USC English

USC English Welcome to the University of Southern California's Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Science's Department of English page.

Please note that the department’s staff and faculty members are currently working remotely. We tell stories, and stories make us human. We use them to tell us what should be, what could be, and the human truth of what now is. We collect them over centuries, tell them to our children, and they define us as cultures. We change our stories, start new ones, rethink old ones and experiment as we shift

our sense of who we are and what we value. Take away our stories, and there is not much left of us. Study in English is a way of knowing our stories, and at USC we approach them critically and creatively. Distinguished faculty and professional writers teach the ways of language, modes of analysis, and varieties of production. We share a core of literatures and genres through the ages, and then emphasize either Literature or Creative Writing, using each to enhance the other. Our innovative Narrative Studies major is interdisciplinary across the entire university. Such studies all take time. “Everyone can read!”—but not everyone can see what is really there or explain why it is there. “Everyone can write!”—but not everyone can write in ways that change lives. English specializes in thinking clearly and writing well, in contexts that are culturally broad and historically deep. Job skills through stories?—yes. We analyze and organize complex ideas, evaluate qualitative information, anticipate how real audiences respond to language, and study behaviors of complex characters leading uncertain lives with competing values, weighing human costs and human benefits. All writing is creative—fiction or fact, prose or poetry, with sight or sound—and words matter. We develop critical abilities for a successful life, but our stories tell us why life is worth living.

Dornsife Honors Our Esteemed Professor of English and This Year’s Pulitzer Prize in Fiction winner, Percival Everett 🏆 ...
10/06/2025

Dornsife Honors Our Esteemed Professor of English and This Year’s Pulitzer Prize in Fiction winner, Percival Everett 🏆

And with that, the Department of English is now closed for Winter Recess until our 8:30am January 6 reopening!We wish al...
12/20/2024

And with that, the Department of English is now closed for Winter Recess until our 8:30am January 6 reopening!

We wish all our followers whatever each person's perfect balance of rest, fun, and productivity is over these next weeks, and we look forward to seeing you again in 2025!

Check out Spring 2025’s ENGL 302 (32680) course description included in our graphic!ENGL 302: Writing Narrative (multi-g...
12/20/2024

Check out Spring 2025’s ENGL 302 (32680) course description included in our graphic!

ENGL 302: Writing Narrative (multi-genre creative writing workshop)
Section 32680D (D-clearance required, but Prof Ingram is happy to welcome all majors! Just be sure to formally request clearance through our dept Google form publicly available on our Undergraduate FAQ page.)
Professor Brian (Kerry) Ingram
Tuesdays, 2-4:50pm

Counts towards?
Non-declared students: Elective (from Dornsife)
ENGL majors: Upper-division ENGL Elective
CRWT majors: Upper-division ENGL Elective
NARS majors: NARS 2
ENGL minors: Upper-division ENGL Elective
NRST minors: Required core course

As shared in the first post of this series: In this final week prior to the department's Winter Recess closure (dept will close 3pm 12/20, reopening 8:30am 1/6), we're excited to share daily course advertisements in case any students, whether declared with us or not, may see a course of interest and opt to make some schedule tweaks over break!

Check out Spring 2025’s ENGL 352g (experiential Saturday section) course description included in our graphic!ENGL 352g: ...
12/19/2024

Check out Spring 2025’s ENGL 352g (experiential Saturday section) course description included in our graphic!

ENGL 352g: Bookpacking - Bookpacking Los Angeles: An Immersive Journey Through the Culture and Literature of LA
Section 32850R (open registration!)
Professor Andrew Chater (more on instructor and program concept at bookpackers.com)
Saturdays (just first 10 of the usual 15 weeks), 10am-5:30pm

Counts towards?
Non-declared students: GE B (or simply an elective from Dornsife)
ENGL majors: Upper-division ENGL Elective
CRWT majors: Upper-division ENGL Elective
NARS majors: Pre-approved NARS 5 -or- NARS 6 sub
ENGL minors: Upper-division ENGL Elective
NRST minors: Pre-approved European and American Literary Narratives sub

As shared in the first post of this series: In this final week prior to the department's Winter Recess closure (dept will close 3pm 12/20, reopening 8:30am 1/6), we're excited to share daily course advertisements in case any students, whether declared with us or not, may see a course of interest and opt to make some schedule tweaks over break!

Check out the course description included in our graphic for Spring 2025's ENGL 466 offering!ENGL 466: The 19th Century ...
12/18/2024

Check out the course description included in our graphic for Spring 2025's ENGL 466 offering!

ENGL 466: The 19th Century Novel - Hunting GOATS: Moby Dick and Middlemarch in the 21st Century
Section 32756R (open registration!)
Professor Devin Griffiths
Tuesdays/Thursdays, 12:30-1:50pm

Counts towards?
Non-declared students: Elective (from Dornsife)
ENGL majors: 19th Century Literature / Upper-division Later Literatures
CRWT majors: Lit Before 1900 / Later Literatures
NARS majors: Pre-approved NARS 5 sub
ENGL minors: UD ENGL Elec / Later Literatures
NRST minors: Pre-approved European and American Literary Narratives sub

As shared in the first post of this series: In this final week prior to the department's Winter Recess closure (dept will close 3pm 12/20, reopening 8:30am 1/6), we're excited to share daily course advertisements in case any students, whether declared with us or not, may see a course of interest and opt to make some schedule tweaks over break!

In this final week prior to the department's Winter Recess closure (dept will close 3pm 12/20, reopening 8:30am 1/6), we...
12/17/2024

In this final week prior to the department's Winter Recess closure (dept will close 3pm 12/20, reopening 8:30am 1/6), we're excited to share daily course advertisements in case any students, whether declared with us or not, may see a course of interest and opt to make some schedule tweaks over break!

