Follow the department on social media
Important Dates
Last Day of Instruction: Wednesday, Dec. 10
Last Day to Initiate a Late Drop Petition: Wednesday, Dec 10
Final Exams: Friday, Dec. 12 – Thursday, Dec. 18
Deadline to add a full-semester course for spring – Monday, Feb. 2
Resource of the Week: Loanable Tech
In need of technology? Check out the University Library’s Media Commons and the wide variety of loanable items they stock, from recording devices to gaming technology to laptops and computer accessories. These are short-term loans (up to 10 days). If you need a longer-term computer loan, use the ATLAS Share application form.
Secondary Education Minor Application Open
If you are planning to apply to do a Secondary Education minor, and you are expecting to graduate in May 2028, then this is the time to apply! The application window opened December 1 and will remain open until February 1, 2026. All the information, and a link to the application, can be found on this page.
Please note that before you submit the application, you have to complete the “advisor verification form” and then have Maggie or Anna sign off on it.
If you have any questions, or if you aren’t sure whether now is the time for you to apply, email englishadvising@illinois.edu and we’ll be happy to help!
Graduating in May?
If you are expecting to graduate at the end of the spring semester, remember that you must add yourself to the May degree list. You can do this online in Self Service (click on “apply to graduate”) and once you submit your application the records office will do an official degree audit. If you are on track to have all requirements complete by May (taking into account your spring classes), then you will hear nothing from them (in other words, no news is good news), but if they find any shortages they will send you an email. To head off any problems, run your own degree audit and check to see if it says “all requirements complete using in-progress courses” at the top. If you have questions or concerns about your eligibility to graduate, email englishadvising@illinois.edu.
LAS Food Pantry
ESA Newsletter
View the November 2025 ESA Newsletter HERE!
Summer Fulbrights
- Lancaster University Summer Institute (England) is an immersive three-week programme which allows students to develop an understanding of the formal and technical composition of films and the wider conventions of cinema.
- Queen’s University Belfast Summer Institute (Northern Ireland) will focus on the theme of “Understanding Northern Ireland.” It will provide an introduction to the rich tapestry of historical, cultural, political, and socio-economic factors that combine to make Northern Ireland a unique place.
- University of Bristol Summer Institute (England) will focus on the theme of “Arts, Activism, and Social Justice.” It will explore how literature, music, visual arts, poetry and storytelling, dance, philosophy, and critical social theories have shaped movements for social justice across the globe, with particular attention given to racial justice and the legacies of slavery.
- King’s College London Summer Institute (England) will focus on the theme of “Modern Britain: Institutions, Power, and People.” It will explore how Britain’s institutions, power, and people have shaped a twenty-first century nation state.
- University of St. Andrews Summer Institute (Scotland) will focus on the theme of “Scotland’s History: Kingdom, Nation, People.” It will examine Scotland’s strong and changing sense of its past both as an independent state and as a part of the UK.
The UK Fulbright Commission seeks mature, responsible, open-minded students who demonstrate an academic fit between their chosen institute and their own background. They select students who are involved on and off campus and have the desire to act as ambassadors between U.S. and the UK. Freshmen and sophomores who are U.S. citizens, have a minimum GPA of 3.6, and have had no or very little travel/study experience outside of North America are eligible to apply. The final deadline is February 2, 2026.
Reminder to Submit to Montage
Montage publishes art and literary work by undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Submissions are now open! For more information and to submit your work, please visit: https://www.montageartsjournal.com/submit
Don’t Forget These Great English Department Courses!
ENGL 221/AFRO 298: Speculative Futures – Black Speculative Futures
Counts as a Difference & Diaspora course and RIGS or Literature & Science topics course
CW 208: Creative Nonfiction Workshop
Counts as a workshop course in the CW major or a department elective in the ENGL major or minor
CW 202: Topics in Creative Writing – Storymaking (NEW SECTION ADDED!)
