Writing, Language and Literature Department
UW-Superior’s Department of Writing, Languages and Literature focuses on the study of languages, literature, and cultures from an international perspective. You’ll be able to choose from a variety of learning paths, with majors and minors in Writing, English and English Education, as well as minors in Spanish and Global Studies. You also have the option of taking part in one of our correlated language study away programs.
You’ll learn from faculty who are published authors and have won numerous awards for their work. You will have the opportunity to be inspired creatively by these accomplished and dedicated instructors, as well as benefit from their professional experiences and networks.
Curriculum Curated with Local Professionals
The Writing Program founded its Community Advisory Board in Spring 2015. The purpose of the board is to provide input and ideas regarding the Writing curriculum. Each spring, we invite this group of local professional writers, editors, and publishers to review our curriculum, talk with faculty and students, and share ideas about what they believe graduates will encounter in various positions in the field.
Undergraduate Programs
One thing that you get to experience at UWS is a variety of classes, from economics to language, you get to learn a lot of new things. Best of all, you get to study away, which can give you so many new and different options in life after school.
The English program has allowed me to explore the liberal arts from an interdisciplinary and global perspective, creating a bridge that connects me with essential skills like problem-solving and critical thinking. It is more than reading and writing, it is about combining humanities, social sciences, and critical theories to understand our past and, therefore, shape our future.
As a first-generation student, it was important to me to choose a school and program that held my interest, challenged me, and supported me. The writing program at UWS did that – and I’m eternally grateful for the privilege of learning here.Â
Involvement Opportunities
Visiting Writers Series
The Visiting Writers Series brings accomplished authors to UW-Superior for literary readings, class visits, and informal conversation with students and community members on the writer’s craft. Readings are free and open to the public. Past visiting writers include Linda LeGarde Grover (short fiction), Francesca Abbate (poetry), Louis Jenkins (prose poetry), Ellen Baker (historical fiction), and Chad Faries (memoir).
The Nemadji Review
Writing majors, writing minors, and all UW-Superior students have the opportunity to take part in the publication of the student-run literary magazine, The Nemadji Review. This print journal is published annually in the spring; includes creative and scholarly work by UW-Superior students as well as undergraduates from other colleges; and is entirely compiled, edited, and designed by student staff.
Careers in Writing Night
This annual event brings students interested in writing careers together with professional writers in the community for one-on-one conversations and mentoring. The evening is co-hosted by Career Services and the Writing Program.
English as a Second Language
UW-Superior offers four English as a Second Language (ESL) courses to help international students in their first semester adapt to the challenges of learning in English at the college level. These ESL courses are designed specifically for degree-seeking or exchange students who have met the minimum English proficiency requirement for undergraduates and have been admitted to UW-Superior.
Newly-admitted international students may be required to take the UW-Superior ESL Placement Test. Based on their placement test scores, students may be required to enroll in one or more ESL courses, in addition to other university courses, during their first semester.
Prospective students who want to earn a degree and whose English level is below the minimum proficiency requirement may apply for conditional admission to UW-Superior. For information about international undergraduate admissions at UW-Superior, visit International Admissions.
NOTE: The ESL courses at UW-Superior are not a full-time ESL program, and the courses are NOT intended for international students whose main purpose is to study ESL full-time.