Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in Rome

The 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 stimulates a critical appreciation of human, liberal values. Students trained in this discipline have found it provides an appropriate background for careers in a variety of fields including law, government, diplomacy, journalism, publishing, education, and business.

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 such as John Cabot where each English course inevitably becomes internationalized, as it is related to the Italian context and to the other national backgrounds of the students. Courses in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing are also a part of the English Literature program at John Cabot.

The program offers a choice between a Major in English literature and a Major in English literature with a Creative Writing concentration. Both options emphasize the historical and cultural understanding of the development of literature in English from the Anglo-Saxon period to the 21st century and require courses in theory and genre. Students of literature learn to read, think, and write critically, to make interdisciplinary connections, and to develop aesthetic appreciation. The training in the skills of research and writing culminates in the senior year thesis.

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

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

CAREER OUTCOMES

As our outstanding alumni attest, 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
• Screenwriting
• Journalism
• Legal Studies
• Human resources
• International agencies

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

Featured Alumni 
 

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