English Department
What We Do
The English Department at Utica University helps students develop an understanding of the relationship between English and the diverse cultural traditions around the world through the study of literature, the history and structure of the English language, and various aspects of writing.
Utica University offers a major in English, and minors in creative writing, English language, and literature. Students can also take classes toward fulfilling the requirements of the education program, while earning their degree in English.
Programs
Major:
English majors study the great heritage of the English-speaking peoples in a comprehensive and varied program that includes literature, the history and structure of the English language, and various aspects of writing. The English Department at Utica University helps students develop an understanding of the relationship between English and the diverse cultural traditions around the world through the study of literature, the history and structure of the English language, and various aspects of writing. Students gain cultural understanding, communication skills, and experience in scholarship, and are therefore prepared to teach, do graduate work, or enter any occupation that requires critical thinking, good writing, and a broad perspective.
The Utica University English major is distinctive in the flexibility it offers students. The major is designed to provide a broad base of study in English language literature as well as an opportunity to learn about language and world literature. Students may then extend and deepen their experience with English studies by using their elective options to explore writing, literature, or language in more detail.
The Literature Society was formed as the Harold Frederic English Society in the fall semester of 1999 to offer students both inside and outside the English major the opportunity to participate in and contribute to the literary and creative life of the University. It was originally named in honor of the Utica native and noted nineteenth-century American novelist who chronicled the city's religious and ethnic groups at the turn of the century in his acclaimed novel The Damnation of Theron Ware. Dr. Ane Ribeiro Costa, assistant professor of English, is the club's faculty advisor.
In the past, the Society has hosted at Halloween a "Scary Poetry Reading" in which members of the club, the University community read their favorite frightening verse by authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Browning. The Society was also influential raising funds to buy books for the Breakfast Reading Club, a reading program for young children at Kernan Elementary School in West Utica.
The Literature Society hosts creative writing workshops, open mics, and does community service around literacy. Meetings are bi-weekly.
Those interested in participating should contact Professor Ane Ribeiro Costa at anribeir@utica.edu.
Sigma Tau Delta, founded in 1924, is the international English honors society. There are more than 870 active chapters worldwide, and roughly 9,000 new members are selected to be inducted every year.
At Utica University, the English faculty members select Utica's newest inductees, who are awarded their membership during the Spring party. In addition to being selected by the faculty, members must also have taken at least two upper-level English courses, and have earned a 3.0 grade point average or higher.
Membership Requirements
For induction into the Utica University chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honors society, the English Department's criteria include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Completion of two college courses in English language or literature beyond freshman courses (i.e., beyond those at the 100-level).
- A minimum 3.5 GPA in English and Literature courses, and a 3.0 GPA overall.
- Completion of 3 semesters of college course work, 2 at Utica University.
- Good character demonstrated through consistent adherence to the principles of academic honesty and professional behavior as defined in the Utica University Student Code of Conduct.
To learn more about Sigma Tau Delta, please visit http://www.english.org/sigmatd/
About Ampersand
Ampersand is published annually each spring semester by an all student staff that changes yearly. Faculty advisor, Dr. Kelly Minerva helps oversee meetings and publication of Ampersand. The magazine contains original art, poetry, short stories, and personal essays by students, recent alumni, staff, and faculty at Utica University. The editorial staff ask for submissions from the Utica University community every fall semester. The staff reviews submissions and chooses what makes it to publication through multiple readings and discussions. Submitters are notified via email if their work has been accepted for publication. Submissions can be sent to amerpsand@utica.edu. Students interested in working on the magazine can contact Dr. Minerva: kaminerv@utica.edu.
