Studying English at Kenyon
Kenyon is known for its long-standing literary tradition, which is rooted in its history with the Kenyon Review — one of the nation’s most esteemed literary magazines — and its hallmark English department.
Under the close guidance of English faculty members who are renowned teachers and critically acclaimed writers and poets, students are exposed to diverse critical and creative approaches to the study of literature. Courses range from first-year seminars that explore thought-provoking themes from a variety of literary genres and historical periods, to advanced seminars and creative writing workshops.
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84students serve as first readers for thousands of submissions to the Kenyon Review each year.
Learn more about the Kenyon Review Associates Program.
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On the Page
Many students choose to complete the English major with an emphasis in creative writing.
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$150Kfrom the Mellon Foundation seeded an expansion of Kenyon’s pioneering science-writing program.
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Experience Exeter
For more than forty years, Kenyon students have traveled to southwest England as part of the year-long Kenyon-Exeter Program.
Featured Courses
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales
“Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licóur, Of which vertú engendred is the flour.” Do you want to learn to read and speak Middle English while diving into one of the greatest epics in all of literature? This is the course for you.
The History of the Book
Learn about the history of material texts and investigate the production of writing from scribal manuscripts to modern digital media. You'll gain experience in interpreting materials and using them to place texts in their historical context.
Toni Morrison
“Pleasurable” doesn’t seem like a word that would apply to the harrowing story of a mother who kills her child rather than allow her to be enslaved. Yet Morrison writes prose so beautiful, one could describe reading such a story as, in some sense, pleasurable, even as this beauty deepens the power and pain of her words.
Science Writing
From Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time” to Oliver Sacks’ “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,” popular science writing brings important questions to wider public attention. Analyze stellar essays that combine literary and scientific merit and learn to present scientific information in highly readable form.
Lentz House
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio 43022