakespeare
ENGL 308 - Early American Literature
ENGL 311 - English Novel
ENGL 314 - Modernism / postmodernism
ENGL 315 - 20th Century American Lit.
ENGL 345 - Creative writing
ENGL 375 - Rhetorics of Cult Dissonance
ENGL 389 - Introduction to TESOL
ENGL 389 - Arab Anglophone Lit
ENGL 401 - Seminar on American Authors
ENGL 405 - Seminar on Postcolonial Lit.
ENGL 415 - Literary theory & criticism
ENGL 450 - Senior Seminar

The courses I will take next sem :
ENGL 302 - Medieval Literature (500-1500)
ENGL 389 - Comparative Literature (Mythology)

What I like / interested in :
Era : 19th and 20th century
Location : American and British
Movements : Romanticism, Gothic, Modernism, Post Modernism, Victorian
Theories : Gender Studies (only familiar with Feminism) Postcolonial, Gastro Criticism (never studied but will look into this summer)

I would like to specialize in Gender studies while doing a MA in English.

Questions :

1. Let me ask the most basic question, how does a MA work?
2. Is a thesis MA required for PhD admission, or just preferred? What the advantages and disadvantages.
3. What are your recommendations of university in Canada for MA English with thesis
4. Do I need to be familiar with Canadian literature? If so, is there anything I should focus on?

I did find a doc online so I’ll start with that.

1. What books and theories would you recommend I read for Gender studies? I think I would like to specialize in this since it would also later on allow me to look at other things I’m interested in (POCO and Gastro criticism)
2. Silly question, but I want to teach in an American institution (I know I need a PHD but apart from that) would it be hard to get a job in an American school and later on university if I have my MA from Canda. All my professors hold MA from America so I am wondering if universities have preferences?

Please feel free to give any advice you think would help me.

Incoming English major here. so sorry if this is a stupid question, but how do class discussions differ from high school to college? my experience was only ever socratic seminars where we each prepared a set of questions about the text to talk about (and largely very silent/awkward/tense). are there planned topics? do they span the text or the real world or both? are there heated or tense moments? what do yall talk about ? any insight is appreciated !

I have accumulated ten plus years of professional writing experience (multiple publications, course teaching and creation, etc.). My ultimate career goal is to become an English professor. There’s just one problem: I was never an English major during my undergraduate years; the closest I ever came was a high school English education major, and that was probably my worst semester performance and sickness-wise. By the time I realized this is what I really wanted, I was too sick to continue and had run out of money (I spent a good chunk of my college years fighting chronic illness). Thus, I never learned how to engage with scholarly sources in English.

Most graduate programs in English require a scholarly piece as part of their application. I never wrote any pieces that would qualify, and even if I did, I no longer have access to any of them, as the computer I used for my college career died long ago. I already have my topic: monster as lover in contemporary Gothic fiction and dark romance, both literal monsters (demons, vampires, etc.) and humans who engage in “monstrous” behavior (serial killers, mafia members, etc.). Where could I find scholarly pieces that would be relevant to this topic? What would qualify as a “scholarly source”?

Thank you for your help!

Hi, I'm not sure many people frequent English class subreddits but if anyone sees this I wound appreciate any comments / reviews on my research paper. It is due tomorrow and I am just a perfectionist and something always feels grammatically incorrect, it is the middle of the night and I do not have a teacher to bug. If anyone reads it and has any suggestions please let me know 😄 I specifically really struggle with my conclusion sentences..

https://preview.redd.it/fhy5db1k6gyg1.png?width=751&format=png&auto=webp&s=a96c632fff56513ae407608d4f55371928840308

https://preview.redd.it/1ft7jurk6gyg1.png?width=751&format=png&auto=webp&s=be256e3a2e8d5cc91e846c8c3c64f8034b866ee8

https://preview.redd.it/85hi6l9l6gyg1.png?width=751&format=png&auto=webp&s=2bce72efbce134043c13a71d04e90fa0ce3feede

English has always been my strong suit and I want to major in secondary english ed with a minor in creative writing for college. I took honors my freshman year at my public school but transferred to a really academically demanding private school my sophomore year and have been in regular level english up until. I want able to test for course placements because I applied to transfer really late in the school year. I appealed for honors but got denied because it’s difficult to move from college prep to honors at my school if you didn’t finish with a A+. My GPA is slightly below average and i’m applying to mainly schools with above 60% acceptance rates, but will having regular level english on my transcript decrease my chances of getting accepted for my major?