Department of English
Bloomsburg University's Department of English offers a program with four concentrations: Literature and Linguistics, Creative Writing, Digital Rhetoric and Professional Writing and English Secondary Education, as well as minors in English, Creative Writing and Professional Writing and houses interdisciplinary minors in Gender Studies and in Ethnic Studies in the United States.
The department supports the growth of English as a profession and develops students' critical reading and writing skills. It seeks to provide students with opportunities to analyze diverse literatures; an understanding of how language functions; knowledge of multiple interpretive tools; and the ability to use language creatively and powerfully for exposition, persuasion, and artistic effect.
English Concentrations
The department offers a program where students can major in four possible concentrations: one which emphasizes literature and linguistics, one which emphasizes creative writing, one which emphasizes digital rhetoric and professional writing, and one which emphasizes secondary education.
The department also provides substantial support to BU's general education program, specifically in the areas of the first-year experience, the university writing program, general education humanities offerings, and interdisciplinary and diversity programming.
Department of English
Department Chairperson
Tina Entzminger | 570-389-4432
Assistant Chair
Mark Decker | 570-389-4337
Internship Coordinator
Michael Martin | 570-389-4905
Department Secretary
Nancy Rothermel | 570-389-4427
115 Bakeless Center
570-389-4427
Fax: 570-389-3006
A taste of medieval life and culture
Students from Christina Francis’s English 480 – Arthurian Literature senior seminar traveled to the PA Renaissance Faire in Manheim this fall in to experience as much of an approximation of medieval life and culture as one might find in Central Pennsylvania.
“It was incredible to see storylines and recurring themes in medieval literature manifest in real present-day life,” says Nancy Zola, a junior English/ Secondary Education major. “I felt that I was a part of the literature at the fair.”
From minstrel shows to displays of falconry and longbow archery, students enjoyed being able to connect the descriptions they’ve been reading to a few real world experiences. In particular, the performances of Human Chess (a game invented in the Middle Ages) and Jousting helped capture some of the medieval world of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
“I’m glad I went into the experience having much more knowledge about the time period and the legends,” said Breyana Rolon, a senior English major.