language is a powerful tool; it allows us to express ourselves, connect with others, and communicate ideas. If you love crafting your writing word by word, getting lost in the works of Ernest Hemingway, Toni Morrison, and Virginia Wolfe, or learning to communicate in brand new languages, English and language studies at Indiana University Kokomo might be a good fit for you! In the Department of English and Language Studies, you’ll develop practical skills you can take with you like thinking critically, communicating clearly, writing persuasively, researching effectively, and reading analytically.

Olivia Willford has a seat in The Red Chair
Olivia Williford graduated with a degree in English from Indiana University Kokomo. Check out more Red Chair videos.
Check out the full interviewIU Kokomo has been really supportive these past few years. I think an English degree gives me a head start to what law school can be. IU Kokomo has been the substantial tool to my success and the stepping stone to my dream coming true!
-Coral Santos, Bachelor of Arts in English '18
When you choose to become a part of the Department of English and Language Studies, you have all kinds of exciting course options. Love movies? You can take courses in film studies. Want to improve your craft in your preferred writing genre? Enroll in courses in creative writing, creative nonfiction, and rhetoric. Been known as a bookworm your entire life? Sign up for courses in American, British, and children’s literature, and more! In our department, we offer a Bachelor of Arts in English, Spanish studies, an Irish studies minor, and several English minors.
As a student in the Department of English and Language Studies at IU Kokomo, you can find your place in our many student organizations, like working as an editor or contributor to the campus-wide writing and research journal, Field!
Ready to begin your journey?
A Lifetime of Success

Graduate reflects on journey from GED to bachelor’s
Nearly 30 years ago, fear of failure, along with lack of anybody to believe in her, led Angela Bailiff to drop out of high school.
Decades later, when her daughter began talking about quitting, Bailiff knew it was time to change her path. After decades of jobs in fast food, janitorial work, newspaper delivery and sales, and other physical labor, she plucked up the courage to try school again, successfully completing her GED when she was 44.
Inspiring story here
Professor shares how to determine news source reliability
Choosing reliable news sources is a lot like dieting— the key is to balance between high-quality and junk outlets.
Paul Cook, associate professor of English at Indiana University Kokomo, said it’s especially crucial now, as people look for truthful information about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
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Live long and linguistics
Resistance is futile. A made-up language that began with one word in a cult classic television show spawned legions of fans who study it, speak it, and debate it around the world.
Kokomo resident Alan Anderson, one of five professional Klingon speakers in the world, shared his experience with the language, created in 1984 for theStar Trek television series, with an Indiana University Kokomo linguistics class.
Make it so this way