Why Study English?
Reading and writing are the core skills of the English curriculum. At the University
of Alaska Fairbanks, you might take courses in composition, literature, theory, and creative writing. Yet the objectives for
these courses are more ambitious than simply reading and writing better. As a student
in English at UAF, you can expect to sharpen your skills in rhetorical analysis, cultural
inquiry, and critical thinking. It’s these attributes—which value a malleable skillset
rather than a store of knowledge—that make the BA in English among the most flexible pre-professional degrees.
English alumni from UAF have found careers in education, editing and publishing, law,
business and politics. Many have moved onto graduate studies, whether in English or
an allied field in the humanities and liberal arts. In the English classroom, students
learn to collaborate with their peers, just as they learn to research and write independently.
So what can you do with an English degree? You can do whatever you like, trusting
that the skills of attentiveness and inquiry will benefit you in most any career path.
If your passion is reading, we offer courses in literature from all eras and traditions.
If your passion is writing, we offer courses in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction—as
well as the creative writing minor. If you’re interested in film, linguistics, or literary theory, we cover those topics
as well. Most of our upper-level courses are taught in a discussion-based seminar
style. You’ll work with faculty who publish current research and creative work, who serve the university in a variety
of leadership roles, and, most importantly, who are committed to nurturing our students’
literary and critical ambitions.
Finally, because the English community at UAF is vibrant and diverse, you’ll find
opportunities for mentorship and professional development outside the classroom as
well. You can become an editor or publish your creative work in Ice Box. You can attend events sponsored by the Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series. You can apply for monetary awards through our annual student writing contests. You can build a career studying English, but you can also build connections that
will deepen your experience at UAF, making yourself into an engaged, empathetic, and
insightful literary citizen.
For more information on English studies at UAF, please contact:
Dr. Chris Coffman
Department Chair
(907) 474-5233
cecoffman@alaska.edu