English Department Activities and Opportunities

English Students playing a board game together

Expand Your Experiences

Check out all the activities and opportunities available for English majors to learn in the classroom and beyond.

Internships

Internships give English majors an opportunity to integrate actual work experience with academic learning. More >

Writing Contests

The English Department sponsors on-campus writing contests during the year—the Lowell-Grabill Creative Writing Contest and the Jameson Essay Writing Contests. More >

Student Publications

The College publishes a weekly newspaper, The Wheaton Record; a student journal, The Pub; and a literary magazine, Kodon. Kodon and The Pub regularly welcome submissions of original work in poetry, fiction, and art.

Shakespeare in the Park Event

Majors, minors, and fellow readers of all sorts, get thee to SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK! Each year the English Department gathers to share an evening of theater under the stars at Shakespeare in the Park, the beloved community outdoor show held at Memorial Park in Wheaton.

TA Roles and Research with Faculty

Work as a TA or collaborate with a faculty member on your research.

Marion. E Wade Center

Take advantage of a treasure trove available nowhere else in the world. The Wade Center houses resource collections related to seven British Christian authors: C.S. Lewis (yes, you can see the actual wardrobe!), J.R.R. Tolkien, Dorothy L. Sayers, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams.

Wheaton in England

"I loved the classes and the people and seeing all the wonderful literary sites around England--Dove Cottage especially sticks in my mind, and seeing Les Misérables in London from nosebleed seats. I wrote more poetry there than I ever had before and found the landscapes inspiring."

- Marci Johnson '92, '94

Would you like to see

Shakespeare’s plays performed in the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London?
The beauties of the Lake District that Wordsworth captured so powerfully in his poetry?
The Yorkshire moors and listen to the wind wuthering through the heather?
The world that Austen describes so vividly in her novels?

Wheaton in England is designed to allow you to study English literature while being immersed in British culture. This eight-week summer program offers eight to ten hours of English credit and is led and taught by full-time Wheaton College English Department professors.

Learn More About Wheaton in England

Societies

The Batson Shakespeare Society and the Wheaton College Tolkien Society offer the opportunity to go deeper into the writings of Shakespeare or Tolkien with fellow fans.

The E. Beatrice Batson Shakespeare Society

The E. Beatrice Batson Shakespeare Society explores the Christian dimensions of the works of William Shakespeare. For centuries, scholars have examined the biblical influences on his works and studied Christian ideas in his writings. They have explored the Christian implications of his plays and poems, as well as other historical and spiritual topics. The Shakespeare Society connects all of these themes in relation to Shakespeare’s works in order to serve students, professors, and Shakespeare enthusiasts.

Shakespeare Society

The Wheaton College Tolkien Society

Dedicated to fostering fellowship and friendship among the students of Wheaton College through enjoyment, discussion, and activities relating to the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Wheaton College Tolkien Society