Current Issue
Ampersand 2024
Editorial Staff: Elijah Wilson, Editor in Chief; Troy Fluks; Isabella Dienhoffer; Norah Spencer; Jillian Szeliga; with additional support from Isa Hudziak and Amanda Moyer
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kelly Minerva
Vogel Award Judge: Crystal Odelle, author of Trans Studies (2025) and chapbooks editor at Newfound
Back Issues
Ampersand 2023
Editorial Staff: Isa Hudziak, Jasmine Sonia, Selma Dizdarević
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Gary Leising
Vogel Award Judge: Kristin Czarnecki, Gallery Coordinator at the Rockport Art Association & Museum in Rockport, MA, and author of The First Kristin: The Story of a Naming and Encounters with Inscriptions: a Memoir
Ampersand 2022
Editorial Staff: Isabella Hudziak and Anabella Rossi
Faculty Advisor 2022: Dr. Kelly Minerva
Faculty Advisor 2022-2023: Dr. Gary Leising
Vogel Award Judge: Molly McCaffrey, award-winning author of You Belong to Us (memoir), How to Survive Graduate School & Other Disasters, and The Chaperone (forthcoming in 2023)
Issue Contributors: Dylan Bennett-Thompson, Elizabeth Elow, Isa Hudziak, Alma Jasencic, Kayden L., Megan Nolan, Olivia Nole-Malpezzi, Danae Rivera, Kim Robson, Anabella Rossi, Haley Simon, Jasmine Sonia, Leola Beck, Hollie David, Gabriella Hudziak, Dr. Jeff Miller, C.B. Buckwild, and Conor Hennessy
Ampersand 2021
Editorial Staff: Gabriella Hudziak, Isabella Hudziak, Anabella Rossi
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Gary Leising
Vogel Award Judge: Sara Burge, Missouri State University, Poetry Editor for Moon City Review
Issue Contributors: Kaitlyn Egan, Elizabeth Elow, Rebekah Hedeen, Gabriella Hudziak, Isabella Hudziak, Dr. Jeff Miller, Megan Nolan, Kyle Riecker, Danae Rivera, Anabella Rossi, Emmalyn Ylaya
Ampersand 2020
Editorial Staff: Skylar Harwick, Hallie Hoffman, Gabriella Hudziak, Zhane McKnight, Alexis Orr
Layout: Kyle Riecker
Faculty Advisor: Suzanne Richardson
Vogel Award Judge: Dasan Ahanu, UNC - Chapel Hill, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Black Poetry Theatre, Durham, NC
Issue Contributors: Frank Bianco, Kylie Burger, Nichole Delaney, Patrick Donnelly, Daniela Hannah, Olivia Harwick, Skylar Harwick, Abbie Hei, Gabriella Hudziak, Alma Jasencic, Emily Joss, Dr. Jeff Miller, Brittney L. Nowack, Alexis Orr, Chris Restivo, Danae Rivera, Liam Rodgers, Kaitlyn Tambasco, Emmalyn Ylaya
Ampersand 2014
Editorial Staff: David Eves, Taylor, Banovic, Corrie Clements, Courteney Klepfer, Calie Taranto, Lynsie Ferguson
Cover Art: Kyle D. Riecker
Vogel Award Judge: Melissa Johnson, Virginia Commonwealth University
Issue Contributors: Rose Zaloom, Corrie Clements, Michael Cottle, Kimberly Hughes, Sean Feener, Brian Mazurowski, Calie Taranto, Breana Griffin, Jade Jenkins, David Eves, Lynsie Ferguson, Raheem Lawrence, Courney Fol, Nicolle Szalkowski, Alaina LaMarco, Laura Haggerty, Natalie Berkheimer
Vogel Award Winners: Sean Feener, David Eves, Rose Zaloom, Nicolle Szalkowski
Ampersand 2013
Editorial Staff: Jenn Strife, Steph Bailey, Brandy Miller, Ashley Dunham
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Lis Orr
Cover Art: John Paul Gardner
Vogel Award Judge: Casandra Lopez, North Seattle College
Contributors: John Paul Gardner, April McHugh, Erica Ciko, S.A. Feener, Christina F. Bono, Jenn Strife, Anthony Gorrea, Amanda Marsh, Julie Wittemore, Rose Zaloom, Brandy Miller, Dana Sherman, Steph Bailey, Matty Kriston Campos
The Professor Harry F. and Mary Ruth Jackson Lunch Hour Series presents musical and literary programs each semester. All programs are free of charge and are open to students, faculty, staff, and the public. It is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Sponsored by the Utica University Social Cultural Committee, programs begin at 12:30 p.m.
- Musical performances are held in the Library Concourse.
- Literary readings are held in MacFarlane Auditorium in DePerno Hall, unless otherwise noted.
Learn more:
A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published in the previous year by a resident of upstate New York. The winner will also give a reading and teach a master class at Utica University.
Interviews and discussions with writers, poets, and creatives of all sorts, bringing ideas to life with their words!
Ida C. Millett Scholarship
This scholarship was established by James T. Millett, M.S., John F. Millett, D.D.S., and Robert W. Millett, Ph.D. in honor of their mother, Ida C. Millett. Candidates must have declared a major and/or minor area of study from the academic discipline of English. To be eligible for consideration, candidates must have attained a 3.0 or higher average in a minimum of six courses in their major and/or minor.
