English
- Degree Type Bachelor of Arts
- Department English
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings Major Minor
Working closely with dedicated faculty members, students in this department hone their ability to think and read critically, reason persuasively and write eloquently through the exploration of a constantly evolving range of course offerings.
English
English majors at W&L learn methodologies and vocabularies for literary study; contemplate forms and purposes of literary art in a variety of periods and cultures; and investigate intersections between English and many other disciplines.
The department fosters a culture of curiosity and intellectual endeavor, as well as respect for a variety of cultures and intellectual approaches, through advising, internships and service-learning, study abroad, and extracurricular programming. Students who pursue optional creative writing courses balance critical study with creative endeavor, learning the history and forms of literary art as apprentice practitioners.
This 11-course major makes it easy for students to study abroad, double major or complete a minor. The major is also compatible with pre-med or health professions preparation. English majors have access to frequent readings and lectures by visiting writers and scholars.
Opportunities
Study Abroad: English majors who plan ahead can take Spring Term, one of the long terms, or even the whole junior year abroad. Summer study can also be arranged. Study abroad usually takes the form of year-long or semester-long study at a foreign university in an English-speaking country. English majors have had good experiences at Advanced Studies in England in Bath; University College, Oxford; The Virginia Program at Oxford (summer); University College, London; York University; Melbourne; and other universities abroad.
Prizes and Awards: The department offers several scholarships, as well as awards for both creative and critical writing.
Shenandoah Magazine: Internship opportunities are available at W&L’s celebrated literary magazine, Shenandoah. Students gain hands-on experience in editing, project management, design and publicity.
Senior Honors Theses: Each English major has the option of writing a senior honors thesis that fulfills the Senior Capstone Writing Requirement for English majors.
Outcomes
Of the members of the Class of 2017, 100 percent were employed six months after graduation. Our majors, who frequently pair English with another major, go on to graduate school, prestigious fellowships, and careers in law, teaching, publishing, marketing and communications, finance, government and much more. Having a strong alumni network means our alumni frequently step in to provide personal guidance and connect current students with potential employers.
Leah Naomi Green Delivers Environmental Lecture and Poetry at the Chautauqua Institution
The writer-in-residence and visiting assistant professor of environmental studies spoke on Chautauqua’s theme “The Ethics of Enough.”
W&L Hosts 21st Annual Tom Wolfe Weekend
The weekend’s seminar will feature award-winning author George Saunders discussing his new novel, “Vigil.”
Lesley Wheeler’s Poem ‘Return Path’ is Featured on The Slowdown Podcast
The poem is from the Henry S. Fox Professor of English’s 2025 book “Mycocosmic.”
What’s Next for Joyce Yoo ’26
Yoo, a chemistry major, will be attending Rice University to pursue a doctorate in chemistry.
Malachi Zarahn ’28 Becomes First W&L Student Selected for UVA’s Roadmap Scholars Initiative
The two-year program is designed to help students chart their path into the legal profession.
Summer Reading Recs
Four W&L professors share their must-reads to help you round out your reading list.
Interdisciplinary Innovation
Three new Spring Term Abroad courses allow the liberal arts ethos to shine as professors in different disciplines combine forces.
Four Years in Focus
Senior Ryan Doty reflects on his time at Washington and Lee and the experiences he’ll carry with him into his next chapter.
Wan-Chuan Kao Receives Fellowship at the Suzy Newhouse Center for Humanities
The associate professor of English will perform research leading to a new monograph at the Wellesley College-based academic center next year.
W&L’s Nona David ’26 Selected for U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria
An aspiring educator, David looks forward to combining her love for education and language-learning.
W&L’s Staniar Gallery Presents ‘This Earthen Door’ and ‘The Blue of Distance’
The combined exhibition, featuring the work of artists Amanda Marchand and Leah Sobsey, will open April 27, with an artist’s talk by Sobsey slated for May 13.
W&L’s Laura Brodie to Give Glasgow Endowment Reading
Brodie’s April 1 reading will also celebrate her 25 years at W&L, ahead of her retirement in May.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Holly Pickett
Department Head and Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8078
- E: picketth@wlu.edu
Pickett teaches courses on Shakespeare, early modern drama and contemporary drama. Her research interests include religion and drama, history of the senses, and early modern religious identities and controversies.
