Alex Emerson
Corresponding transcription
It turns out that graduating in English earned a bad rap.
That generally accepted impression is a myth, according to a couple of English Wesleyan professors from Ohio who pinched the blow for a speaker who was scheduled to conduct a discussion on Thursday entitled “What did I do with my English major?”
The goal of the event was to help students understand what they could do with a great Englishman after graduation, in addition to indicating the resources that OWU has available for them.
Nancy Comorau, an associate English teacher and Patricia Demarco, an English teacher, led the conversation after OWU ex-pupil Kristina Wheeler (“16), who she presided, was unable to attend for personal reasons, according to Comorau Wheeler, an English graduate, is an editorial and production assistant at Ohio State University Press.
The discussion was instructive despite not proceeding as planned. Comorau and Demarco talked about paths for the British majors, including graduate school, vocational school and career paths.
There is a myth that specializing in English is a bad idea, which is not quite true.
“There is this idea that when you say you specialize in English, people say” OK, well, are you going to teach? “Said Comorau.
British majors have an advantage with communication careers because they know how to write and many internships are available in any field involving writing, said Demarco and Comorau. Demarco spoke in particular of the writing and editing experience involved in a political internship.
“Working in politics is an excellent editorial job. Even in local politics, nothing is released without going through many revisions and changes, “said Demarco.
For the English major interested in creative writing, or a graduate school, a Master in Fine Arts is an option, which provides rigorous courses. A master’s degree is typically needed to teach a subject such as creative writing in a university, said Comorau.
OWU offers specialized English resources that offer students a real-world experience. An example is the Sagan Academic Resource Center where students help other students write writing tasks.
Not only that, the Sagan Center also improves the skills of the people of the students who work there because they interact with people all day, said Elder Brandon Stevens, a Sagan member.
Other useful organizations include Sturges Script, a student-run blog created by English associate professor Zackariah Long, The OWL, OWU’s literary magazine and The Transcript.
If you are a great Englishman worried about how much money you will make, you may have a wrong idea on this too.
“British majors tend to outperform other majors in terms of money … British majors do less at the beginning and more money afterwards,” said Demarco.