The Grace and Arthur Perlmutter Scholarship Fund
Established in honor of his parents, Grace and Arthur Perlmutter, the fund shall be awarded upon the recommendation of the chair of the English department and in consultation with Mr. Walter M. Perlmutter ’50 or his designee(s), to a student who is majoring in English and has a strong interest or aptitude in either creative writing or American literature or both. The recipient of the fund must be a second, third, or fourth year student, must have a demonstrated financial need, and must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
Joseph Vogel Award for Poetry and Joseph Vogel Award for Fiction
Established by the late author Joseph Vogel, these awards are given to students for outstanding work in poetry and in fiction. Winners are published in Ampersand. Each year a guest judge outside of Utica University is chosen.
The faculty of the English department publishes The Spectator on a semi-annual basis. We write on annual events, publish faculty writing, and showcase student awards. We welcome submissions from alumni/alumnae.
Spring 2023 Course Offerings
ENG 100 Writing Skills
ENG 101 Written Communication I
ENG 102 Written Communication II
ENG 103 Introduction to the English Language
ENG 135 Introduction to Literature
ENG 145 Literature in Focus (multiple topics)
ENG 147 Introduction to Creative Writing
LIT 206 World Literature since 1650
ENG 246 Major Figures in English Literature since the 18th Century
ENG 296 American Writers from 1865 to the Present
ENG 306 Topics in American Literature: Bad Mothers
ENG 309 Writing Poetry
ENG 315 Writing in the Professions
ENG 317 ESL Through the Subject Areas
ENG 351 Language and Culture
LIT 358 Postcolonial Literatures
ENG 367 Shakespearean Drama
ENG 408 History of the English Language
ENG 100 Writing Skills
Instructor: D. Obernesser
2.0 credit hours
TR 8:30-9:45
Attributes: Liberal Arts Course
Students will reflect on their own literacies and the expectations of an academic audience, with an emphasis on how to organize argumentative essays. Students will practice reading academic texts and their own writing for the choices writers make in form, language, and mechanics. Prerequisite(s): By permission of the English Department.
Index
ENG 101 Written Communication I
Instructor: multiple
3.0 credit hours
Time: 4 sections (check Banner)
Attributes: Gen Ed Written Communication (Foundation), Liberal Arts Course, Written Communication
Students will practice organizing, composing, and revising expository writing with purpose, audience, and context in mind. Students will practice reading critically. Students will practice identifying and using conventions of academic English.
Index
ENG 102 Written Communication II
Instructor: multiple
3.0 credit hours
Time: multiple sections on ground (check Banner)
Attributes: Gen Ed Written Communication (Foundation), Liberal Arts Course, Written Communication
Students will practice planning, developing, and executing an extended written research project. Students will practice evaluating, synthesizing, documenting, and integrating sources. Students will be introduced to discipline-specific conventions in order to organize, compose, and revise research papers.
Section: ENG 102-Z1
Instructor: L. Orr
3.0 credit hours
Time: asynchronous online, March 13, 2023-May 5, 2023
Attributes: Distance Learning, Gen Ed Written Communication (Foundation), Liberal Arts Course, Written Communication
Students will practice planning, developing, and executing an extended written research project. Students will practice evaluating, synthesizing, documenting, and integrating sources. Students will be introduced to discipline-specific conventions in order to organize, compose, and revise research papers.
Index
ENG 103 Introduction to the English Language
Instructor: J. Cormican
3.0 credit hours
TR 10-11:15
Attributes: Humanities: Philosophy/Semiotic, Liberal Arts Course
An examination of the influence of language on attitude and perception, manipulative use of language, types of change within English, and writing systems. The course involves no technical linguistic concepts or theories.
Index
ENG 135 Introduction to Literature
Section ENG135 Z1
Instructor: B. Witucki
3.0 credit hours
Time: asynchronous online, Jan 16, 2023-March 10, 2023
Attributes: Distance Learning, Gen Ed Literary Representation, Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
Study of literary genres: fiction, poetry, drama, and basic strategies for better understanding and enjoyment.
Section ENG135 Z2
Instructor: B. Witucki
3.0 credit hours
Time: asynchronous online, March 13, 2023 - May 5, 2023
Attributes: Distance Learning, Gen Ed Literary Representation, Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
Study of literary genres: fiction, poetry, drama, and basic strategies for better understanding and enjoyment.
