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Department of English

Affiliated Groups | Units

These units partner with the English Department to offer services and opportunities locally, regionally, and nationally.

English Language Institute (ELI)

The English Language Institute (ELI) provides a special non-degree intensive program (20-hours per week) in English as a Second Language with equal emphasis on both communicative and academic needs for international students.

Although admission to ELI does not guarantee subsequent admission to a degree program at the University, ELI students who attain a TOEFL score of 550 (paper/pencil test—PBT) or 213 (computer-based test—CBT) or 79 (internet-based test—IBT) can be admitted to a degree program at the University, provided they also meet the other requirements for admission.

Learn more about ELI

Ethnic Studies

The Ethnic Studies Program focuses on the study of race and ethnicity in U.S. and transnational contexts. Students and faculty in this area examine how social categories like race, indigeneity, culture, ethnicity, and nation are conceptualized.

We also familiarize ourselves with the experiences of the major population groups that make up the United States. We look at the specifics of these experiences as well as comparing them across groups. We are interested in both the contemporary world and how history has shaped ethnicity and race. The program at Illinois State allows participants to examine regional, national, and global dimensions of these experiences.

For more information, visit the Ethnic Studies Program website

Latin American and Latino/a Studies

The Latin American and Latino/a Studies Program is central to the university's mission to promote an understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures and communities. Our program seeks to stimulate and facilitate instruction, research, and outreach activities related to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino communities in the United States. It enhances any major and prepares students to be fully engaged participants in a global society.

For more information, please visit the Latin American and Latino/a Studies Program website

Native American Studies

The Native American Studies Program is designed to familiarize students with the histories, literatures, cultures, and futures of the indigenous citizens of North America.

For more information, please visit the Native American Studies Program website

Women's and Gender Studies

The Women's and Gender Studies Program is a multidisciplinary community of scholars committed to a transformative analysis of gender as it intersects with class, sexuality, race, ethnicity, ability, age, nationality, and transnationality. We are engaged in innovative and collaborative scholarship, teaching, and service that promote new knowledge and socially responsible activism. The program offers a minor for undergraduate students, a graduate certificate, and a variety of professional practice internships in the community.

For more information, please visit the Women and Gender Studies website

Publications Unit

The Publications Unit is a service and instructional branch of the Department of English, which provides editorial, technical, marketing/advertising, and desktop publishing/production support associated with several independent literary publications, scholarly journals, and a small fiction press, including, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, SRPR (Spoon River Poetry Review), the Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter, the IATE Newsletter, the Illinois English Bulletin, and FC2 (Fiction Collective 2). Most of the publications have a faculty affiliation with the Department of English.

The Publications Unit also serves the vital role of providing educational and practical experience for the department's graduate assistants and undergraduate interns interested in nonprofit presses, journals, and scholarly publications. Many students in the Publishing Studies sequence receive their practical experience, a requirement of the program, at the Publications Unit. This experience includes proofreading, editing, design and layout, marketing, advertising, permissions, graphic work, record keeping, archiving, and bulk/distribution mailing. By providing a broad work experience, the assistants and interns not only build their portfolios but also enter the marketplace with valuable and current skills.

For more information about the publications produced by the Publications Unit, visit these web sites:

For information on internships or assistantships, email publicationsunit@IllinoisState.edu or tweet @PubUnit_ISU.