Beyond the Classroom
The English Department provides a number of opportunities for its majors to get involved. Majors can join the English Club, study abroad, write for or edit one of our journals, or apply for a departmental writing award.
Literature Club
Sponsored by the Department, the English Club is organized by and for students to provide an opportunity to meet with one another outside of the classroom, to discuss academic subjects in an informal setting, to consider career options, and to meet with writers, journalists, and scholars.
The Club often holds informational sessions about what to do with the English major, or how to apply to graduate school. The Club also hosts poetry readings and forums, and attends cultural events. The Club meeting schedule varies quarter to quarter, but anyone may attend (not just English majors). Notices announcing Club activities will be sent out to the Department Undergraduate Listserv.
Please contact the undergraduate program adviser for more information about the club.
Department Journals
The English Department houses two undergraduate research journals: Emergence and The Catalyst. See the journal pages for more information.
Additionally, several of our undergraduates work for UCSB’s student newspaper, The Daily Nexus. See their website here, and see below for a featurette detailing our English students’ involvement in this project.
Writing Your Own Story: UCSB Department of English
Department Writing Contests and Prizes
Depending on available funds, the English Department promotes different writing contests to its undergraduates throughout the academic school year.
Spring Quarter: UCSB-Only Contests
- Kieth E. Vineyard Honorary Scholarship: Short Story Contest
- William and Marjorie Frost Memorial Award: Essay Contest (offered in Spring Quarter)
Fall Quarter: UC-Wide Contests
- Ina Coolbrith Memorial Prize for Poetry (For Undergraduates Only)
- Replaced by the John and Jodi Arnhold 2022 prize for the 2021-2022 school year.
- Jenkins-Stark Award
- This award is given each year to senior English majors who demonstrate exceptional achievement, scholarship, and academic promise. The recipient will be chosen on the basis of both an outstanding paper and a strong academic record. The Department annually announces the requirements and date when applications and papers are to be received for judging, usually early spring quarter. Jenkins-Stark Award 2021-22 Application Form.