Counts as a non-workshop course in the CW major (satisfies the “Writing & Literature” requirement) or a department elective in the ENGL major or minor
Academic Support
Philosophy Courses Open to All
PHIL 111 – LIVING WELL ONLINE
Taught by Dr. Andrew Flynn, the John and Daria Barry Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Illinois Forum on Human Flourishing in a Digital Age and the Department of Philosophy, PHIL 111, “Living Well Online,” is a philosophical reflection on human happiness, flourishing, and virtue, with a focus on the challenge of living well in a digital age. Along with classic philosophical texts by Plato, Aristotle, and others, we will read and discuss a number of contemporary authors who have reflected on the ways that our lives are changed by the pervasive presence of digital technology.
PHIL 199 – THE ETHICS OF WAR
Taught by Dr. Adam Betz. Killing another human being is universally regarded as one of the most seriously wrongful acts. But most people also acknowledge that there are exceptions to the wrongness of killing, and it is in determining what these exceptions are and why they count as exceptions that some of the most interesting and difficult questions in moral and political philosophy arise. War is one of humanity’s oldest and most brutal institutions, yet in at least some cases it is viewed as just such an exception. War involves killing, maiming, and destruction on a large-scale, including the killing of many innocent people. How can war ever be an exception to the general prohibition on killing? What, if anything, makes it worse to kill civilians than soldiers? Who counts as a ‘terrorist’? Is terrorism always wrong? How is the development of emerging military technologies, such as drones, robots, and artificial intelligence, changing the ethical landscape of war? What are the moral alternatives to war? This course will explore these and related questions by reading, discussing, and debating classical and contemporary works on the ethics of war, and exploring war-time dilemmas in film.
PHIL 270 – PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Taught by Prof. Christopher Weaver, this course is an investigation of the nature of scientific knowledge by examining archetypal examples from physical science (e.g., Ptolemaic and Copernican astronomy); nature of scientific truth, validation of theories, nature of scientific theories, evolution of theories, experimental procedure, role of presuppositions, scientific revolutions, etc.
LAS Online Winter Courses
Do you want to knock out a Gen Ed? Or need to pick up a few more credit hours to stay on track for graduation? LAS Online has a great lineup of fully online winter courses! The winter session is open to all undergraduate students to enroll in only 1 class. All classes are delivered completely online.
Check out the list of LAS online winter courses HERE!
Creative Writing Study Abroad Exchange with University of East Anglia, England
Don’t Forget About These Opportunities and Resources!
Be a Part of iSuceed!
iSucceed is an academic accountability group with The Jeffries Center Advising g& Mentoring Program. It is for scholars to work together to build community, support one another’s academic development and understand how and why to engage in academic spaces. Students in iSucceed gain a strong network of peer and staff support each week, helping them stay motivated, connected, and focused on their goals.
iSuceed Meeting Details:
When: Every Monday from 3:300-5:30pm
Where: BNAACC Multipurpose Room
Internship Opportunities
LAS Career Services has let us know about some internship opportunities that may be of particular interest to our majors. Check them out!
- Respawn Entertainment: Narrative Design Internship
- Blizzard: Narrative Design Internship
- Insomniac Games: Project Management Internship
- Nintendo: Copy Writer Internship
- Syngenta: Seeds Communications Paid Internship
Library Research Consultations
How to Connect with LAS Career Services
- Mondays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
- Tuesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
- Wednesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
- Thursdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
- Thursdays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
- Handshake Appointments (in-person or virtual) are 30 minutes during available staff times. We have an energetic team to help you. Reach out to connect. Having trouble? Reach out to us at las-careerservices@illinois.edu.
Sharing News
As a reminder, if you have an award, a publication, or some other triumph to report please send news to engl-news@illinois.edu so the social media interns can celebrate you and your accomplishment. Also, if you are a member of a student group affiliated with the English department and you would like an upcoming event posted on our undergraduate calendar (now available at the bottom of the advising page) please send that info to the same address. Thanks!
Free Little Library
Check out the ESA Free Little Library outside EB 200. We have a rotating stock of donated books (thanks to all our anonymous donors) and you’re always welcome to stop by and pick something up. If you want to leave a book as well of course you can, but it’s not expected. If you feel like it, you can sign the sheet on the top shelf and tell us what you picked and why!
WRC Fall Hours
