Department of English
"The program's aim is to impart to the student an understanding not only of the aesthetic richness of the literatures that have been written in English but also of the historical and cultural forces that have contributed to their making. "
- The English Department at the University of Montana has several components: 1) Literature; 2) Creative Writing; 3) English Teaching; 4) Expository Writing; 5) Linguistics; and 6) English as a Second Language 7) Film Studies.
- In the first, Literature, students ground their study in the reading and examination of the canonical literatures of Great Britain, Ireland and North America. The program's aim is to impart to the student an understanding not only of the aesthetic richness of the literatures that have been written in English but also of the historical and cultural forces that have contributed to their making. The classes are of a size that makes discussion very much a part of the classroom experience, and the faculty is actively committed both to teaching and scholarship.
- The Creative Writing program, one of the country's oldest and more renown, is predicated on the model of the workshop, as led by a stellar group of prize-winning poets, novelists, short-story writers and memoirists. The faculty is complemented, each year, with distinguished guest faculty, who take up residencies in posts named after Charles Engelhard, Richard Hugo and William Kittredge.
- The English Teaching program is designed to transform gifted students of English into equally gifted teachers of the subject, paving the way between being a student and assuming the responsibilities of not only thoughtfully instructing students but also of engaging, in serious and productive ways, one's fellow colleagues and community members. In addition to training apprentices to the field, the program also works, especially in the Montana Writing Project, with seasoned teachers, offering them a structured venue wherein they can both share their experiences and learn about newer developments.
- The Expository Writing program is geared toward making all entering Montana students more self-conscious of the criteria that distinguish fine from less fine writing. Writing is understood as a skill, one that is improved by instructing the author in the demands and contingencies attached to such concerns as audience, voice, diction, grammar, schemes, tropes, tone and style.
- The Department offers courses in English as a Second Language and Linguistics. The first is principally designed for those who have plans to teach English to non-native speakers; the second, in conjunction with the Department of Linguistics, is designed to instruct the student in the grammatical, phonological, and historical dimensions of the English language.
- Lastly, UM students may now earn a BA in English with an option in Film Studies. This inter-disciplinary program draws from a broad range of fields (English, Philosophy, Native American Studies, Media Arts, Modern and Classical Languages and Literature, and more) to introduce students to the many facets of moving-image culture. Students taking this option will be given a background in film history and aesthetics, and will learn to analyze film from a variety of philosophic and psychoanalytic traditions. Students will also be exposed to a broad array of international films, as well as filmic translations of well-known works of literature. Taking classes as varied as Shakespeare and Film, German Cinema, and Film Noir will leave you a critical viewer of one of the most pervasive forms of cultural representation today.
Undergraduate Student Ryan Wells
Ryan Wells
Hometown: Hamilton, MT
Advisor: Casey Charles
Ryan Wells—literature major and tackle to the Montana Grizzlies is also the organizer and public relations liaison for the Griz for Kids Program—a charitable drive that collects and distributes toys to kids across Missoula. Ryan is enrolled in a writing internship with University Relations Director Rita Munzenrider. Ryan brings together the diligent study of Shakespeare with the discipline of winning athlete.
Graduate Student Jasmine Wagner
Jasmine Wagner, an MFA student in poetry, has received a scholarship to attend the Summer Literary Seminar in Nairobi, Kenya this December. With the help of Greta Wolsted Fund of the English Department, the Colllege of Arts and Sciences, and the Office of Research and Development at UM, Jasmine will represent our university at this prestigious Poetry Workshop. Jasmine is already a well-published poet and performance artist.
