Penn State Harrisburg offers a major in English with 3 options, 4 English minors, and a Humanities BA that all allow students to dive deeper into the study of literature and writing. Links to all of these programs can be found in this dropdown menu.
Below, read student editor RebeccaAnn’s blog post that offers an overview of these programs and the many English-related extracurricular opportunities PSH offers to compliment students’ studies.
English Major Opportunities
By: RebeccaAnn Klug
With three different types of English degrees being offered at Penn State Harrisburg (General English, Creative Writing, and English Secondary Ed), there are multiple opportunities for students to build their portfolios and gain experience.
In the fall, students can submit their creative writing pieces and graphic art to the fall literary journal: Fission. What is really interesting about Fission is that submissions are open to all Penn State students. However, Penn State Harrisburg students are also able to apply to be Editors for Fission. What about the spring? Students can submit creative writing pieces, graphic art, and photography to From the Fallout Shelter! The spring literary journal is only for Penn State Harrisburg student submission, but students are also able to apply to be editors. For both of these literary journals, students are able to be student editors and submit their own work for publication.
In addition to opportunities for publishing, Penn State Harrisburg is also home to the Alpha Upsilon Zeta chapter of Sigma Tau Delta—an international English honor society. In order to be considered, students must be an English major, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and be in the top 35% of their class. For more information regarding eligibility students can browse here or contact Professor Jen Hirt. Being a member of Sigma Tau Delta brings academic recognition, opportunities to be published on a national scale, and the chance to earn multiple awards including scholarships and grants. There are also yearly conferences students can attend and even present at.
Penn State Harrisburg’s Sigma Tau Delta chapter is currently made up of around 10 students and has over 20 alumni. Among these students, Jesse Cristoforo, Mary Imgrund and Rachel Ginder have had their pieces published in the Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle, which is one of the honor society’s international literary journals. In addition, Penn State Harrisburg’s chapter is trying to grow their presence on campus and make students more aware of this opportunity. Right now, they are in the process of trying to start having more regular meetings.
There are also multiple on campus opportunities for not only English majors but all students to learn from published authors. For spring 2023 there will be at least three visiting writers: poets Dr. Glen Mazis and Jessica Murray, and fiction writer Dionne Irving. All of these presentations take place roughly a month apart and are open to all students on campus. If there is an author you would like to see come to campus, feel free to mention it to the Humanities department and or talk to the Student Initiated Fee Office.
Maybe none of those things sounds interesting to you, but you enjoy reading. The Madlyn L. Hanes Library hosts a free book club once a month. Students can sign up on Engage and reserve their place in the book club. They will receive a free copy of the book along with an interactive conversation about the story. A new book is selected for every month, but spots are limited. This spring, Laura Gao, the author of selected graphic memoir Messy Roots, is coming to campus for a q&a and reading event.
The library also offers various poster and short story competitions throughout the school year which students can stay up to date on by following the library’s instagram.