Welcome to the English department! If you want to cultivate reading and writing as instruments of self-awareness, critical thinking, and engagement with the world; if you are interested in increasingly complex kinds of communication and their cultural implications; and if you want to develop supportive, lifelong relationships with your teachers and fellow students, our program is right for you.
As an English major, you will learn how to navigate the complexities of written and spoken language with a critical eye, sharpening your use of language as a tool of persuasion and cultivating your ability to see how words make meaning in all kinds of literary texts. As a Communication major, you will study the dynamics of interpersonal and intercultural message-making as well as the politics of mediated representations, giving you invaluable tools to make sense of and make your mark in an ever-connected world.
At Saint Anselm College, you will develop supportive lifelong relationships with your teachers and fellow students. You will gain valuable experience through internships, research opportunities, and extracurriculars. English majors develop senior thesis projects on a range of topics, from James Baldwin, Wallace Stevens, and Zora Neale Hurston, to Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, and Beowulf, deepening their skills in research and argumentation.
Our graduates take their rigorous training to a variety of careers, from education, publishing, and broadcasting to politics, law, journalism, and finance. Recent research shows that English majors are hotly pursued by successful companies, that English skills are excellent predictors of career success, and that communication skills learned in college, including storytelling and persuasion, are essential attributes for success in career and civic life.
Department News:
Minor in Professional and Creative Writing
The department is thrilled to announce a new Minor in Professional and Creative Writing beginning in Spring 2021. This minor develops students' skills in academic, professional, and creative writing, puts those skills into practice with an internship or portfolio, and helps students prepare for life after college as they enter the job market.
Rose O’Malley ’20
Congratulations to Rose O’Malley, an English and Spanish double major who was the Fr. Bernard Holmes, O.S.B., Scholar for the 2019-2020 academic year. Bernard Holmes Scholars demonstrate leadership potential, work to provide assistance to others, and actively participate in the life of the college. The award is presented annually to an incoming senior, and provides a full tuition scholarship for the student’s final year at Saint Anselm College. Congratulations, Rose!
"I would like to thank the English department faculty of Saint Anselm for their support and encouragement over the past three years. My professors have enabled me to study great authors, to research and complete independent projects, and to develop strong written and communicative skills as I pursue an English major. I would also like to express my gratitude for Professor Thorn and Professor Cronin, who have collaborated with me in many endeavors throughout my college career."
For the full announcement, see the News & Media page.
Amanda Conger ’20
Communications major and Saint Anselm College women’s ice hockey player donated a kidney to a patient in need. See the Saint Anselm Hawks page for the full story.
A Message from our Department Chair
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Welcome!
Welcome to the website of the English Department at Saint Anselm College!
Here, you will find information on our courses, the requirements for the English Major and Communication Major, and our Minors (English, Communication, Theatre Arts, and Gender Studies). Additionally, you'll find information on events sponsored by the department, profiles of our faculty, and sketches of both current students and graduates. Also, check out our department Facebook page.
If you love to read great literature, dive into rich multimedia texts, and better understand how to ethically and effectively communicate across cultures, the English Department, housed in the quaint Bradley House, can be your home on campus. Our dedicated and talented faculty have offices in Bradley, and we welcome you to drop by at any time to chat with us about your favorite book or writer. Our doors are always open.
Do take a look around, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Happy browsing!
Professor Bindu Malieckal
Chairperson, English Department
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Find us on social media
Visit our department's Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn page.
Internship Information
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Our Internships
We strongly encourage our students to participate in internships, which provide you with real job experience and allow you to make informed decisions about your career path. With an internship, you can explore an industry, see the inner workings of a workplace, and build your professional network. You can earn up to 16 course credits, and in addition to on-the-job experience, you’ll acquire professional skills through an internship workshop class.
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Communication and English Internships
Our department has a dedicated faculty member coordinating internships: Sherry Shepler, sshepler@anselm.edu. We also work closely with the Career Development Center to develop on- and off-campus opportunities for students. Sites include:
New Hampshire Public Radio
NH Fisher Cats
Make-a-Wish of NH
Fidelity Investments
SNHU Arena
Big Brothers & Big Sisters of NH
WMUR Channel 9
Palace Theatre in Manchester
The Red Cross
recruiterboom
Hill Holiday Advertising
EVR Advertising
Cookson Strategic Communications
Allstate Insurance
Girls at Work, Inc.
