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Department of Literature
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Undergraduate Study
The literature BA program offers students the chance to choose one of four exciting tracks, or focuses of study. In the Literary Studies track, students come to understand why literature matters: how it defines culture, the human, and our values, and how it facilitates empathy. The Cinema Studies track allows students to study literature alongside cinema and to discern the ways that cinema as a language and art shapes our society. In our new Transcultural Studies track, students focus on various cultural texts (such as literature, theater, film, television, and social media) in a global and multicultural context. Lastly, the Creative Writing track gives students the opportunity to hone their craft and improve their poetry or prose in close-knit workshops. In each of the tracks, students work with dedicated, award-winning faculty who pay close attention to the needs of each individual.
The department also offers minors in Cinema Studies, Creative Writing, Literature, and Transcultural Studies.
A combined BA/MA is also available.
Graduate Study
See more MFA alum publications in the program Wall of Fame.
News & Notes
Why Study in the Department of Literature?
Literature majors garner excellent writing and communication skills. They know how to learn, to analyze and comprehend other viewpoints, and to argue for ideas. Literature majors have a range of employment and internship opportunities. Ninety percent of our majors hold internships. In terms of careers, they work in publishing, public radio, law, education, advocacy, and politics.
Employers in all sectors are increasingly saying that they need employees who can write well and communicate. Lit majors find themselves well prepared for the competitive job market. They also take advantage of a wide array of study abroad opportunities. See our full list of literature course offerings in the .
Discover CAS: The Humanities
Bulletins
Rachel Louise Snyder spoke with the about her 2019 book No Visible Bruises, and the movement sparked by Nicole Simpon’s murder. She also penned an opinion piece for the .
David Pike ܲ(Manchester University Press, 2024), a book about prepping and post apocalyptic fictions since the Cold War.
Rachel Louise Snyder recounts how her mother’s death left her unmoored and untoward in her new memoir.
Bruce J. Bergerpublished his third novel this spring, To See God (Black Rose Writing, 2023), the sequel toThe Flight of the Veil(Black Rose Writing, 2023), an early draft of which was his Masters Thesis at the American University MFA program in Creative Writing.
More News
Kyle Dargan served as editor for with Janelle Monáe.
Dolen Perkins-Valdezwon the 2023 NAACP Image Award for fiction for her most recent novel, .
Ames Jewart won the Undergraduate Humanities Workshop at the 32nd annual American University Mathias Student Research Conference
David Keplinger won the Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award.
David Pike wrote .
Patricia Park wrote for the NYTimes.
Alum Barbara Goldbergpublished.
Stephanie Grant published on LitHub, unpacking the emotion of disgust in relation to the January 6th riots on the US Capitol. Professor Grant published in the New York Times’ Modern Love column.
Rachel Louise Snyder published in the NYTimes, addressing domestic violence and anti-violence hotlines. She also appeared on to discuss the mental health impact of domestic violence and how the pandemic has renewed efforts to pass legislation to combat abuse.
Dustin Friedman was a guest on the Ivory Tower Boiler Room Podcast where he discussed .
Creative Writing MFA alum (’11)Valzhyna Mortwon the 2021 Griffin Prize for her poetry collection, also named a best poetry book of 2020 by the New York Times.
Melissa Scholes Young researched doomsday prepping for her latest book, The Hive, and .
Kyle Dargan spoke to the NYTimes about the and .
Kyle Dargan was in the Washington Post, sharing his recommendation for a book that.
Anita Sherman released .
Melissa Scholes Young wrote in Ms. Magazine.
Rachel Louise Snyder discussed domestic violence in an .
Creative Writing MFA alum Sarah Katz wrote about the subminimum wage for people with disabilities for
Melissa Scholes Young wrote in Ms. Magazine.
Rachel Louise Snyder discussed domestic violence in an .
Creative Writing MFA alum Sarah Katz wrote about the subminimum wage for people with disabilities for .
Creative Writing MFA student Cristi Donoso Best published a poem in [PANK] magazine, "."
Creative writing MFA alum Jen Coleman from her perspective as a high school English teacher in Alabama.
David Keplinger won the 2020 Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award by the Poetry Society of America for best poem inspired by the work of Emily Dickinson.
Richard Shapublished an article about Hume on .
Richard Sha'sbook, Imagination and Science in Romanticism, was chosen for the .
Sarah Bea Katz published for Al-Jazeera.
Kyle Dargan shared his poetry from the pandemic in the .
Melissa Scholes Young has been appointed editor of Furious Gravity.
MFA candidate Bailey Blumenstock is a featured poet in .
Patricia Park wrote on working at her father's Brooklyn grocery store during the coronavirus pandemic.
Melissa Scholes Young discussed Furious Gravity, an edition of a literary journal she edited featuring the work of DC-area women writers, on .
Rachel Louise Snyder won the 2020 College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Award for Exceptional Impact for her writing on domestic and gender-based violence, including No Visible Bruises.
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Chuck Cox won the 2020 College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Award for Exceptional Impact for his work as Faculty Director of Complex Problems and University College.
Rachel Louise Snyder was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2020.
