Get Involved: Opportunities & Resources

Clubs

• Lyricist
• Mabel Powell English Club
• Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society
• Internships (yes or no): Yes

Sigma Tau Delta

            SIGMA TAU DELTA, the international English honor society founded in 1924, gives students opportunities to work together to promote interest and excellence in language and literature on  campus and in the community. 

            As academic excellence is both required and encouraged, student membership is open to those who have earned a minimum 3.0 average in their freshman English courses plus two courses beyond those. Each member receives Sigma Tau Delta’s journals—The Rectangle and The Review—which feature members’ creative and critical writing.  Scholarships are available for members. 

            Campbell’s chapter is building its campus and community presence by becoming an increasingly active organization.  Plans for this year include reading to local elementary school children and sponsoring a campus-wide book drive.

Resources

The English Program’s greatest resource is its highly committed faculty who spend hours mentoring our majors, guiding as well as teaching. We take students to conferences and symposiums and direct them in their own professional efforts (job applications, letters of recommendations, paper submissions to conferences or writing competitions, etc.). The English Program also provides experiential learning opportunities. For instance, a study abroad program in Britain is scheduled every 2 or 3 years during which the Department of English teaches British Literature in the United Kingdom. Students travel the sights of ancient and modern Britain, and enjoy Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre or a picnic in the gardens of the Keats home in Hampstead Heath. The itinerary is based on the class being taught, but may include theatre in the West End or excursions into Wales or the Lake District.

Internships

Though at present Internships are not required, the English Department provides for internship credit through the Independent Study program (ENGL 420).

On an individual basis, English faculty help interested majors in creating their own career-targeted internship opportunities. Typically, with guidance from a faculty member, students identify organizations where they would like to work. Once the student and the organization have arranged for the internship, the English Department creates an independent study contract that specifies how the student's internship experience will be assessed for academic credit. Normally, the person who supervises the student's daily internship work will send weekly reports to the academic instructor. Often, the student will write a 20-25-page paper at the end of the semester on a topic related to the internship.

Internships can take place during summer or during the regular school year. They normally last for one semester or less. To date, most of the internships held by English majors have been at law firms. However, there are no restrictions on the kinds of jobs that might be suitable for a specific English major. For instance, we’ve had students to work internships with NC Public TV (writing and editing) and with churches (youth ministry). International internships are available through Campbell University Study Abroad.