English Major
At A Glance
Program Type
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Accreditation
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Concentrations
Literature, Writing
Opportunities
Opportunities to write for student publications The Crescent and The Wineskin, and outside publications
What can you do with a mastery of the English language? Let us count the ways.
Our English major provides you with the opportunity to explore your own imaginative power. Do you aspire to be a writer or editor? A teacher? A lawyer? A degree in English can launch your career in these fields and countless others. Become a communicator of clarity and grace – someone who can cast a vision, weave a narrative, and craft an experience.
As an English major, you will be taught to read and write with attention to truthfulness, logic, rhetoric and aesthetics. In an increasingly competitive and changing marketplace, a degree in English can be the foundation for the thinking, imaginative and interpretative skills necessary for workplace success.
Concentrations
Literature
Choose this concentration and become familiar with both classic and contemporary works of world, American and British literature. Skills developed include close reading, critical thinking, analytical and problem solving, empathy, and faith integration.
This path will prepare you to pursue graduate studies to become a teacher at the middle school, high school, community college or university levels; attend law school; or earn a degree in library science.
Writing
Choose a writing concentration and practice writing in a variety of genres, including creative writing (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction), journalistic writing, and technical/business writing. Skills developed include analyzing and writing for specific audiences, marketing, editing and publishing. This concentration requires an internship experience.
Program Distinctives Why Study English at George Fox?
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Each member of our faculty is a published writer who is knowledgeable about the publishing industry. They teach from practical experience, not textbook knowledge. Each specializes in different kinds of writing, from young adult fiction to poetry to journalism to academic writing.
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Beyond exploring the classics of literature, you will become a more perceptive reader and interpreter of the Bible, helping you gain a better understanding of how your faith informs your writing practice.
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You will have many opportunities to write and get your work published outside the classroom, whether it be writing for the campus newspaper, The Crescent, or working on the editorial staff of our creative writing journal, The Wineskin. In addition, several students in our Magazine and Feature Writing course are published regularly in media outlets outside the university.
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If you are an English major or minor with a 3.0 GPA or above and three semesters of college credit, you may join the George Fox chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, which qualifies you to submit your creative and scholarly writing and, if selected, to present your work at the international convention.
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You will benefit from interdisciplinary connections through literature (history, philosophy, art, theatre, religion, etc.)
Courses / Curriculum What Will I Study?
Career Outlook What’s After George Fox
Employment of writers and authors is expected to rise 4% between 2022 and 2032, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – as fast as the national average for all professions. Employment for educational instruction, which includes English teachers, and library occupations is also projected to grow as fast as the national average for all occupations during that time span.
- Freelance Writer and Editor, Travel Oregon, Word Jones, Handheld Group
- Associate Professor of English, Spring Arbor University
- Author, The Necessary Grace to Fall (Flannery O’Connor Award winner)
- Director of Education, Creative Nonfiction Foundation
- Technical Editor, Apex Companies
- Librarian, Cedar Mill and Bethany Community Libraries
- Language Arts Teacher, Sherwood High School
- ESL Tutor, Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado
- English Professor, Grand Canyon University
- Project Manager and Marketing Assistant, Soulation
- Intuitive Coach and Leadership Consultant, The Courage Practice
- Portland Monthly Magazine
- Oregon Bride Magazine
- Ellechor Publishing House
- Barclay Press
- Newberg Public Library
- Newberg Public Schools
- Yale University
- Notre Dame
- Oxford University
- Duke Divinity School
- University of St. Andrews
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Virginia
- University of Oregon
- Oregon State University
Jordan Ifueko Creates Stories for a New Generation of Fantasy Fiction Readers
As a child, Jordan Ifueko breathed books. She inhaled stories like oxygen, drawing life from the pages of the British literature that crowded her Nigerian immigrant parents’ shelves. Fairy tales and fantasy novels filled her with wonder and painted her imagination in bright shades of magic.
It wasn’t long before Ifueko, brimming with verbs and plots and characters, exhaled stories of her own, crafting worlds in ink and page. She started writing Raybearer – the young adult fantasy novel that would eventually land Ifueko on the New York Times Bestseller List – when she was just 13.
Gina Ochsner
Author, winner of 2002 Flannery O’Connor Award
What I appreciated the most about the time I spent studying at George Fox was the creative latitude to explore, define, craft and hone my own creative aesthetic. Under the guidance of gifted instructors I was encouraged to examine rigorously what it is I wanted to write and how best to write it.
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