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The Language, Literature, Culture, and Writing Department brings together the Department of English with the Department of Languages and Cultures to offer a wide range of offerings that cater to a variety of interests and career preparation needs – whether your goal is to work in business, the nonprofit sector, education, publishing, international development, or government, or if you plan to go on to graduate school.
Alumni in arts, humanities, and social sciences are employed or in graduate school within 6 months after graduation
Average starting salaries in Language, Literature, Culture, and Writing fields (NACE)
Noteworthy Language, Literature, Culture, and Writing Jobs and Mid-Career Salaries with 8+ Years of Experience (PayScale)
Students have the option to concentrate in either literature or writing. Our literature program spans historical periods and movements of British, American, and European literature, as well as courses in Caribbean, South American, African, Native American, and Indian literature. Our writing program includes courses in fiction writing, business writing, nonfiction, and critical writing. In this program students will gain an understanding of both the historical significance and the contemporary need for strong writing and analytical thinking skills in a pre- and post-industrial world.
Accelerated Programs:
View academic program requirements and course descriptions in the University Course Catalog:
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The Global Asia Studies Program advances a critical understanding of contemporary global issues - from climate change to the refugee crisis to religious violence – through the interdisciplinary study of Asia and transnational Asian diasporas.
The Spanish program seeks to enhance its student's oral and written skills in the Spanish language, to foster a strong awareness of the multicultural and multi-ethnic Spanish speaking world, and to promote critical and communicative skills applicable to diverse professional endeavors.
Accelerated Program:
A minor in Asian studies supplements an undergraduate education with an understanding of Asian languages, cultures, and literature. This multidisciplinary approach can round out a student's education while adding value to his or her undergraduate degree.
Students have the option to concentrate in literature, creative writing, or critical and professional writing. Each of these minors offers students a core of literature and writing courses to develop close reading and writing skills, and opportunities to explore literary periods, or hone creative writing (both fiction and nonfiction) and professional writing skills, respectively.
The Korean Studies Minor (18 credit) provides students the opportunity to develop a familiarity with the language, history, popular culture, and society of Korea through a range of elective courses on contemporary society, popular culture, and industries. Students will have a chance to develop cross-cultural perspectives, gain an understanding of the world beyond the U.S. and North America, and to cultivate a global sensitivity to recognize transnational connections that configure today’s complex and unequal global society.
A minor in linguistics can be both intellectually rewarding and practical. A background in linguistics develops knowledge about the human capacity to acquire and use language, as well as about the formal systems that make up human and artificial languages. A background in linguistics will develop your ability to understand and analyze many facets of language and communication. This ability can be applied to the study, for example, of English grammar and style, or of foreign languages, or of child and adult speech and language acquisition. Linguistics can illuminate language diversity and change or serve to make sense of computer science and logic. A minor in linguistics will directly benefit students majoring in communication disorders, English, foreign languages, philosophy, communication, education, anthropology, psychology, cognitive science, liberal studies, and computer science.
The Spanish for the professions minor program provides students with competency in the Spanish language while developing professional language and cultural skills. The outcomes for this minor include learning the linguistic and cultural skills necessary to facilitate written and oral professional interactions both in Spanish-speaking countries and in the USA.
A minor in Spanish grants students a gateway to proficiency in the language. Courses provide students with a foundation of knowledge in Spanish language, composition, and literature. A minor in Spanish benefits students by providing them with abilities in practical as well as professional and academic communication.
A minor in world literature benefits students with courses designed to develop skills in literary and textual analysis. Students can choose courses covering literature from a variety of cultures with a focus on interdisciplinary study. This program fosters research and analysis skills while developing proficiency in foreign languages.
The 12-credit Certificate in Creative Writing program is designed for those who want to explore the art of writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The program is open to adult learners with at least a high school diploma, as well as undergraduate students attending community college or university.
Students who complete this program will gain skills in the following areas, which are sought after in a wide range of career fields: storytelling, arguing a point, analyzing, communicating clearly, grasping tone, researching, and writing. By expanding students’ critical reading, critical thinking, and writing skills and by providing direct practical experience in a variety of professional writing fields, this certificate will bring them added value while on the job market and/or in their current workplace.
This program is available as a stand-alone certificate for current undergraduate students from any major as well as non-degree students and adult learners who want to enhance their career skills. For those who wish to continue beyond the certificate, the courses completed also count towards a major in English or a minor in Critical and Professional Writing minor.
