The Epic of Gilgamesh. The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. The Kumulipo. These are just some of the timeless creation stories from around the world that students of literature can explore. These tales help us unravel the cultural practices, art forms, values and ideas of various societies throughout history. Literature majors delve into historical and contemporary works, learning about major eras of creative thought and civilization development.Literature students have the freedom to explore texts and gain familiarity with various cultures, time periods and groups in society. Graduates can be extremely versatile employees; these skill sets make graduates well-rounded and multifaceted individuals, with strong communication and analysis skills. These abilities can be applied to roles within business, technology, education and marketing.
Sample Courses
Undergraduate students exploring literature will typically begin their studies with composition classes, which help them learn how to accurately convey their thoughts, criticisms, and analysis in essay form. English composition classes typically focus on essay form, academic source citation and building rhetorical arguments. Students in their later undergraduate years will begin to focus their studies on immersive literature courses such as modern poetry, Post WWII American literature and medieval literature.
Possible Specializations
In some ways, literature and history students face similar challenges – there are so many eras, regions and cultures to cover, that these fields can seem too expansive. This is where specialty studies come in. Those who declare this major can choose a comparative literature route, specializing in two very different literary fields. Others can specialize in a foreign language, pairing up language fluency with literary studies and analysis. Students interested in nonfiction and rhetoric might choose to specialize in cultural studies, including African American, LGBT, women's rights, disability studies and other group discourses.
Degree Types
Students of literature can pursue degrees ranging from the associate to the Ph.D levels, however, a four-year degree minimum is a common requirement for most employers hiring literature majors.
Associate
Some colleges offer an Associate of Arts Degree in English Literature. These two-year degrees are generally used by students who wish to apply course credits toward a future bachelor's degree. Since many writing, marketing and teaching jobs require a bachelor's degree, it can be very difficult to find work with just an associate degree in literature.
Bachelor's
This four-year degree gives students enough time to cover the fundamentals of critical reading and writing practices, while delving into a specialty within literature. People who graduate with a bachelor's degree in literature can find work as online marketers, journalists, English language instructors and technical writers.
Master's
Students who continue on to graduate school with a master's degree program will typically dedicate an additional one to two years to their studies. These individuals gain further specialization, and might even instruct their own courses as graduate teaching assistants. Master's degree holders can gain work in professional writing, editorial leadership, English language instruction and marketing.
Ph.D.
These students are on track to faculty positions at colleges. They dedicate their time to researching key texts within literature, honing their knowledge on specific themes, time periods and groups within literature. Those who graduate with a Ph.D. can find administrative work within companies and schools, or leadership roles across the publishing industry, but particularly in the academic sphere.Students should explore networking and funding opportunities with academic groups like Sigma Tau Delta (the International English Honors Society). These organizations award scholars who commit themselves to remarkable academic achievements within literature.
Ideal Candidates for Literature
Students with strong communication skills, both verbal and written, will find they excel as literature majors. These skills can help with the reading, interpretation and analysis of literary texts, tasks that take up quite a bit of time within a student's course load. Students with a significant interest in poetry or screenplays might discover that strong verbal communication skills can help with the recitation process, which is integral to understanding these works.Literature majors should also be highly adaptable, since they will often stray outside of their comfort zones to analyze unfamiliar texts. This might include works from various cultures and groups within society. Literature allows students to gain insight into people's experiences from a different class, race, ability and identity background. At the graduate level, scholars might even be encouraged to travel abroad, especially if their studies involve a foreign language. The ability to adapt can serve students well as they encounter new and unfamiliar texts and environments.
Career Pathways
Literature majors have a more diverse pick of prospective careers than most college graduates. They can pursue teaching roles at English language immersion schools domestically and abroad. They can explore writing for publications or for marketing departments. Literature majors can also find roles on writing or editorial teams.Postsecondary English language and literature teachers can make an average of $67,980, with the majority of these professionals being hired by colleges and other academic institutions. Many of these roles are faculty positions that are available to graduate degree holders.The median pay for editors is $53,880 a year, with the majority of professionals working for newspaper, book and magazine publishers. Unfortunately, the career prospects for growth in this role are very low, with a job outlook rate of -2% before the year 2022. On the other hand, there is still a slightly higher demand for writers , who make an average of $55,940 a year, with the majority working within the information, scientific and technical sectors.
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Journals
Duke University Press is the publisher of this MLA sponsored, peer-reviewed journal covering American authors from the colonial era through the present.
This one of a kind journal is dedicated to all facets of the King Arthur story, from its start in the Middle Ages to modern treatments in stage, film and writing.
An interdisciplinary journal presenting critical thought about the arts, humanities and literature since 1974.
International Journal of English and Literature
This is an open source journal that is published monthly. It features articles in all areas of African literature, literature appreciation and cultural studies.
Published by Indiana University Press and recently expanded to include contemporary writing and established literature is considered by many the journal of record for modern literature.
A resource and forum for those interested in quality literature spans the breadth of civilization from ancient to modern and criss-crossing language borders.
The NER has long held the goal of publishing new fiction, non-fiction and poetry that, at the same time, has always made a point of testing readers' comfort zones.
Begun in a Cambridge Massachusetts publication in 1971 and based out of Emerson College, this publication has played host to literary luminaries like Seamus Heaney and Raymond Carver.