Check out the course description included in our graphic for Spring 2025's ENGL 372 offering!

ENGL 372: Literature and Related Arts - Reporting and Literature
Section 32716R (open registration!)
Professor Geoff Dyer
Tuesdays, 4:30-7:20pm

Counts towards?
Non-declared students: Elective (from Dornsife)
ENGL majors: UD ENGL Elec / Interpretive Lens (Genre/Media Studies option)
CRWT majors: UD ENGL Elec / Interpretive Lens, or exclusive to Spring 2025 Contemp/Modern Prose Craft Course sub if needed
NARS majors: Pre-approved NARS 2 -or- NARS 5 sub
ENGL minors: UD ENGL Elec / Interpretive Lens
NRST minors: European and American Literary Narratives

With the Fall 2024 finals period coming to a close in the next few days, we wanted to now look ahead to Spring 2025 to o...
12/16/2024

With the Fall 2024 finals period coming to a close in the next few days, we wanted to now look ahead to Spring 2025 to officially confirm the courses that have (most frequently, once again) been approved as NARS major or NRST minor substitutions! As shared directly with our students, you'll find that most of these are courses that were approved in past semesters (and so including them in your spring schedule had been encouraged), but take a look at the lists to confirm any sub you planned for has indeed been re-approved, and also in case you see a course listed you hadn't previously been aware of.

NARS majors and NRST minors – if you enrolled in a substitution course for the Spring 2025 semester but haven't yet requested it be manually processed as a sub on your STARS Report (which always must be done), please attend walk-ins to make your request! As is always the case with Laura's advisor availability, most up-to-date walk-in (and appointment) info can be found within your Recent Announcements space on your Advise USC homepage.

In order to celebrate the end of the semester and the various holidays that are coming up, we are happy to invite all st...
12/13/2024

In order to celebrate the end of the semester and the various holidays that are coming up, we are happy to invite all students declared in our department to swing by our front office (THH 404) during regular business hours (M-F 8:30am-5pm) to pick up a holiday gift — you'll find that there are books already wrapped up and placed under our tree!

We hope that, whether your book surprise winds up being one you were already familiar with or one that's a new discovery, you might enjoy the read during your downtime over winter recess! As we do not have enough books for all 400+ of our department's undergrads, swing by sooner rather than later to make sure you're able to snag one. If still available, the last chance to pick up will be 2:30pm on Friday 12/20, as our department will close that day at 3pm for winter recess, to reopen 1/6 at 8:30am (and note that full departmental closure indicates staff will not be available remotely during that window either).

We'd like to start by congratulating all of our students for getting through the first official day of finals today – wi...
12/12/2024

We'd like to start by congratulating all of our students for getting through the first official day of finals today – wishing you a successful end to your Fall 2024 semester, and regardless of outcomes congrats on all you've accomplished over the last few months!

In particular, we'd like to warmly congratulate the cohort of six Narrative Studies students who completed their major-concluding capstone project earlier this week. As our Narrative Studies curriculum offers students the chance to study not just narratives across all media, but also narratives across all manner of fields (for example, the departments of both English and anthropology are all about storytelling in different ways!), the capstone projects often also reflect this breadth of possible study. Check out slide two for the fascinating topics this semester's cohort dove into!

Side note: Students pursuing ENGL 492 in Spring 2025 can keep this potential breadth in mind when formulating their own project ideas! As shared earlier in the semester through Laura's capstone info session Announcement, proposals will be due 1/6/25. For now just keep brainstorming, but before the end of next week you'll have access to a new Announcement devoted to this topic that will reiterate old and include new details, like the proposal Google form link itself!

Are you an undergrad interested in the fields of literary editing and publishing? Even if you aren't declared in our dep...
11/15/2024

Are you an undergrad interested in the fields of literary editing and publishing? Even if you aren't declared in our department, all USC students are welcome to apply to our LEAP Progressive MA program if they meet the program's application eligibility requirements! Students apply to the program typically during their junior spring semester (though apps are also open to seniors), and if accepted will enroll in their first LEAP courses next academic year alongside their final undergraduate requirements, before completing graduate coursework the following academic year!

If you'd like to meet with associated staff and faculty (including Director Brighde Mullins) and learn more, whether for this or a future year's application cycle, join us at our upcoming Zoom open house! Additional open houses will be planned for the spring semester, in advance of our final March deadline.

Open House / Info Session (Virtual)
Friday, Nov 15th, 12-1PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 993 6613 1115

Contact [email protected] to ask any lingering questions you have about the program, or just to introduce yourself!

Application Deadlines:
Senior-only early action option: December 9, 2024
Any other applicants: March 10, 2025

The last cycle's application can currently be referenced on our website (as the same components will be required for the 2025 cycle). The 2025 cycle application is currently being finalized and will be uploaded soon.

The application and more can be found on the LEAP page of our department's website – https://dornsife.usc.edu/engl/literary-editing-and-publishing/

Come by our department's Ide Memorial Common Room, THH 420, tomorrow (11/13) between 2 and 3pm for the third Creative Wr...
11/13/2024

Come by our department's Ide Memorial Common Room, THH 420, tomorrow (11/13) between 2 and 3pm for the third Creative Writing Lunch Hour of the semester!

Join Mellon Postdoc Fellow Liz Johnson in this workshop geared towards any student looking to process some of their thoughts, feelings, or ideas through fun creative writing.

No matter your level of experience or declared programs (feel encouraged to spread the word!), we welcome you to join us! Let's create a community of writers. Pizza and refreshments will be provided.

Mark your calendars now for December's final get-together of the semester (and note the slight time change from our previous announcements!), or simply keep an eye out for our last reminder post!

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+12137402808

Website

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