The English Department is proud to offer three majors:
English Major, English Major: Creative Writing Track, and Liberal Arts Major: Journalism Option. In addition, the English Department has partnered with the Social Science Department and the Humanities Department to offer the Liberal Arts Major: Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Option. Descriptions of majors can be found below.
English Major
When you become an English Major, you will work closely with accomplished and dedicated faculty to deepen your understanding of a diverse range of literatures. Being an English Major will allow you to develop writing, analytical, and research skills that are desirable for many workplaces such as marketing, publishing, and online content creation.
As an English Major, you will complete the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree. The LaGuardia English Department has partnered with Queens College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice to make it easy for you to transfer and enroll as Juniors in the English Department at either college. Additionally, we support a number of exciting internship opportunities that will allow you to gain hands-on experiences before graduation.
For more information, visit the English Major website and contact the Director of the English Major.
Director of the English Major
Dr. Jesse Schwartz
Email: jesseschwartz@lagcc.cuny.edu
English Major: Creative Writing Track
The Creative Writing Track of the English Major is for people who want to write literature, as well as to read and study it. You will experiment to see how far you can push language, and to bring new meaning into the world. You will get an instant audience in our writing workshops as you work on fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and things less categorizable; and you will develop your craft by listening to, reading and talking about the works of your colleagues. You will work closely with your professors, all published writers and passionate teachers. In short, you will participate in a community of writers who share your creative spirit.
Our graduates have gone on to publish novels, volumes of poetry, and plays. Because creative writing involves developing the skill of bringing ideas into language, you can also apply these skills, as our graduates have, in many professional settings, such as law, education, and business. Our program also allows you to transfer as juniors to Queens or York Colleges. We will work with you along the way to help you identify the path that works for you.
For more information, visit the Creative Writing website and contact the Director of English Major: Creative Writing Track.
Director of English Major: Creative Writing Track
Dr. Noam Scheindlin
E-mail: nscheindlin@lagcc.cuny.edu
Liberal Arts Major: Journalism Option
The Journalism Major exists to support your interest in storytelling and covering the news. You will find story ideas. You will interview and research. You will write and edit news stories. As you become a creative, confident, and professional writer, the Journalism Major will give you hands on experience with beat reporting, digital journalism, broadcast journalism, feature writing, editing, and publishing. This often happens when our majors work closely with faculty as they intern at our college newspaper The Bridge and with journalists as they intern at New York based community newspapers. These experiences will be balanced by lessons in thinking critically and working ethically. To put it simply, the Journalism Major will help you become a well-rounded reporter who tells stories that matter to you as you become a careful consumer and observer of news.
Our program prepares you for careers in journalism, media, and communications. In fact, our graduates have gone onto work as reporters, editors, and publishers in major newspapers, online publications, and broadcast networks. Through our program you can also transfer as juniors to Brooklyn College and York College. For more information, visit our Journalism Major website and contact the Director of the Journalism Major.
Director of the Liberal Arts Major: Journalism Option
Assistant Professor Bijoyeta Das
E-mail: bdas@lagcc.cuny.edu
Liberal Arts Major: Women, Gender, and Sexuality Option (WSG)
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies engages students in the discovery and exploration of culture and society through the intersections of gender, race, sexuality, class, and nationality. The Liberal Arts Option in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGS) leads to an Associate in Arts (AA) degree. The option is designed for students who have a strong interest in learning about key debates and theoretical concepts central to WGS and for students that plan to major in WGS or related fields at four-year institutions.
As an interdisciplinary option with faculty from Social Sciences, English, and Humanities, we prepare students to become better-informed world citizens, equipped to tackle the systemic implications and outcomes of particular local, national, and global forces that affect women and LGBTQ people. For detailed information on requirements and options, see our Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Option (WSG) website.
Director of the Liberal Arts Major: WSG Option
Dr. Anita Baksh
E-mail: abaksh@lagcc.cuny.edu