Welcome to the English Department

English majors learn to synthesize information and to present their ideas and opinions skillfully. They find employment in fields where the sophisticated use of language is necessary for advancement. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study, not only in writing, film studies and literature, but in medicine, law, education, journalism and business. In today’s job market, as job titles and responsibilities shift constantly, English majors have an advantage because they are used to analyzing situations critically and communicating the results effectively.

Job choices for English majors go beyond the obvious options of teaching, attending graduate school, or becoming a writer, because graduates also excel in many other areas. English majors have learned how to write, analyze material, and communicate effectively, so they work in many different fields, including broadcasting, sales and marketing, management, government and entertainment.


CultureKlatsch's Newest Episode is Out! Ep 11 & 11.5: Targaryens, Television, and Trauma: Watching George R. R. Martin’s House of the Dragon 1.17.23

This episode of CultureKlatsch discusses House of the Dragon (the Golden Globe winning prequel to Game of Thrones) in terms of spectatorship and genre. Host Jake Johnson, along with guests Kendall Adamson, Madison Cook, David Debonis, and Landon Sickler (all CU Denver students), create a roundtable discussion on a wide range of topics, including television consumption patterns and rituals, violence against women as a plot device, trauma and spectatorship, the cultural appeal of high fantasy television,  the ways HOD mirrors current social relations, the politics of gender and colonialism, artistic intent and HOD as historical account, and the ongoing celebration of “masculine strength” in both GOT and HOD. They speak with several CU Denver professors—Dr. Sarah Hagelin (Ethnic Studies and English), Katy Mohrman (Ethnic Studies), and William Wagner (History)—as well as CU Denver film student Darcen McCampbel and spectators outside the university, Beth Hall and Allie Borgsmiller.

Listen to a longer interview with Drs. Sarah Hagelin and Katy Mohrman in this bonus episode of CultureKlatsch (hosted and edited by Jake Johnson).

Listen now on ​​Spotify, ​SoundCloudand Apple Podcasts.

HOD ep

CultureKlatsch in the Auraria Media Center Sound Studio. From left: Madison Cook (guest + editor), Jake Sorensen (media specialist + sound engineer), Kendall Adamson (guest), Michelle Comstock (instructor), Jake Johnson (host). Not pictured: Landon Sickler (guest) and David Debonis (guest + editor).


Dr. Mari Mar Boillos Lecture, "Plagiarism in the Copy-Paste Era" 

Please join the ESL Academy's guest speaker, Dr. Mari Mar Boillos, as she presents her research on plagiarism, types, and how to address it. You can find the zoom link by clicking here. 

plagiarism in the Copy-paste era


Copper Nickel Rises in National Rankings!

There are approximately 700 regularly publishing literary journals in America—and each year a writer and blogger named Clifford Garstang ranks them based on how often work from their pages is reprinted in the prestigious annual Pushcart Prize Anthology. 

As of 2023, Copper Nickel is now ranked number 10 for poetry, tied with The Georgia Review and ahead of The Yale ReviewThe Gettysburg ReviewThe SunPloughsharesMichigan Quarterly ReviewVirginia Quarterly ReviewBoston ReviewThe Iowa ReviewPrairie Schooner, and Agni.

For fiction in 2023 Copper Nickel is ranked number 34, ahead of A Public SpaceEpochOxford AmericanStoryn+1BoulevardHarvard ReviewMichigan Quarterly ReviewPrairie SchoonerNotre Dame Review, and Southwest Review.

The Pushcart Prize is, of course, only one metric for evaluating a literary magazine's "standing," but we're proud of Copper Nickel's growth in visibility and prestige since its relaunch in 2015.

Copper Nickel is edited by CU Denver creative writing faculty. And, unique for a journal at this level, Copper Nickel also receives substantial editorial input from undergraduate students. As many as 30 each semester engage in first-round editorial screening, proofreading, and production through work as volunteers, interns, and, every fourth semester, through ENGL 4088: Literary Editing: Copper Nickel.


Departmental Latin Honors

As we near the end of spring semester, the English Department encourages their undergraduates to pursue Latin honors with their English degree. The application process is easy, and we’d be happy to answer any questions that students might have. 

Please reach out to Dr. Pompa Banerjee (pompa.banerjee@ucdenver.edu) in the next few weeks if interested. Dr. Banerjee would be happy to answer questions and assist in the development of a project. There is still plenty of time to apply. You can find the guidelines for pursuing honors at the following website: https://clas.ucdenver.edu/english/latin-honors.


English Faculty and Student Accomplishments 


English Alumni Accomplishments

  • Alejandro Lucero, who just graduated in December with a degree in English–Creative Writing, has had his poetry chapbook, Sapello Son, accepted for publication by Bull City Press—a nationally renowned poetry press out of Durham, North Carolina.