English

English Program Profile
English Areas of Study
English Program Courses
English Faculty
English Career Paths
Meet an English Student

English Program Profile

Every element of the English program at Concordia College–New York is designed to promote strong thinking, writing, and communication skills. Our students become strong communicators and critical thinkers, who are able to synthesize information and make informed, ethical decisions. Consequently, our graduates demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary for “lives of service,” and they excel in many professions.

Graduates of Concordia’s English program:

  • Write Well. Students in the English program write extensively in every course in the program, so their progress is evident in their portfolios. Advanced writing courses are available, and students demonstrate their skills in college publications, internships, and independent studies.
  • Are Critical and Ethical Thinkers. From the first core courses, students in the English program are challenged to produce work that requires moral and ethical reasoning. They are expected to analyze, debate, synthesize, and sometimes dramatize texts that foster a global prospective and encourage them to examine their world and themselves.
  • Use Their Talents. Concordia’s English program students express themselves fluently. They learn how to use their skills in the ‘real world’ through experiential learning courses and internships.
  • Appreciate Literature. Literature in the English program is experienced in breadth in survey courses and in critical depth through specialized topic courses.  It is a solid foundation for graduate study but, more importantly, it opens windows into life.

Top of page...


English Areas of Study

Students focus on one of the following:

  • Writing
  • Literature
  • New Media and Communications courses are available under both the English and Liberal Studies programs
  • Five-Year B.A./M.A. Communications Program with University of Fordham

Top of page...


English Program Courses

  • Genre courses in fiction, drama, and poetry
  • Survey courses covering British and American literature from the Middle Age to present
  • Writing courses, including creative writing, journalism, and new media
  • In-depth studies of major literary figures
  • Special topics, which have included African-American Literature, Women in Literature, and Origins of Drama
  • Courses linking literature to criticism, culture, and current events
  • Capstone experience, a required course in which students will create, develop, and present their own thesis project

Top of page...


English Faculty

John Bahr

Dean of Experiential Learning and Associate Professor of English
M.Div., Union Theological Seminary; B.A., Concordia College, Bronxville; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Kate Behr
Chair, Professor of English
D.Phil., Pembroke College, Oxford University; B.A., Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London

Christopher Koutsovitis

Associate Dean for Student Development and Associate Professor of English

M.A., Teacher's College, Columbia University; B.A., Manhattanville College

Dr. Mandana Nakhai
Assistant Dean of Liberal Studies and Professor of English and Writing
Ph.D., M.A., B.A., University of Tennessee

Dr. Erin Obermueller

Assistant Professor of English
Ph.D., St. Louis University; M.A., Northeastern University; B.A., Luther College

Sara Weiss

Instructor of English and Director of The Writing Center

M.A., Sarah Lawrence College; B.A., Tufts University

Top of page...


English Career Paths

Literature
  • Campaign manager
  • Communications specialist
  • Teacher/professor
  • Novelist
  • Copywriter
  • Journalist
  • Librarian
  • Non-profit administrator
  • Researcher
  • Legislative assistant
  • Community relations specialist
Writing
  • Journalist
  • Advertising copywriter
  • Teacher/professor
  • Novelist
  • Freelance writer
  • Screenplay writer
  • Newspaper reporter/editor
Pre-law
  • Lobbyist
  • Public defender
  • Private practice
  • Politics
  • Consumer advocate
Students of the English program benefit from studying a short train ride away from the media capital of  the world. Opportunities for internships are almost limitless. Some are represented in the following list: 
  • ABC–TV
  • Christopher’s
  • Condé Nast
  • Dover Press
  • Kenyon Ridge
  • Law firms–various
  • NBC–TV
  • MTV News
  • Red Cross
  • TV Guide

Top of page...