An English Perspective with Dr. Russell

by DeShaun Simmons, Staff Writer

Transitioning from high school to college, I was very unsure of my future endeavors and what career I wanted to pursue. This is mainly because I have so many passions and interests, so as a result, I spent my freshman year as an undecided major. For me, Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semester consisted of schedules filled with various courses that piqued my interest. It wasn’t until I realized that throughout my life, reading and writing were two things that always truly mattered to me and that I had natural talent in. Ultimately, this led to me finally declaring English as my major.

For anyone who is undecided, in between, or unhappy with their current major, I am here to tell you that I completely understand what you’re going through and that it’s going to be okay! This is the beginning of a new series where I will explore different majors/departments by speaking to professors and students about their experiences and more information on their field. Through this, I hope to help those who share my same experience and are facing the tough and often painful decision of choosing their major.

To me, being an English major gives me so many opportunities that I wasn’t aware of prior to my decision. I would love to pursue a career in Professional Writing and Law, but one can also go into Education, Marketing, Public Relations and so much more. To talk more about this major, I spoke with Dr. Russell from the English Department about his experience as an English professor and his thoughts about the major. Being a college level English professor for about twelve years now, he’s very knowledgeable on the subject. I sent Dr. Russell a few questions and these were his responses:

What is your favorite class to teach?

"I like teaching World Literature I. There are usually a host of different students from a variety of different backgrounds. I also like the “premodern” world of heroes and myths. I like to engage the students and attempt to get them to contribute to the class. I also like to keep the class lively and have students reflect on the material.”

Why do you think the English major is important?

“Our age is saturated with media. Being able to read and analyze texts and images make one stronger and better able to navigate the world.”

Do you have any advice for students that want to pursue a career in this subject?

“Hard work and networking are essential for success.”