English

Explore how narratives shape our world

We believe that studying literature and producing literature should be intertwined.

Our majors choose from two paths: literature and creative writing. But choosing a track doesn’t mean shutting a door: the English major’s core requirements are the same for both tracks, which means our students take classes with all of our faculty, not just those in their chosen path. This emphasis on the collaborative and productive relationships between literature and creative writing infuses everything we do.

English majors and minors are equally valued in the department and form a community that fosters creative, engaged, meaningful experiences. You’ll write (a lot) and revise (a lot), thanks to plentiful feedback from your professors, who are committed to craft in their own writing. You’ll dive into ambitious writing projects and have the chance to build on that work in subsequent semesters. Throughout our courses, we pay attention to whose voices have been at the center of public conversations and whose have been at the margins. Whether seeking models to inspire our own work or critically examining how literature shapes and reflects cultures, we try not to lose sight of the fact that what “counts” as literature is a question with a complicated history that is worth exploring.

In the English department:

Our biggest class size is 20.
Our faculty are prominent scholars and award-winning authors.
English majors and minors have the chance to develop their skills in public forums: many of them write and edit for Chanter literary magazine, Home Magazine, The Mac Weekly newspaper, The Words department newsletter, and with nationally-competitive Mac Slams spoken word poetry.
Our active English Honor Society plans events open to the department community, including theater trips and opportunities to network with alumni.
We coordinate an annual series of practical workshops focusing on how your degree can lead you to fulfilling long-term goals.
Our location strengthens everything we do. Our classes learn from local authors, journalists, and publishing professionals, as well as nationally-touring writers, scholars, performers, and speakers who come to the Twin Cities.

Life after Macalester

Recent Employers
- Abderdeen Public School District
- Alexandria Technical & Community College Foundation
- Bad Bad Hats
- Boys and Girls Club
- Branding Bros. Co.
- Brown University
- Button Poetry
- Children and Family Justice Center
- CIEE Teach Abroad
- City of Lakes Americorp
- College Possible
- Consortium Book Sales & Distribution
- Dialpad
- Dizzy’s Diner
- Ecolab Inc.
- Enreach
- Entre Health
- Epic Systems
- Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
- Forest Hills Documentaries, LLC
- Fortune Financial
- Fresco News
- Glen Echo Group
- Grandview School District
- Great River School
- Hamline University
- Hazelden Publishing
- Hilton Hotels
- Hwacheon KSPO WFC
- Kane County Board of Education
- KIPP Academy Lynn Elementary
- Labor Initiatives
- LEMO Foundation
- Lerner Publishing Group
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Mima City Board of Education
- Minneapolis Public Schools
- Minnesota Reading Corps & Minnesota Math Corps
- Mizna
- Montclair Kimberely Academy
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- National Domestic Workers Alliance
- National Latin@ Network
- National Park Service – Grand Canyon, AZ
- New Media Advocacy Project
- Northwestern Mutual
- Oasis International – Nairobi, Kenya
- Ora TV
- Parsons School of Design
- Peace Corps
- Planned Parenthood
- Portland General Electric
- Sanford, Pierson, Thone & Strean, PLC
- Science Museum of Minnesota
- SHARE Cancer Support
- Somali Museum of Minnesota
- Stone Pier Press
- TCF Financial Corporation
- Techstars
- The Annoyance Theatre and Bar
- The Cedar Cultural Center
- The Jellyvision Lab
- Thebe & Co.
- TRIO, Upward Bound Program
- Tufts Medical Center
- Uncle Boons
- University of Minnesota – Duluth
- University of Pennsylvania Press
- Up Academy Kennedy Middle School
- Veteran Administration
- Virgo Health
- Vogue
- Voters For Vinehout
- Weber Shandwick
- Wondersauce
- Young Children’s Museum
Recent Graduate Schools
- Adler School of Professional Psychology
- African International University-Nairobi
- Augsburg University
- Brown University
- Cambridge University
- Chicago School of Prof Psychology
- College of William & Mary
- Cornell University
- Georgia College
- Hamline University
- Harvard Divinity School
- Harvard Law School
- Harvard University
- Indiana University
- New York University
- Samuel Merritt College
- Sarah Lawrence
- Stanford University
- Trinity College Dublin
- Tufts Medical Center
- University of California-Davis
- University of Chicago Law School
- University of Colorado
- University of Glasgow
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of New Mexico
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Strasbourg
- University of Virginia
- University of Wisconsin/River Falls
- Yale School of Business Management

English at Macalester happens within and beyond the classroom: recent field trips have included not only museums, archives, and theaters, but also nature preserves, recycling facilities, and book arts demonstrations.

Students routinely get faculty-sponsored internships (47 in the last five years!)—including at Graywolf Press, Coffee House Press, print and online media outlets, city councils, education organizations, and the state capitol, as well as in non-profit advocacy roles.

Our local community includes an extensive network of alumni who have found a home here—and they’re eager to mentor and interview (and even hire) current students.

Department Links

Join our community

Reading can be a solitary activity—but studying English shouldn’t be. Our department fosters community through both academic and extra-curricular programming. We host readings by award-winning poets and novelists, lectures by nationally-recognized scholars, and events to showcase the incredible work our students produce. We also offer Bagel Mondays, monthly coffee house nights, and occasional Pop Talks led by faculty on pop culture topics. When your calendar has this many opportunities for connection, it’s no surprise that the department is a beloved hangout space. Our events build a community, one that cultivates creative thinking and incisive writing. You’ll find yourself chatting with an acclaimed author about navigating revisions. You’ll get a tip about an amazing internship from a classmate over cappuccinos. We show up for faculty book launches and senior capstone presentations. We see each other through struggles as well as successes.