Whitworth University

What Is It Like? | English

Samuel Wisenor ’28 shares about majoring in English at Whitworth:

“I decided to study English because I’ve always been fond of literature and enjoyed reading and writing beyond what was taught in my typical classes. The opportunity to engage with the subject even further and grow as a critical thinker and creative individual was incredibly appealing to me. It’s also a strong background for entering into the publishing industry, which is a field I’m incredibly passionate about and one I will be pursuing a job in postgrad.

“Taking Creative Writing with Thom Caraway my first semester at Whitworth was very impactful for me. It definitely got me out of my comfort zone in many ways and got me to think about writing differently. Similarly, American Literature After 1865 with Fred Johnson and 20th Century Modern British Literature with Casey Andrews have both significantly expanded my awareness of literature and tested my critical analysis.

“Starting in my second semester on campus, I began involving myself in ‘Rock & Sling,’ the editing & publishing minor’s in-house literary magazine, and that experience has been quite meaningful. Getting to engage with that type of work as an undergrad is rare, and to have the opportunity to get so much hands-on experience with the backend work of running a publication is informative in ways that other classes can’t be.

“The primary thing I would suggest to anyone studying English at Whitworth is just to explore the opportunities available to you. Outside of classes, there are so many ways to interact with the community the department creates as well as the subject itself, be that through consulting in the WCC (Whitworth Composition Commons), joining our chapter of Sigma Tau Delta (the international English honors society), reading for ‘Rock & Sling,’ workshopping creative work in Storytellers Club, or even just something as simple as showing up for lounge hour and chatting with other people in the program. Finding a way to get more out of the major than just the classes is so astonishingly easy, especially with so many opportunities available.

“I’d love to work my way into developmental editing. The opportunity to work closely with a writer with the goal of honing their book to its best form is one that I find both fascinating and deeply meaningful. That said, any chance I might have to engage with the print publication medium and that would allow me to protect and nurture that art form in the modern media landscape is one that I would gladly pursue.”