Changes to the English major at Rollins College are shaking things up, offering more freedom to tailor students’ studies without sacrificing the core values that make the program rigorous and relevant.
Starting Fall semester of 2025, students have the option to switch to a new version of the English major by emailing the Office of the Registrar. Announced back in March of 2025, instead of taking two “Historical Context: Pre-1900” courses and two “Transnational Literature” courses, English majors only have to take one of each. This change allows students to take two more electives of their choice.
Emily Russell, Kenneth Curry Professor of Literature and current Chair of the English Department, said, “We really wanted to emphasize flexibility and students’ ability to craft their own path according to their interests within the major.”
When asked what prompted these changes, she said, “We recognized that we had changed and that maybe our curricular structure wasn’t entirely reflecting who we want to be moving forward and who we are right now.”
She went on to explain that when she started teaching at Rollins almost twenty years ago, the structure of the major was rigid, and it was more about “Wanting you to read the canon – who the field has decided are the most important authors.” Since Russell has been here, the department has shifted focus and realized that “There’s a lot of other important cultural productions that we can equip students to understand.”
While students might be concerned about what this means for upholding the high standards of the English major as a whole, Russell said, “This doesn’t mean we’re throwing out all the old Norton Anthologies of Literature, it just acknowledges that we’re not preparing students for graduate school in English as our primary goal.” She went on to say, “We’re preparing students to be able to move into the workforce and move into their lives with a set of analytical tools and texts that allow them to be both outstanding employees, but also good parents, partners, and citizens.”
Behind the Curriculum Shift
Getting to the new major map we have today was a long process that took several years and involved mapping out different models. Although Russell said, “We don’t take these changes lightly, and change is always complicated for any group dynamic,” she also said, “we were pushed forward by the idea that we wanted to have a major structure, one that was student-serving and that really reflects our understanding of where English is right now and where it’s going for the next ten years or so.”
One of the biggest challenges the department faced was how they would be perceived upon removing a requirement, and Russell acknowledged this. She said, “the danger is that it can be seen as a signal that you’re not committed to teaching that content or you don’t think it’s important, and the bottom line is that there’s just no way to deliver the goal of flexibility while also keeping every required course. You have to have a tradeoff.”
What students should be aware of is that even though two required courses were removed, “Our elective opportunities will often still cover that content – it’ll just be that students are self-selecting into them,” said Russell.
For those wondering why another required course, the “Advanced Prose Style,” was not removed, Russell said, “It was actually the students that had the strongest voice in saying: maybe this is the course that a lot of us are the most scared of, but it was also the course that was most valuable to us in the major.”
In terms of how these changes position the department in relation to trends in English studies nationally, Russell says, “We’re pretty well in step with our peers and maybe even a little bit ahead of the game because we’re giving you a lens that can study any text.”
Impact on Students
One opportunity for students in the English major is in the addition of three categories of concentrations: Literature, Media, and Professional Writing. With these concentrations, Russell says, “We are going to be encouraged to continue developing courses where we’re not just writing interpretive papers.”
More generally speaking, all English students can get excited because “Without always having to deliver two required courses every year, Dr. Mathews, Dr. Hudson, Dr. Jones, and Dr. Boles – who are the faculty that most often teach our Pre-1900 courses – are open to be a little bit more flexible,” said Russell.
But what do students think about these changes? English major and Theater minor Francesca Olivieri (’29), while not aware of the recent changes beforehand, said, “These are great changes because it aligns more with what Rollins stands for: exploration and finding what works for you.”
Gabriella Farrell (’26), an English major and Writing minor, expressed her worry about the job market, saying, “I think that English majors – now more than ever – are very concerned about how their English degree will get them into a job that is financially sound.”
Russell has seen and acknowledged this worry in her students and said, “The goal is not to make you so narrowly trained that you can only do editing or literary analysis because as these jobs change, go away, morph, shift, etc., we want to make sure that you’ve got the skill set to bring to the table.”
Looking Ahead
For students who may be concerned that the English major map might change again, Russell says, “We want to keep the structure of the major the same for the foreseeable future, and the growth and development will really be around recognizing the three concentrations.” If students have any questions about navigating the new major map, Russell urges them to reach out to their advisors.
As the English department evolves, it’s clear that the study of English is far from static. More than just a collection of canonical texts, it’s a dynamic discipline that equips students with critical thinking skills, cultural awareness, and adaptability – tools essential not only for career success but for thoughtful citizenship. This is a major that values tradition and innovation in equal measure, inviting students to chart their own course through the rich landscape of language and literature.
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