Department of English Language and Literature

Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in Rome

The organized study of literature written in the English language has long proved its worth as a traditional discipline that exercises the imagination, encourages intellectual precision, and inculcates a critical appreciation of humane, liberal values. Students trained in this discipline have generally found that it has provided an appropriate background for careers in a variety of fields beyond the discipline including law, government, diplomacy, journalism, publishing, education, and, by no means least, business.

We offer numerous merit-based Presidential Scholarships and need-based Assistance Grants.

B.A. in English Literature

The program emphasizes the historical and cultural understanding of the development of literature in English from the Anglo-Saxon period to the 21st century, but courses in the theory of the various literary genres are also required. In all courses, students must not only read texts with great care, but also criticize them and present the results of their own research in well-written essays. The training in the skills of research and writing culminates in the thesis that a student must present in his/her senior year.

There are clear advantages in pursuing an English Major at an institution that belongs, like John Cabot University, to the English-speaking academic tradition, and this may be especially true for students whose first language is not English. There is also particular value, however, in studying English literature at an international university, which John Cabot is as well. In this international atmosphere the content of each English course inevitably becomes somewhat internationalized, as it is related to the Italian context and to the other national backgrounds of the various students.  Courses in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing are also part of the English Literature program.

Degree requirements for the B.A. in English Language and Literature.

CAREER OUTCOMES

Students graduating from John Cabot University with a B.A. in English Literature will have acquired knowledge and skills that will allow them to pursue many different career paths, such as:

  • Publishing
  • Copywriting
  • Copy editing
  • Screenwriting

Many JCU students decide to pursue graduate studies at prestigious universities such as The University of St Andrews, Oxford Brookes University, Trinity College, and The Graduate Center, CUNY.

Featured Alumni 
 

Stefania Piccialli  

STEFANIA PICCIALLI, Class of 2017
Stefania Piccialli recently won the University of Exeter’s Translating for Change Video Essay competition with her work “The Handmaiden: Lesbian Love and The Re-working of The Camouflage Age.”

     
Giulia Maggiori  

GIULIA MAGGIORI, Class of 2019
Giulia Maggiori is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Publishing Media at Oxford Brookes University, while also working as Assistant Supplier Operations Specialist at Oxford University Press.

     
Marina Traylor  

MARINA TRAYLOR, Class of 2019
Since February 2020, Marina Traylor has been working as museum assistant and part-time guide at the Keats-Shelley House, a Roman museum dedicated to the British Romantic poets.

     
Mariolina Castellaneta  

MARIOLINA CASTELLANETA, Class of 2020
Mariolina Castellaneta has recently been accepted for an M.A. in Directing at MetFilm School in Berlin, Germany.