Index
ENG 145 Introduction to Literature
Section ENG145 - A (Witches, Aliens and Vampires: Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
Instructor: A. Costa
3.0 credit hours
TR 1-2:15
Attributes: Gen Ed Literary Representation, Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
Students will explore a particular topic, interest, or activity through its representation in literature. Possible topics: Sports Literature, Religion and Literature, Crime in Literature, etc.
Section Description: What does it mean to be human? How does speculative fiction imagine the future of the world and humanity? This course examines how science fiction and fantasy re-signify and expand our notion of humanity while criticizing prevailing social and racial injustices. We will read novels, comic books, and films, including Ursula Le Guin, Naomi Novik, Octavia Butler, and Nneddi Okorafor.
Section ENG145 - B (Jackson Lunch Hour Series)
Instructor: E. Threadgill
3.0 credit hours
MW 12:30-1:45
Attributes: Gen Ed Literary Representation, Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
Students will explore a particular topic, interest, or activity through its representation in literature. Possible topics: Sports Literature, Religion and Literature, Crime in Literature, etc.
Section Description: We’ll read books by living, breathing authors whom you will have a chance to meet! In place of some of our class periods, we’ll attend poetry and fiction readings by visiting authors. Courtney Faye Taylor will visit and read from her book Concentrate, which focuses on Black womanhood. We’ll read short fiction by Misha Rai, who has also worked as a journalist and for human rights organizations such as UNICEF. Plus, we’ll discuss work that combines poetry and science, literature by Jewish refugees from Ukraine, and more!
Section ENG145 - C (Introduction to Comics & Graphic Narrative)
Instructor: C. Hicklin
3.0 credit hours
MWF 8:30-9:20
Attributes: Gen Ed Literary Representation, Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
Students will explore a particular topic, interest, or activity through its representation in literature. Possible topics: Sports Literature, Religion and Literature, Crime in Literature, etc.
Section Description: Are you interested in reading comics seriously? From SUperman to Chainsaw Man, this course will explore the history and form of graphic narrative. Topics will include superheroes from the 1930s to now, the development of autobiography and realistic fiction, the massive popularity of manga, and more.
Section ENG145 - D (Introduction to Comics & Graphic Narrative)
Instructor: C. Hicklin
3.0 credit hours
MWF 9:30 - 10:20
Attributes: Gen Ed Literary Representation, Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
Students will explore a particular topic, interest, or activity through its representation in literature. Possible topics: Sports Literature, Religion and Literature, Crime in Literature, etc.
Section Description: Are you interested in reading comics seriously? From SUperman to Chainsaw Man, this course will explore the history and form of graphic narrative. Topics will include superheroes from the 1930s to now, the development of autobiography and realistic fiction, the massive popularity of manga, and more.
Index
ENG 147 Introduction to Creative Writing
Section ENG147 - A
Instructor: J. Cooper
3.0 credit hours
TR 5:30 - 6:45 pm
Attributes: Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
Explore your creative side. Learn how poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction work, and then try your hand at writing them. Work with your classmates to make your writing stronger. Prerequisite(s); if any: ENG 101.
Section ENG147 - Z1
Instructor: L. Orr
3.0 credit hours
Time: asynchronous online
Attributes: Distance Learning, Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
Explore your creative side. Learn how poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction work, and then try your hand at writing them. Work with your classmates to make your writing stronger. Prerequisite(s); if any: ENG 101.
Index
LIT 206 World Literature from 1650 to the Present
Instructor: K. Minerva
3.0 credit hours
MF 12:30-1:45
Attributes: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion; Gen Ed: Literary Representations; Humanities: Literature; Liberal Arts Course; Inequity, Empowerment & Privilege Themed Pathway Minor
A study of world literature from 1650 to the present. This course will highlight the local and global significance of texts written by global writers, and analyze the cross-cultural and intertextual connections among these works.
This semester, we will read a variety of poems, short stories, and the following novellas: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, and Kamila Shamsie’s Burnt Shadows.
Index
ENG 246 Major Figures in English Literature Since the 18th Century
Instructor: C. Hicklin
3.0 credit hours
MWF 10:30-11:20
Attributes: Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
British authors from the Romantic Movement to the beginning of 21st century. Authors covered may include Wordsworth, Keats, Austen, Tennyson, Browning, George Eliot, Dickens, Conrad, Woolf, Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Larkin, Heaney, Byatt, and Murdoch.
