Undergraduate Program

Edward (Ted) Kelting
Director of Undergraduate Studies

Hello!

I’m excited to welcome you to the Literature department and introduce you to the wide range of opportunities, experiences, and skills that our courses and majors provide. Our students work closely with faculty to engage critically and creatively across diverse languages, genres, and media: from poetry and prose to science fiction, graphic novels, and international cinema. 

Literature students not only write academic essays and papers. They express themselves in podcasts, short films, zines, public exhibits, and community projects.  Our high faculty to student ratio and small, discussion-focused classes mean that you have a chance to get to know your professors and fellow students in a dynamic and interactive learning environment.  We have a thriving and supportive community.

Literature will challenge you to think differently—to innovate and think on your feet in the spaces where there are no clear-cut answers to the questions that life will ask of you. Our students have gone on to successful careers in academia, law, media, publishing, tech, medicine, and activism. In any career path that Literature graduates choose, the creativity, intellectual flexibility, and diverse perspectives that we teach remain foundational for a lifetime of curiosity and openness to new ideas and connections.  

Our department provides four majors and eleven minors. Majors can opt to focus their studies on 1) Literary Arts, 2) Literature in English, 3) Literature in Spanish, or 4) World Literature and Culture. Minors may focus their course of study around literary arts, translation studies, literature in a number of different languages, or a single topic of the student’s choosing. You are always welcome to contact me or our Undergraduate Advisors (Virtual Advising Center) to learn how to craft a major or minor program reflective of your specific goals and interests. 

I look forward to meeting you and learning more about your plans.