News & Upcoming Events

Dr. Jacqueline Jones Royster Visits UTC

On March 27, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. in the Chattanooga Room of the UTC University Center, Dr. Jacqueline Jones Royster will present her lecture, “Voices of Nation: Women Claiming the Power to Choose.” She will speak on the subject of Civil War women and nation building.

Dr. Royster’s current research looks at the memoirs, letters, diaries, and autobiographical writings of Civil-War era women such as Charlotte Forten.  “At a moment in America’s history when the country was divided into two nations, women played a pivotal role in representing themselves, their interests, their passions, and their commitment to women’s rights to make their own decisions and choose their own lives as they helped to make two nations into one,” said Dr. Royster.  “At this nation-building moment, the lesson that we can take from the way that they represented their experiences is that there is a long history of commitment to female agency in this country, a legacy that we can take at this critically important time as an affirmation of women’s power to choose and a resolve to take their legacy forward.”

Dr. Royster earned her BA from Spelman College and her MA and DA in English from the University of Michigan; much of her work focuses on literacy studies, rhetorical studies, and women’s studies. She has authored three books, including Southern Horrors and Other Writings: The Anti-Lynching Campaign of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and coauthored several others, including Feminist Rhetorical Studies: New Horizons in Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy Studies. In 1995 she chaired the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCCs). She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and is Dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Immediately following her talk, Dr. Royster will be the guest of honor at a tea in the Chattanooga Room.  This program is free and open to the public. Dr. Royster’s lecture is co-sponsored by UTC's Department of English, the Women’s Center, and the Women’s Studies Program.

Internship Blog Goes Live!

As the English Internship program continues to grow, Dr. Rebecca Jones, Internship Coordinator, has built a blog that includes student testimonials about the program, as well as general information for future interns and potential hosts of interns.

Department Scholarships

The English Department Scholarships Committee now invites students to apply for the following six scholarships specifically designated for English majors: the Arlie E. Herron Scholarship, the Sally B. Young Scholarship, the Marian J. Tyte Scholarship, the Robert W. and Beatrice R. Anderson Scholarship, Chuck Pierce Scholarship, and the Dr. Margaret N. Kelley Scholarship.  A description of these scholarships (including eligibility information) is available here.  The application form is available here (PDF).

Note:  Students must submit SIX COPIES of the application and letter to Dr. Immaculate Kizza, Chair, English Department Scholarships Committee, Department of English, 203 Holt Hall Dept 2703, University of TN at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598.  Applications must be received by March 1, 2013

Student Writing Contests
[31 January 2013]

The English Department is pleased to invite submissions to no fewer than four student writing contests (click on the links below for details and guidelines for each contest):

• Creative Nonfiction Award
• The Ken Smith Fiction Award
• The Sally B. Young Award for Critical Writing
• The Thelma Styles Igou Poetry Award

The submission deadline for all four contsts is noon on Friday, March 1, 2013.

Attention All Sophomore English Majors

All sophomore English majors and English faculty are invited to a "Meet and Greet" on Thursday, November 1 (3:00-4:30) in Holt 124.  Join us for food and Q/A about the major. Refreshments will be provided! Please put this on your calendar and plan to attend.

What? English Department "Meet & Greet" for all sophomore English majors and English faculty (a great opportunity to meet the English faculty and your full-time English advisor)
When? Thursday, November 1, 3:00-4:30
Where? Holt 124

Dr. Bryan Hampton publishes Fleshly Tabernacles: Milton and the Incarnational Poetics of Revolutionary England (University of Notre Dame Press)

Dr. Bryan Hampton's book, Fleshly Tabernacles: Milton and the Incarnational Poetics of Revolutionary England (University of Notre Dame Press), is soon to be released. 

Dr. Rick Jackson to be inducted into East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame

Dr. Rick Jackson, celebrated poet and creative writing teacher, will be inducted into the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 25th.  Please visit the following web address to read more about this honor: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/oct/20/five-to-be-inducted-into-writers-hall-of-fame/

English Majors vs. English Faculty Softball

English Majors vs. English Faculty Softball Game!  The results:  the faculty trounced the majors in a stunning 31-6 contest.  (Yes, 31 to 6!)  Food and fun had by all.  See you in the spring! 

Meacham Writers' Workshop, Fall 2012 

The Meacham Writers' Workshop is the result of an endowment grant made by Jean Meacham to UTC to promote writing as an expressive art, and to draw together university and community writers and readers. Her ideal, which we maintain today, was to create an informal atmosphere where nationally known writers, local writers, students, and novice writers and their readers could freely, and on an equal basis, exchange ideas, works, and readings. In order to promote this she asked that the workshops be free and open to all.  The dates for the Fall 2012 Meacham Writers' Workshop are October 25-27. Check out the schedule here.

Dr. Charles Sligh Interviewed for Open Road Integrated Media Website

"Meet Lawrence Durrell" video clip featuring Dr. Charles Sligh

Department's calendar goes online!

Department Writing Contests (2012)

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Opportunities for Our Students

The department makes available to students a variety of activities and opportunities that may lead to professional careers:  internships in professional and technical writing; participation in the publication of The Sequoya Review, UTC’s literary and arts review; participation in the Meacham Writers’ Workshop, held each semester; membership in The Sequoya Society, an English student club sponsoring guest speakers, a newsletter, and special outings; and possible membership in Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society.  Likewise, the Department of English is home to several publications, including Poetry Miscellany, The Tennessee Philological Bulletin, MidAmerica, Midwestern Miscellany, and The Tennessee English Journal.  Our students often participate in the production of these publications. Likewise, our students mingle with 35 to 40 famous writers at the biennial Conference on Southern Literature.  These are tremendous opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students alike.

Opportunities for English Majors after Graduation

Because a bachelor’s degree in English provides extensive communication and analytic skills, students are prepared to enter careers in marketing, technical communications, sales, public relations, publishing, advertising, teaching, and even business positions where such skills are increasingly given premium value. Some recent graduates of our undergraduate program have been involved in writing insurance manuals, working with a grant writing agency, directing a college registration office, teaching, directing a summer high school honors program, and doing free-lance writing.  Others have gone on to law school or graduate programs in literature, professional writing, or MFA work in some of the most outstanding programs around the country.

Our Programs

In all of its work, the English department's fundamental goal is to develop literacy and analytical skills, leading our students to become independent, reflective, critical readers and writers. Toward this end we offer small, discussion-oriented classes emphasizing close reading and careful writing, conducted by faculty members who are committed to excellence in teaching and mentoring students.  We offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs leading to:

• The Bachelor of Arts in English and American Language and Literature
• The Bachelor of Arts in English and American Language and Literature: Creative Writing
• The Bachelor of Arts in English and American Language and Literature: Rhetoric and Professional Writing

• The Master of Arts in English: Literary Study, Criticism, and Research
• The Master of Arts in English: Composition and Rhetorical Studies
• The Master of Arts in English: Creative Writing

We also offer undergraduate minors in:

• Literature
• Rhetoric and Writing
• Creative Writing

In keeping with our commitment to liberal education, the Department of English provides numerous support courses, programs, and institutes for general education and writing. Our faculty is also strongly involved in several important programs, including the UTC Writing Center, the University Honors Program, the English as a Second Language Institute, and Writing Across the Curriculum.