Edward Adams
John Lucian Smith, Jr. Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8764
- E: adamse@wlu.edu
Adams teaches courses such as Victorian poetry, Hitchcock and 19th century British novel. His research interests include history and fiction, novel and epic, and high culture and pop culture.
Michael Berlin
Visiting Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Writing Program
- P: 540-458-8757
- E: mberlin@wlu.edu
Michael Berlin’s teaching and research focuses on Anglophone literatures before 1830, the Black Atlantic, and poetry & poetics.
Jean-Luc Bouchard
Assistant Professor of Creative Writing
Bouchard’s teaching and research interests include creative writing in nonfiction and fiction; work, economic anxiety, and technological anxiety; graphic literature, interactive media, and animation; speculative fiction; and humor and satire.
Freddy Fuentes
Visiting Assistant Professor of English
- P: 540-458-4990
- E: fuentesf@wlu.edu
Fuentes teaches entry level writing courses as well as topics in creative writing. He has researched Spanish-American literature and privilege in America.
Chris Gavaler
Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8279
- E: gavalerc@wlu.edu
Gavaler teaches courses on creative writing, contemporary fiction and comics, which are also his main areas of research.
Genelle Gertz
Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English; Interim Program Head for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- P: 540-458-8763
- E: gertzg@wlu.edu
Gertz teaches courses on Career Readiness (Having it All: Life, Literature and Career and Austin Term), the Tudors, and Pride and Paradise.
Leah Naomi Green
Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing and Environmental Studies
- P: 540-458-4821
- E: greenl@wlu.edu
Green’s courses include Eco-Writing, “Wilderness, Wildness, & Cultivation,” and topics for first-year writing seminars. She has researched creative writing (poetry), environmental literature, Buddhist practice, and food justice.
Jane Harrington
Visiting Assistant Professor of English
Harrington teaches British Literature, creative writing and children’s literature. She has researched the Great Hunger of Ireland (folk narratives and history), 19th Century poet/activist Lady Wilde, fairy tales by 17th Century French salon women and issues in contemporary children’s literature.
Lena Hill
Provost and Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8746
- E: lmhill@wlu.edu
In addition to her many duties as Provost, Hill researches and teaches courses primarily in 19th- and 20th-century African-American literature. She has written a number of books and articles on the subject.
Wan-Chuan Kao
Associate Professor of English
On Sabbatical 2026-2027
- P: 540-458-8345
- E: kaow@wlu.edu
Professor Kao’s teaching and research interests include medieval literature, especially Chaucer; whiteness studies; critical theory; race and ethnicity; gender and sexuality; queer studies; hotel theory; affect; and cute studies.
Diego Millan
Associate Professor of English and Core Faculty in Africana Studies
- P: 540-458-8759
- E: dmillan@wlu.edu
Millan teaches upper-level courses in black diasporic literature. He has researched 19th- and 20th-century American and African-American literature and culture, black studies, performance studies, and theories of laughter and comedy.
Bill Oliver
Director of the Writing and Communications Center, Visiting Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8278
- E: oliverb@wlu.edu
Oliver has served as the CommCenter director since 2015 and now directs the Writing Center as well. He teaches first-year writing seminars and courses in American literature and fiction writing. His research interest is fiction.
Alexander Ramirez
Visiting Assistant Professor of English
Kary Smout
Associate Professor of English
- P: 540-458-8979
- E: smoutk@wlu.edu
Smout teaches courses on the literature of the American South, American West and business in American literature. His research interests include language and culture, writing instruction and the politics of higher education.
Beth A. Staples
Associate Professor of English and Editor, Shenandoah
- P: 540-458-8761
- E: bstaples@wlu.edu
Staples teaches courses in creative writing, editing and publishing. She is also the editor of W&L’s literary magazine, Shenandoah.
Lesley Wheeler
Henry S. Fox Professor of English
Wheeler teaches courses in poetry, creative writing and speculative fiction. Her research interests include 20th- and 21st-century poetry in English; science and theory about reading; and creative criticism. She is Poetry Editor of Shenandoah.
Leslie Wingard Cunningham
Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Professor of English and Africana Studies
Leslie Wingard Cunningham is Professor of English and Africana Studies and the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. As a senior leader in academics, Wingard Cunningham is a member of the W&L provost’s office team focused on supporting faculty as they balance and advance their research, service, scholarship, and teaching.