Over the last several years, there has been a steady growth in the demand for bilingual and multilingual employees. A 2019 survey among U.S. employers has revealed that 9 out of 10 employers rely on employees who can speak languages other than English and 56% reported that their demand for bi/multilingual speakers will increase in the next five years.
Students completing this certificate will be able to: express themselves more confidently through their listening and speaking skills in Spanish; demonstrate better accuracy and fluency in their reading and writing skills in Spanish and show increased knowledge about the diverse Hispanic-Latinx cultures.
Current students who have studied Spanish in high school can complete this certificate within their first two years in college. Adult learners can also enroll in the certificate to enhance their career opportunities.
With its emphasis on close reading and writing skills and its training in critical thinking—skills that are crucial in today’s high-tech global economy—an English degree will help you acquire the tools to flourish in a wide variety of career paths in the private and public sectors and will give you career flexibility in a constantly changing world. Our language students enjoy opportunities to learn and develop outside of the classroom through study abroad experiences, career development workshops, community engagement, and the chance to work with professors on research and present at conferences. Our students also benefit from departmental opportunities including internships, student-run poetry and fiction publications, guest speakers, an annual writer’s conference, and membership in Sigma Delta Pi, the National Spanish Honor Society, or Sigma Tau Delta, the National English Honor Society.
In our language, literature, culture, and writing programs, students learn in-demand skills that employers have identified as critical for job candidates, including:
In addition to teaching careers, language, literature, culture, and writing alumni are prepared for jobs in areas including customer service, sales, marketing, management, and IT, which have high demand for employees with foreign language skills.
Our professors are proud practitioners in their fields and love to share their expertise beyond the classroom. Mentorship is at the core of our department, and it’s our goal that every student work directly with a faculty member to expand their knowledge and worldview.
English and communication, promotional review editor, Bristol Myers Squibb
And we're ready to help you grow. At William Paterson, we provide students with the skills, knowledge, and experience they need to forge forward as a powerhouse—both in the classroom and in their careers. Apply today to discover your potential.
Eight William Paterson University students had the opportunity to deepen their writing through cross-cultural engagement, field-based learning, and reflective practice as part of a creative non-fiction Honors course taught by Martha Witt, a professor of English and director of the Honors College Performing and Literary Arts Track.
The course, Writing Brazil: A Creative Nonfiction Journey, ran during the spring 2025 semester and was followed by a supplemental three-week study abroad component in the coastal city of Ilhéus in northeastern Brazil, including a trip to Salvador. The program was open to students from all majors with a GPA of 3.25 or higher.
The students participated in writing workshops taught by Professor Witt at the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC). “Our students were partnered with English-speaking UESC students (Brazil Buddies) to explore—through writing—themes of identity, culture, and memory,” says Witt. “Outside of class, the William Paterson students and their Brazil Buddies met up to socialize and to attend events on UESC's campus.”
During their time in Brazil, the students attended workshops and classes on Afro-Brazilian religions (including Candomblé and Umbanda), Indigenous performance traditions, and regional literature. Guest lectures and cultural seminars introduced students to the historical, social, and environmental realities of Bahia.
Highlights of the study abroad program included a day with the Tupinambá Indigenous community, a visit to a quilombola settlement of Afro-Brazilian descendants of enslaved people, a capoeira workshop, and field trips to cacao farms, waterfalls, and a visit to writer Jorge Amado’s home. The group also took a two-day trip to Salvador, where they learned more about the city’s legacy of African heritage and resistance.
Nursing major Imelda Omoyi says the class, which fit within her demanding nursing schedule, gave her a chance to branch out and meet new people. “It was a rare opportunity to explore, grow, and make lasting connections,” she added.
Other students were also enthusiastic about the opportunity to learn about another culture. “It was the experience of a lifetime,” says Anderson De La Oz, a sports medicine major. “It helped me find a deeper sense of myself.”
Witt spent the spring 2023 semester in Ilhéus as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching a creative writing course at UESC and working on a novel. This study abroad course grew out of her time in Brazil and her desire to give WPU students broader exposure to Latin American literature, along with the opportunity to travel and collaborate with students at UESC.
Students submitted final creative nonfiction portfolios shaped by personal insight and intercultural exchange. “The emphasis was not only the writing craft, but also gaining a deeper understanding of the ties between place, history, and the stories we tell about ourselves and others,” says Witt.