- Patricia Park
- Dustin Friedman's book Before Queer Theory: Victorian Aestheticism and the Self was reviewed in the .
- David L. Pike's on Bong Joon-Ho'sParasitewas featuredon the website of the Bright Lights Film Journal.
- Jeffrey Middent's video essaywas cited on the British Film Institute's list of "The Best Video Essays of 2019."
- Rachel Louise Snyder's bookNo Visible Bruiseswas nominated for the .
- Sandra Beasley'spoemSay the Wordwas featured on .
- Rachel Louise Snyder'sbook No Visible Bruises:What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us was chosen by the editors of the New YorkTimes Book Review as one of the .
- Bruce Bergerpublished the poem in Winamop in July 2019.
- Bruce Berger published in the Scarlet Leaf Review.
- MFA Creative Writing Alum Sarah Katzpublished an op-ed titled in theNew York Times.
- Prof. Dustin Friedmanpublished his book, from Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Prof. Laura Ewingpublished a book chapter titled "Social media strategy for the military-engaged American Red Cross" in Rhet Ops: Rhetroic and Information Warfare.
- Prof. Henry Taylor published a poem, "In the Galisteo Basin" and two articles, "Depths and Altitudes: the Poetry of Robert Wrigley" inThe Hollins Criticand "Shadows Real and Artificial: Two Film Masterpieces of 1961," in .
- Prof. Marnie Twigg'sarticle, "Last Verse Same as the First? On Racial Justice and 'Covering' Allyship in Compositionist Identities,"was published in .
- MFA Creative Writing Alum Sarah Katz'sarticle "It's time to Stop Desexualizing Disabled People" was featuredon theblog.
- Prof.Kyle Darganwas interviewed about his career for.
- Prof. David Pike'sarticle"Haunted Mountains, Supershelters, and the Afterlives of Cold War Infrastructure" was published in the .
- AU BA Creative Writing Alum M.A. Cowgill'spoem, "Deutschkurse", has been featured as Poem of The Week on.
- Prof. Kyle Dargan'sbook of poetry, Anagnorisis, has been awarded the Academy of American Poets' 2019 .
- Prof. David Keplinger'spoem, "The Seven Spheres,"has been featuredasthe poem of the week on the .
- Prof. Sarah Trembathhas been awarded the American Studies Association's Committee on Gender and Sexuality Studies 7th annual Gloria E.Anzaldúa Award for Independent Scholars, Contingent or Community College Faculty.
- Prof. Dolen Perkins-Valdezappeared on theto discuss the passing of Toni Morrison.
- Prof. Lacey Wootton and Prof. Glenn Moomaupublished a chapter inContingency, Exploitation, and Solidarity: Labor and Action in English Composition,which has been chosen as the Council of Writing Program Administrators Best Book of 2017. Wootton and Moomau's chapter is titled“Building Our Own Bridges: A Case Study in Contingent Faculty Self-advocacy.”
- Prof. David Pike'sarticle, "ChinaMiéville’s Fantastic Slums and the UrbanAbcanny,"was published in.
- Prof. Richard Sha'sbook,Imagination and Science in Romanticism, has just been awarded the Barricelli Prize.
- Prof. Melissa Scholes Younghas been named aat the Center for Mark Twain Studies.
- AU MFA Alum Ines Rivera'spoem has been featured in.
- Prof. Richard Shahas been awarded a Research and Teaching Fulbright toItaly.
- Prof. David Keplinger'spoetry collectionAnother Cityhas won the.
- Prof. Kyle Darganhas been featured on.
- Prof. Kyle Dargan'snew collection,Anagnorisis,was featured in the "New & Noteworthy" section of the.
- Prof. Kyle Dargan'spoem, "Olympic/Drive", has been featured on.
- Prof. David Keplingerhas been featured with his new bookon.
- Prof. Edward Comstockpublished his book,, with Routledge. The book is a part of the Routledge series on Educational Psychology.
- Prof. Rachel Louise Snyderhas been awarded thefrom the Columbia Journalism School.
- Prof. David Pikepublished his article, "City Settings: American Urban Mysteries from Film Noir to Steampunk," in.
- Prof. Andrew Bertainahas a poem selected to appear inanthology coming out in September.
Spotlight
Ralvell Rogers
MFA, Creative Writing
More about Ralvell
MFA Creative Writing candidate Ralvell Rogers is making his mark on the literary world. He is the author of The Kansas City Boys Choir: Providing Hope for Tomorrow, which has been endorsed by luminaries Kevin Powell, G.S. Griffin, and Congressman Emanual Cleaver II. Ralvell has also established his own publishing company, Ambitious Stories, LLC, out of Kansas City, MO. He founded it earlier this year to focus on "often unheard, yet riveting and inspiring stories from the heart."
My time at AU has been brilliant in the fact that I've already learned much about what it means to be a Writer with a capital "W" and more importantly, a literary scholar. Though there is an obvious focus on our course work, it's been made clear to me that our work isn't exactly all that matters in the classroom. We are continuously connecting our work in class to the lives that we live on a daily basis and the world that we all live in, and I think that is very important for writers and entrepreneurs in the publishing sector because we are essentially the historians of our respective generations.