Rollins

The English major at Rollins uses literary texts, film, television, and popular culture to equip you with transferable skills in research, analysis, teamwork, and written and oral communication.

You’ll develop these skills through our flexible curriculum alongside core knowledge that spans time, continents, and genres. Pursuing the careful work of interpretation and cultivating powers of argument and inquiry will hone your competencies as an adept critical reader and expert writer prepared to excel in virtually any career—from business and marketing to education, health care, and law.


Why Study English at Rollins

  1. Writing in the Real World

    Our faculty-led field studies let you apply what you’re learning in class in the real world—like a week in London exploring contemporary drama or a Southern authors road trip that takes you from O’Connor’s Savannah to Faulkner’s Mississippi.

  2. Develop In-Demand Skills

    Rather than focus on survey courses, our developmental learning model builds a foundation of skills that employers want—from critical thinking and collaborative problem solving to persuasive speaking and writing.

  3. Grow As a Creative Storyteller

    We offer flexibility in the way we investigate texts and culture, including books, films, television, drama, and other media. Studying English at Rollins teaches you to analyze storytelling and cultural practices in a variety of forms.

Interested in Studying English at Rollins?

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Robert Vezina

“Being well read and having the ability to conduct deeper analyses of the world around me has allowed my education to continue—no matter where I am or what I’m doing. In addition, the ability to write coherently—which isn’t as common as it should be—was enormously helpful when applying for law school and has been critical to my success in it.”

Robert Vezina ’12

Associate Attorney, Vinson & Elkins


Rollins English Careers

Rollins English grads are making tomorrow happen at some of the world’s most innovative organizations.

  • Self portrait of Kristen Arnett.

    Kristen Arnett ’12

    Writer, New York Times
  • Michael van den Berg

    Michael van den Berg ’12

    General Counsel, Le Tote
  • Self portrait of Chelsea Jane

    Chelsea Jane Cutchens ’13

    Editor, ABRAMS
  • Self portrait of Destiny Reyes

    Destiny Reyes ’17

    Associate Attorney, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
  • Eddie Huang

    Eddie Huang ’04

    Author,
  • Self portrait of Renee Stone

    Renee Stone ’85

    Senior Advisor - Infrastructure, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Real World Experience

Hone the knowledge and skills you’re developing in the classroom through internships and other professional experiences with some of Orlando’s top organizations.

  • Orlando Weekly
  • Barnies Coffee and Tea
  • Edible Orlando
  • Orlando Style
  • Orlando Ballet
Professor and students in a class discussion at a Rollins outdoor classroom

See for Yourself

Get a feel for Rollins’ unique brand of engaged learning and personalized attention through one of our virtual or in-person visit experiences.

Take a Closer Look

Popular Courses


A Day in the Life of a Rollins English Major

“I have always been interested in being a writer and knew that the Rollins English major was the right place for me because of the awesome professors and small class sizes. The Rollins English department has taught me so much and has always encouraged my passion.”

Gigi Nappi ’21

Virtual Tour: Outdoor Classroom

Find out what a Rollins classroom is really like by going behind the scenes of one of English professor Jana Mathews’ creative courses in the Orlando Hall outdoor classroom.


Beyond the Classroom

Visiting Writers Every year, the English department brings prominent local and national writers to campus to perform readings and conduct student writing workshops and master classes.

Department Events Faculty and students regularly come together to celebrate. The department hosts movie screenings, career preparation workshops, faculty-student dinners (at a faculty member’s home); team trivia nights; and poetry competitions.

Brushing Our student art and literary magazine gives English majors valuable hands-on experience in the field—the chance to write, submit, edit, and publish—and it also serves as one of Rollins’ boldest creative voices.

An author leads a writing masterclass.
Rollins students discuss a book with a professor.

Dive Into English at Rollins

To fulfill its mission, the Department has designed a curriculum that inspires students to think deeply and engage critically; to understand the complexities of the writing process; and to question how their ideas and words can make significant contributions in an increasingly cosmopolitan world

What You Will Learn

Keep Exploring

What’s it like to be an English major at Rollins? See for yourself by exploring our game-changing courses and award-winning graduates.

Graphic depicting global challenges.

Solving the World’s Greatest Challenges

Rollins graduates earn more than a degree. They gain the knowledge and skills to address large-scale issues like climate change and human rights.

Sarah Skala, Socorro Torres Lopez, Capri Gutierrez, and Sarah Bennefield.

4 Rollins Students Earn Fulbright Scholarships

Four Tars have received the distinguished Fulbright Scholarship, including two teaching assignments and two awards to pursue graduate school and research opportunities.

Katie Pearce ’19

My Rollins Gateway: Opening Doors

From becoming a published author to earning a Fulbright scholarship, Katherine Pearce ’19 embraced every opportunity at Rollins to grow as a writer, a thinker, a scholar, and a person.


Expert Faculty

Our robust English department faculty is equipped with a high number of terminal degrees in the field and a broad range of expertise in both writing and analysis.

Department of English

Carnegie Hall
1000 Holt Ave. – 2766
Winter Park, FL 32789

Telephone: 407.646.2666

Fax: 407.628.6309

  • Vidhu Aggarwal

    Vidhu Aggarwal, PhD

    Theodore Lawrence and Barbara Alfond Professor

    Research interests: Contemporary and modernist poetry and poetics, with specialties in visual culture and Anglophone literatures

  • William Boles

    William Boles, PhD

    Jeanette McKean Professor

    Research interests: Drama

  • Victoria Brown

    Victoria Brown, MFA

    Associate Professor

    Research interests: Fiction and creative nonfiction, transnational literature with a focus on contemporary Caribbean writers and post-colonial theory

  • Martha Cheng

    Martha Cheng, PhD

    Professor

    Research interests: Rhetorical theory, argumentation, visual rhetoric, discourse studies, and professional writing

  • Matthew Forsythe

    Matthew Forsythe, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Research interests: Fiction and creative nonfiction, American literature, the wilderness, and the elusive narrator in 20th-century fiction

  • Ben Hudson

    Ben Hudson, PhD

    Assistant Professor

    Research interests: 19th-century British literature, aestheticism, sexuality studies, and the intellectual history of amateurism

  • Suzanne Jamir

    Suzanne Jamir, PhD

    Visiting Assistant Professor

    Research interests: Creative writing

  • Jill Jones

    Jill Jones, PhD

    Professor

    Research interests: 19th- and 20th-century American literature, popular culture, women’s literature, con artists, Zora Neale Hurston, Louisa May Alcott, Jerry Springer, the American Gothic and the Salem witch trials.

  • Lucy Littler

    Lucy Littler, PhD

    Senior Lecturer

    Research interests: 20th-century American literature, including American exceptionalism and the meanings of race in contemporary American culture

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  • Jana Mathews

    Jana Mathews, PhD

    Professor; Co-Director, Pre-Law Advising

    Research interests: Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Culture; material culture studies; sororities and fraternities in higher education

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  • Paul Reich

    Paul Reich, PhD

    Professor

    Research interests: Late 19th- and 20th-century American literature, African American literature, the American West, and popular culture

  • Emily Russell

    Emily Russell, PhD

    Kenneth L. Curry Professor

    Research interests: Medical humanities, disability studies, 20th-century American literature

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  • Sharif Youssef

    Sharif Youssef, JD, PhD

    Visiting Assistant Professor

    Research interests: British literature, legal studies

  • Anne Zimmermann

    Anne Zimmermann, MFA

    Lecturer

    Research interests: American literature, creative writing, rhetoric and composition