Index
ENG 296 American Writers from 1865 to the Present
Instructor: L. Orr
3.0 credit hours
Time: asynchronous online, March 13, 2023 - May 5, 2023
Attributes: Humanities: Literature, Liberal Arts Course
American writers from 1865 to the present.
Index
ENG 306 Topics in American Literature
Bad Mothers: Race and Gender in Contemporary Fiction
Instructor: A. Costa
3.0 credit hours
TR 2:30-3:45
Attributes: Liberal Arts Course
Concentrated study on topics in American literature. Prerequisite(s); if any: ENG 102.
What is the impact of gendered and racialized bodies on politics? Can we examine the traditional value of mothers and wives without banishing them to the realm of political resistance or reifying them? This course examines the impact of race and gender in motherhood through the reading of Sojourner Truth, Jamaica Kincaid, Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, among others.
Index
ENG 309 Writing Poetry
Instructor: G. Leising
3.0 credit hours
TR 10-11:15
Attributes: Gen Ed Fine, Visual, Performing Arts; Gen Ed Writing Intensive; Liberal Arts Course
Study and practice techniques for writing poems, including discussion of both published poems and student work.
Index
ENG 315 Writing in the Professions
Instructor: D. Obernesser
3.0 credit hours
MWF 9:30-10:20
Attributes: Gen Ed Writing Intensive, Liberal Arts Course
Technical communications is a part of everyday life. Whether it’s in your college career or in a career field you choose to pursue after college, it’s necessary to be able to convey information in a well-researched, informed manner. It’s also important to be able to identify the best means in which to communicate to your audiences (email, text, phone call, conference – on ground or online). Choice of form, word choices, and organization of information, as well as mechanics, will all affect the message you wish to send. Class meetings are a blend of lecture, discussion, collaborative exercises, and individual writing.
Index
ENG 317 ESL Through the Subject Areas
Instructor: D. Kishimoto
3.0 credit hours
R 6:30-9:20 pm
Attributes: Liberal Arts Course
Provides materials and techniques for teaching ESL through mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts. Prerequisite(s); if any: ENG 316 or Permission of Instructor.
Index
ENG 351 Language and Culture
Instructor: J. Cormican
3.0 credit hours
TR 8:30 - 9:45
Attributes: Liberal Arts Course
The interrelation between culture and language; consideration of language impact on cultural behavior, cognition, and perception. Introduction to problems of socio-linguistics and communication. Prerequisite(s); if any: ENG 102. Meets with ANT 351.
Index
LIT 358 Postcolonial Literature (World Literature in English)
Instructor: K. Minerva
3.0 credit hours
MF 2:00 - 3:15
Attributes: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion; Gen Ed: Literary Representations; Gen Ed Writing Intensive; Liberal Arts Course; Empathy, Community & Action Themed Pathway Minor; Inequity, Empowerment & Privilege Themed Pathway Minor
Literature depicting experiences with colonialism and imperialism written by authors from formerly colonized nations. This course offers an opportunity to study the central concepts, questions, and debates in postcolonial studies in order to understand postcolonial and anticolonial literature as literary genres and historical markers. We will examine literary forms alongside the depictions of nationalism, migration, and identity categories (including, but not limited to race, ethnicity, and gender) in order to understand the relationship between individuals and colonial power structures.
This semester, we will read a variety of poems, short stories, films, and the following novels: Imbolo Mbue’ s How Beautiful We Were, Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, and Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.
Index
ENG 367 Shakespearean Drama
Instructor: J. Denman
3.0 credit hours
TR 11:30-12:45
Attributes: Liberal Arts Course
Selected comedies, histories, tragedies, and romances. Emphasis on Shakespeare’s development as a dramatist within the context of the English Renaissance. Prerequisite(s); if any: ENG 102.
Index
ENG 408 History of the English Language
Instructor: J. Cormican
3.0 credit hours
MWF 11:30 - 12:20
Attributes: Liberal Arts Course
A study of the evolution of English from earliest to modern times, with emphasis on sound, word-formation, and syntactic changes, and some attention to external history and social forces. Prerequisite(s); if any: ENG 102.
Index
Contact Us
English Department Faculty & Staff
- Professor of English
- Dean-Humanities/Social Science and Professor of English
- Assistant Professor of English
- Distinguished Professor of English
- Associate Professor of English
- Associate Professor of English
- Professor of English
- Assistant Professor of English
- Associate Professor of English
- Adjunct Lecturer of English
- Adjunct Lecturer of English
- Adjunct Lecturer of English
- Adjunct Instructor of English
- Adjunct Instructor of English
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