ENGLISH & WRITING AND EDITING
COME DISCOVER A PLACE WHERE YOU BELONG...
STERLING COLLEGE IS A PLACE... FOR THINKERS
STERLING COLLEGE OFFERS TWO MAJORS THAT WILL CHALLENGE YOU TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER AND TO EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF LITERATURE: ENGLISH AND WRITING AND EDITING. The English major will learn about literature, creative writing, language studies, and literary criticism. A writing and editing major will focus on grammar, language studies, styles of writing, integrity, and research. In both programs, our professors will teach from a Christian perspective as you grow in your knowledge of the English language.
SEE WHAT KINDS OF CAREER PATHS YOU CAN TAKE WITH THESE MAJORS AT WWW.STERLING.EDU/ACADEMICS/ ENGLISH
Explore literature and see how it relates to today’s culture and your faith. Improve your knowledge of the English language and its mechanics. Understand that words matter as you analyze writing from professional writers and critique the writing of your peers. Come to Sterling College and develop into the teacher, journalist, author, editor, book critic, or copy writer you want to be.
GIVEN THE WRITE OPPORTUNITY Sterling College offers several writing-related organizations and events for students. Join the editorial team of The Great Plains Review, our student-led literacy magazine, and edit and publish poetry, prose, and artwork created by SC students and faculty. Exercise your creative writing skills or attend a poetry slam through The English Blend, SC’s English club. Document news and events at Sterling College by writing for the student newspaper, The Stir. Or try your hand as a playwright during our 24-Hour Play Festival or Student Film Festival. At Sterling, you will find a group of students who is as excited about writing as you are.
ENGLISH Students majoring in English will take at least 45 credit hours of language and literature. These classes will include British, American, and world literature, creative writing, grammar, literary criticism, language studies (linguistics), and many more subjects that will broaden your knowledge and challenge you. The skills you will acquire in this major will relate to many professional fields, but most of our students focus on careers as teachers, publishers, or authors. You will also be ready to begin graduate work; popular graduate degrees include the Masters of Library Science and of course the master’s degree and the Ph.D. in English. With highly developed writing skills, a number of alumni from the English program have also attended law school or seminary.
EDUCATION LICENSURE For students interested in teaching English at the secondary level, we partner with the Department of Education to provide the classes necessary for education licensure. Study classroom management, lesson planning, and methods of teaching English to prepare for your own 6-12th grade students. Completing the professional studies coursework will prepare you to sit for your licensure exam after graduation.
WRITING AND EDITING The writing and editing major focuses on achieving excellence in writing through classes centered on grammar, language studies, styles of writing, and research. Through this unique program, you will hone your editing skills and concentrate on writing styles that interest you. Students in this major will also be prepared for graduate school in technical writing, creative writing, and composition and rhetoric.
CREATIVE WRITING Study and develop an understanding of poems, script writing, fiction, and other creative literature. Learn the skills necessary to become an editor or publisher.
PROFESSIONAL WRITING Learn about journalism, business writing, debate, and other styles of professional writing. Students in this major will be prepared for careers in journalism, academic writing and editing, and web writing and editing.
YOU WON'T TAKE THIS CLASS JUST ANYWHERE
Through the unique passions of our faculty, students have opportunities to take classes that they won’t find at many other colleges. Spend a semester studying Monster Literature. Study the writings of C.S. Lewis and the Inklings. Take Classical Devotional Literature and explore devotional and autobiographical works within the Christian tradition. These are just a few of the one-of-a-kind classes offered at Sterling College.
AN UNCOMMON MAJOR The opportunity to major in writing and editing is an exclusive benefit of studying at Sterling College. Few schools our size, and even fewer Christian schools, offer the ability to focus solely on writing and editing. Think that the need for editors is decreasing because of the Internet? The truth is that technology has actually increased the amount of literature available to the public, creating a demand for writers and editors to ready manuscripts for publication. Moreover, increased regulations in society require well-written documentation to enforce new rules and standards, adding to the value of a skilled technical writer.
DR. FELICIA SQUIRES, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Squires is the chair of the Department of Language and Literature, associate dean for the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and an associate professor of language and literature. In 2009 she earned the McCreery Teaching Award, an honor that recognizes an outstanding professor for his or her efforts to provide noteworthy and innovative instruction to Sterling College students. She earned her Ph.D. in American Literature from Catholic University of America, her M.A. in English from East Tennessee State University, and her B.A. in Biblical Studies and Linguistics from Northwest Christian (College) University. GENTRY SUTTON, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Sutton serves Sterling College as the associate dean for assessment, accreditation and online education as well as an assistant professor of language and literature. He began his editorial career by working as an academic editor and editing adult education materials. He is also an experienced composition instructor, and he is the author of Team Church: BigLeague Teamwork to Strengthen the Local Church, in which he draws from his experience as a Sterling College baseball player. Sutton is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned his M.A. in English from Emporia State University and his B.A. in English from Sterling College. DR. MARK WATNEY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Watney was born and raised in South Africa and immigrated to the United States in 1977. Before coming to SC, he served as a missionary to Japan and Turkey. His recent professional work includes presenting papers to the Southwest Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature and participating in a Harvard-sponsored seminar on Song Culture on Athenian Drama. Watney earned his Ph.D. in Humanities (Literary Studies) from the University of Texas at Dallas, his M.A. in English Literature from California State University Pomona, and his B.A. in Sociology and Bible from Azusa Pacific University.
If you want to study English or writing and editing from a Christian perspective, come to Sterling College. Pursue your passion for language and literature in a nurturing environment that will encourage you to grow in your major and in your faith. We hope you will prayerfully consider Sterling College. Ask your admissions counselor about scheduling a visit day. Come see for yourself what makes Sterling College the best choice for your future. Come discover Sterling College.
800-346-1017 | WWW.STERLING.EDU | STERLING, KANSAS