A melding of diverse literary journals and glossy magazines, this publication aims to please passionate readers who are not necessarily academics or publishing professionals.
Trade Magazines
Looking very good for its age (125 years old), this magazine founded by students at Cambridge University continues to publish some of the world's finest…
Grants
Minnesota Emerging Writers' Grant
Deadline: March 28th
Award Amount: $10,000
Minnesota writers are the beneficiary of this grant designed to help writers create action plans that will further their literary careers.
The Gulliver Travel Research Grant
Deadline: September 30th
Award Amount: $800
The Speculative Literature Foundation makes this award available for the purpose of aiding recipients in paying for travel so they may continue their research in speculative literature.
Scholarships
Debra Plousha Moore and John E. Moore Jr. Scholarship
Deadline: April 2nd
Award Amount: $3,000
Applicants are required to have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, complete an application indicating their financial need and write a short statement indicating their commitment to African American Literature.
Deadline: March 17th
Award Amount: $1,000
Two University of Missouri undergraduates will receive $1,000 to continue their studies as English majors if they have a 3.0 GPA or higher and submit an essay on a specified topic.
Kelsey Harris Writing Scholarship
Deadline: March 25th
Award Amount: $1,000
Writing is at the heart of this scholarship for graduating high school seniors pursuing a writing career with the award being sent directly to the successful applicants college or university.
Madeline and Joseph Wolfolk Thomas Scholarship
Deadline: March 7th
Award Amount: $7,500
Merit is the exclusive basis of this Louisville University award. It can be used for tuition and room and board by successful applicants who have completed at least 70 credits.
Milton Postgraduate Fellowship
Deadline: March 15th
Award Amount: $16,000
This is a nine month fellowship stipend to enable new Christian writers the opportunity to finish their first book length manuscript of fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction.
Nick Ivins Memorial Literature Scholarship
Deadline: March 5th
Award Amount: $1,100
This is an Arizona State University scholarship for English majors who have already completed 25 credit hours, are full-time students and have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA and 3.0 in their major.
Deadline: January 31st
Award Amount: $2,000
This scholarship is named in honor of WWII Navy Wave Norma Ross Walter and is for female Nebraska high school graduates who plan to or are already enrolled as English majors at an accredited college.
The Miriam R. Taub Scholarship
Deadline: March 31st
Award Amount: $2,500
Young women who are the first in the family to attend college and who have at least a 3.25 GPA may apply for this scholarship. Preference is given to 1st generation Americans and women of color.
William D. Cocorinis Scholarship
Deadline: March 17th
Award Amount: $1,000
The Department of Languages and Literature at the University of Utah established this scholarship for the benefit of students who are studying modern or ancient Greek Literature.
Deadline: April 7th
Award Amount: $3,000
William Lowe, a mystery writer, created and funds this scholarship based on his belief that a college education is necessary for a young person to achieve success in any field.
Johns Hopkins University is in search of writing instructors and teaching assistants to work in summer programs for gifted students in grades K-12 at 11 locations nationwide.
Harper Collins is on the lookout for summer interns who would like to acquire broad experience in publishing.
This unique internship opportunity is by NPR, which regularly moves individuals from intern to employee upon graduation, with almost 10% of their current staff coming from the ranks of internships.
Spring, summer and fall semester internships are available on a rolling application basis for positions in a variety of departments. Students who can commit to 14-28 hours of work per week.
Scholastic, the education publisher, offers full-time (35 hours/week) paid internships to qualified juniors and seniors with strong computer skills who attend accredited colleges or universities.
Internships are available throughout the year, with applications accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates must be undergraduate or graduate students who can work from 16-20 hours per week.
As a nonprofit, The New Press is highly dependent on interns and makes a concerted effort to treat them in the same way as salaried assistants.
Available at locations in the US and UK, these 16 week internships are paid at the rate of $9 per hour with applications accepted on a rolling basis for slots during fall, spring and summer semesters.
This is a paid internship ($8 per hour) available to college students who will benefit from an introduction to publishing gaining hands on experience in the day to day operations of a book publisher.
Student Organizations
African American Literature and Culture Society
By sponsoring panels, conferences and the study of African American literature, culture and society the association hopes to foster conversations about present…
Association of Literary Scholars, Critics and Writers
Comprised of writers, scholars and critics, the association seeks to promote excellence in literary criticism by fostering an environment that allows…
Children's Literature Association
This is a nonprofit alliance of students and professionals that are devoted to the study of children's literature with the goal of upholding the highest…
Society for Comparative Literature and the Arts
Once known as the Southern Comparative Literature Association they strive to increase support for and interest in comparative literature, as well as aiding…
Professional Organizations
Supporting American poets at all stages in their careers, the AAP seeks to further the appreciation of contemporary poetry through a wide range of programs, including National Poetry Month.
American Comparative Literature Association
Since its founding in 1960, the ACLA has grown to be widely considered the primary society for scholars working in cross-cultural literary study.
Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures
Research and criticism on the oral and written literary traditions of Native American peoples has been the province of this group since 1991.
International Comparative Literature Association
Members of this international association are leaders in the field of comparative literature research and work diligently in their commitment to their singular standards of scholarship.