When the current members of the English Department faculty at Augustana applied for their positions, they both chose the college, and were chosen by their more veteran colleagues. That means that there is a fit between the college mission and the faculty, an understanding of how we serve students.

Or maybe it is more accurate to say that we have a passion for the mission of training students for lives of leadership and service in a rapidly changing world. That means that while we are scholars with impressive credentials and continuing professional activities, we are teachers first. We enjoy our students and our specialties in literature and writing, and we want to bring the two together.

The English Department is made up of a careful balance of men and women professors with a broad range of specialties that students may wish to explore. These specialties range from expertise in periods and authors, from Chaucer and the middle ages to Toni Morrison and the 21st century. We have specialists in African and Indian literature in English, specialists in the writing of poetry and prose, specialists in women's literature, specialists in publishing practices, and specialists in Catholic and Protestant writers. Students who choose to study with us therefore have many varying courses to explore, interesting people to work with, and welcome surprises to encounter in classroom discussions and personal discussions with professors.