Dismas House
Manchester Monarchs
SAC Campus Ministry -
Spotlight on Students
Kyle Silva ’20
Editor, EBSCO Information
In August 2020 I finished my internship at EBSCO Information Services where I have spent the last two summers editing and proofreading content for the corporate learning team. After this internship, I hope to continue on the path toward a career in editing where I am able to read and interact with writing that I would have never thought to otherwise. I also plan to explore a freelance writing opportunity where I will be able to continue refining the writing skills I acquired and worked on at Saint A’s.
Student Life
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Extracurriculars
As an English or Communications major, you will engage in a range of exciting extracurricular opportunities that will deepen your friendships, develop your artistic talents, and hone your skills in written and oral communication.
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The Saint Anselm Crier
The Saint Anselm Crier is the college's independent student newspaper, published bi-weekly. The objective of the paper is to provide a medium for information within the Saint Anselm community. Information is presented as unbiased and consistent with journalistic measure. The newspaper also provides a forum for the free exchange of students’ ideas.
Faculty Advisors: Fr. Jerome Day, O.S.B. and Keith Chevalier
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Saint Anselm College Broadcasting Club
This student-led club produces a weekly webcast covering campus happenings and updates on local and national politics and sports. Club members have the opportunity to write and present their own segments as well as learn all aspects of the broadcasting process.
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Jonathan Lupo
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Anselmia: The Yearbook of Saint Anselm College
Student editors, writers, and photographers produce the College yearbook, including the coverage of special events throughout the year, documenting student activities and community engagement as well as coordinating senior photos. A senior and junior editor are chosen from student applications and are responsible for all aspects of the yearbook production.
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Jonathan Lupo
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Access Academy
Access Academy, organized by Saint Anselm’s Meelia Center for Community Engagement, offers for-credit courses to Manchester high school students from refugee, immigrant, and underserved backgrounds. With a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, many of the program’s courses focus on using language to explore themes of identity, community, and agency. Students and professors from the English and Communication department are heavily involved with the program, often collaborating together. The program offers students the opportunity to connect with Manchester’s diverse communities and to gain experience and confidence as an educator.
Faculty advisor: Prof. Michael New
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Quatrain: The Literary Magazine of Saint Anselm College
Quatrain is a longstanding student-run literary magazine, publishing two issues each academic year. The club solicits poems, stories, illustrations, and photographs from students, faculty, and staff. At our yearly poet-for-hire fundraiser on Valentines’ Day, we make cards and create poems on the spot using manual typewriters. We also organize outings, support literary events on campus, and participate in community service. Joining Quatrain offers students the chance to publish their work, learn editorial and production skills, and connect with the artistic community on the hilltop and beyond.
Faculty advisor: Prof. Michael New
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The Abbey Players
The Anselmian Abbey Players, the Saint Anselm College drama group, regularly offers plays and musicals throughout the year and offers students an excellent opportunity to participate in and to learn all phases of theatre production. Typical annual productions include the Family Weekend show, the fall play, a night of one act plays, a spring semester musical, and scenes from Shakespearian plays.
Faculty advisor: Prof. Daniel Bird Tobin
After Graduation
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Poised for Success
Because you’ll graduate with a high level of skill in written, spoken, and aural communication, you will be prepared for any number of careers. Our graduates work in a range of fields, from politics, broadcast journalism, and advertising, to publishing, education, and business. Recent research shows that English majors are hotly pursued by successful companies and that English skills are excellent predictors of career success.
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Careers
Combining a foundation in the liberal arts with expertise in aural and written language, our graduates have the versatile skills employers are looking for.
Recent employers, to name a few, include:
- Harvard University Press
- ABC News
- CNN
- Chicago Public Radio
- Christie's Art Auction
- Boston Consulting Group
- Hasbro, Inc.
- Boston Beer Company
- Covidien
- Saint Anselm College
- Clarient, Inc.
- Core Physicians Group
- OwnerIQ, Inc.
- Putnam Avenue Upper School
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Graduate School
With exceptional skills in written and aural communication and close one-on-one relationships with advisors, our graduating seniors are poised for success in graduate school and beyond.
Recent degrees obtained by alumni include:
- Doctorate in Education, Boston University
- M.A. in Comparative Literature, University of Connecticut
- M.A. in Educational Leadership, Southern New Hampshire University
- M.A. in English and Creative Writing, Southern New Hampshire University
- M.A. in Theatre Education, Emerson College
- M.B.A. in Organizational Leadership, Rivier University
- Master of Divinity, Andover Newton Theological School
- Master of Education, University of Southern Maine
- Master of Education, University of Massachusetts, Boston
- M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology, Southern Connecticut State University
- M.S. in Mass Communication, Boston University
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Spotlight on Alumni
Shannon Desmond ’19
Onboarding Lead, uConnect (a start-up in Cambridge, MA)
In June 2019, I began working at a start-up company called uConnect, which is a career services marketing platform that helps colleges and universities provide a dedicated space to centralize their academic and career resources. I am an Onboarding Lead, working directly with new clients to customize and build their uConnect platform, brainstorming ways to guide students to more meaningful career pathways. My role is to help colleges deliver on their promise of student career advancement by partaking in client calls, assisting with the design of institutions’ platforms, and encouraging campus communities to become involved in their students' career exploration process.
Juliann Guerra '19
Graduate student, University of Edinburgh
I am beginning a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in fall 2019. I can credit the skills I learned in the English department to my acceptance into the program. The English department gave me more than I could ever ask for in and out of the classroom. I found myself enjoying books I would never have picked off the shelf by myself. I learned how to read a book to understand what was happening and what more meaningful message was being said. The English department helped me grow a passion for the correlation between reading and writing by forcing me to become an inquisitive reader (Why did that need to happen? Is that item placed there for a reason? Could that symbol be an essay topic?) and that transferred into my daily life. English can be challenging because there's never one correct answer, but every other major on campus needs English to be understood.
Meaghan Spurling ’17
Hockey player, Boston Blades
Communications major Meaghan Spurling was selected by the Boston Blades in the 2017 Canadian Women's Hockey League entry draft. For the full story, see Saint Anselm's Portraits magazine piece.
Kelsey Walsh ’17
Production Assistant, ABC News, Washington, D.C.
I first worked with ABC News as a student during the New Hampshire First In The Primary debates hosted at Saint Anselm College. As a determined journalist, I was able to make a good impression and work in the production truck as the time-clock for the debates. I maintained my relationship with ABC and landed a position in the Washington bureau after graduation. Here in Washington, I field-produce live shots on Capitol Hill, teleprompt live shows and conduct pre-interviews. I have worked on shows such as Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and This Week. My favorite shift is preparing editorial documents for Good Morning America and cutting b-roll for the show.
On Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College is a top-tier school. From day one, my adviser asked me what I was interested in post-graduation and throughout my four years, she ensured I was able to meet my goals. Since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of working for a major news network, and my adviser helped me strategically plan out what steps to take to reach that goal. She helped me make crucial decisions such as what internships to apply to and what courses to take to help build a professional portfolio.
I chose to attend Saint Anselm College because I knew that I could meet one-on-one with my professors. I am so thankful for Saint Anselm's Benedictine hospitality. Not only will you be able to leave a great, well-rounded individual thanks to a liberal arts education, you will also leave with personal relationships with your professors and the staff. There is no dream too big at Saint Anselm College, and there is a place for everyone and every inspiration. The English department is a community that fosters success.
Jasna Numanovic ’13
Account Coordinator, Christie's Art Auction
Jasna Numanovic has her dream job. As an account coordinator in the art transport department at Christie's Art Auction, she arranges the domestic and international transport of art objects such as paintings, furniture, and antiquities.
Christie's offers over 450 sales annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewelry, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $80 million.
Jasna was introduced to Christie's through fine arts professor Kimberly Kersey-Asbury, who took a student group to New York City to explore careers in the art world. When they stopped at Christie's to see an auction and get a behind-the-scenes tour, Jasna was hooked.
"I just fell in love with it. Seeing Andy Warhols being sold for $70 million in front of your eyes within two to three minutes, I was fascinated," she said.
"As soon as I got home, I researched the internship and started applying a year before the applications even went out." Jasna then interned at Christie's the summer before her senior year.
She worked with the Office of Career Services in the Center for Experiential Learning (CEL), who helped her prepare her career portfolio and supported her throughout the application process. She also stayed in touch with the people she met on the tour and saw her perseverance pay off.