Department of English

Chair

Claudia L. Johnson

Associate Chair

Valerie A. Smith

Director of Graduate Studies

D. Vance Smith

Professor

Eduardo L. Cadava

Anne A. Cheng

Lawrence N. Danson

Maria A. DiBattista, also Comparative Literature

Diana J. Fuss

Simon Gikandi

William L. Howarth

Claudia L. Johnson

Ulrich C. Knoepflmacher

Lee C. Mitchell

Deborah E. Nord

Jeff E. Nunokawa

James Richardson, also Creative Writing

Esther H. Schor

Nigel Smith

Valerie A. Smith

Susan Stewart

Susan J. Wolfson

Michael G. Wood

Visiting Professor

James Longenbach

Associate Professor

Oliver M. Arnold

Daphne A. Brooks

William A. Gleason

D. Vance Smith

Assistant Professor

Jeremy Braddock

Zahid R. Chaudhary

Kathleen M. Davis

Jeffrey Dolven

Sophie Graham Gee

Jennifer Rae Greeson

Meredith Martin

Benjamin L. Widiss

Tamsen Olivia Wolff

Lecturer

Sarah M. Anderson, also Council of the Humanities

Mendi L. Obadike, also Council of the Humanities

Miriam J. Petty, also Council of the Humanities

Gayle Salamon, also Council of the Humanities

Robert N. Sandberg, also Creative Writing

 

The aim of the Department of English is to prepare students to be productive scholars, sympathetic and intelligent critics of literature, and good teachers. The courses offered are directed to these ends, and examinations are planned to test the student’s knowledge of (1) the major works of English and American literature; (2) the development of English and American literature, including the history of the language, the continuity of traditions and genres, and intellectual and historical currents; and (3) methods of literary scholarship and the techniques and theories of literary criticism.

Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages as soon as possible after enrollment. The languages normally recommended are French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, and Spanish, but other languages relevant to a student’s program of research may be substituted with the approval of the director of graduate studies. The language requirement must be satisfied before the completion of the general examination.

The Course of Study

The graduate program in English is a five-year program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) During the first two years, students prepare for the general examination through work in seminars and directed or independent reading. The third, fourth, and fifth years are devoted to teaching in undergraduate courses and to the writing of the dissertation.

First and second years. The major work of the first two years should reinforce the student’s general knowledge of English and American literature. During the second year, students also begin intensive work in their special fields of interest, which may include a historical period, a genre, or literary theory and criticism. Students choose their courses at the beginning of each term with the aid of the departmental director of graduate studies. While programs are flexible, students normally enroll in three seminars each term, typically completing their formal course work by the end of the fourth term. Students qualify for the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree by satisfactorily completing all required course work, the course distribution requirement, and the language requirement.

General Examinations. The general examination, taken in October of the third year, is the main qualifying examination for the Ph.D. The purpose of this examination is to prepare students to present themselves as strong job candidates with wide-ranging knowledge of two or more fields. The examination committee consists of three faculty members, who assist the student in preparing a reading list for the examination. Students elect to be examined on either two major fields, or one major and two minor fields. They also decide, in consultation with their examination committee, which examination format is most appropriate for them: an eight-hour written examination, or a two-hour oral examination.

Third, fourth, and fifth years. Students are strongly encouraged to continue taking courses in the third year and beyond, both in the English department and in related departments such as comparative literature. After completing the general examination, all students participate in a dissertation seminar led by a faculty member in which they write a thesis proposal. This dissertation proposal becomes the basis of a one-hour oral examination, after which students continue to work on the dissertation with the guidance of two faculty directors.

Final Public Oral Examination

A final public oral examination is given after each candidate’s dissertation has been read, approved, and deposited in the requisite number of copies. The examination has two parts. The first consists of a 30-minute lecture on the dissertation to cover the following topics: a justification of the subject treated; an account of possible methods of treating the subject and a justification of the method chosen; an account of any new contributions made; and a consideration of the possibility of future studies of the same kind, including an account of plans for future scholarship and publication. In the second, the student answers a series of questions growing out of subjects presented in the lecture and sometimes relating to the teaching of literary material dealt with in the dissertation.

Teaching Experience

The department offers many opportunities for teaching experience in conjunction with its large undergraduate program. All students are required to teach a minimum of six hours in undergraduate courses offered by the department and are expected to take the departmental teaching seminar when they begin teaching.

Research Collections and Facilities

The department offices and lecture and seminar rooms are located in McCosh Hall. Classes meet there, as well as in the English Graduate Seminar Room in Firestone Library. The Hinds Library, the department’s reading room and lounge, is located in the basement of McCosh. In addition, students make use of the Graduate Reading Room in Firestone Library, adjacent to the Scribner Room, the department’s basic noncirculating literature collection.

In addition to the general collections of the University library, students in the department have access to a number of special collections that are particularly rich in materials for study: one of the most important collections of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the United States; works of the Restoration period, with an emphasis on the drama; the Theater Collection, which contains materials for the study of theatrical history; extensive collections concerning the history and literature of the Middle Atlantic and Southern states; the Sinclair Hamilton Collection of American illustrated books, from 1670–1870; the Cotsen Children’s Library; the Morris L. Parrish Collection of Victorian novelists; the J. Harlin O’Connell Collection of the 1890s and the Gallatin Collection of Aubrey Beardsley; the files of several American publishers, including Charles Scribner’s Sons; and English translations of the classics. The extensive Miriam Y. Holden Collection of books on the history of women is located adjacent to the Scribner Room. The Robert H. Taylor Collection, which is strong throughout the range of English literature, is housed in the library and is available for student use.

Courses

ENG 501 Old English Period

Kathleen M. Davis

An introduction to the early English language and literature, with attention given to the cultural and historical context.

ENG 502 Old English Poetry

Staff

A detailed study of the principal poetic texts of the period, including Beowulf and the Exeter Book, with a view to establishing critical standards and comprehending the literary traditions of the period. Attention is also given to manuscript reading and editing, verse scansion, and theories of meter.

ENG 503 Linguistic Thought

Staff

Studies in linguistic thought from the Renaissance to Saussure.

ENG 508 Studies in the English Language: 1400 to the Present

Staff

Intensive consideration of problems in the development of English, from its origins as an Indo-European dialect to its differentiation into modern British and American dialects.

ENG 510 Old Norse

Staff

An introduction to Old Norse, with the primary aim of achieving a good reading knowledge and an emphasis on the language and grammar as preparation for literary and philological study. In order to broaden the coverage, some texts are read in translation.

ENG 511 Special Studies in Medieval Literature

D. Vance Smith

Selected problems and topics in the literature of the Middle Ages are studied.

ENG 512 Chaucer I

Staff

An introduction to the works of Chaucer in the light of late medieval literary techniques. A study of Chaucer’s use of traditional form.

ENG 514 Middle English Religious Literature

Staff

A study of the history of penitence, dissent, heresy, and orthodoxy in later medieval England, and of forms of devotion and genres of writing, including lyric, allegory, and treatises; major works may include The Cloud of Unknowing, Piers Plowman, and Cleanness.

ENG 515 Chaucer II

Staff

A continuation of the work of ENG 512, concentrating on Troilus and Criseyde. May be taken independently of ENG 512.

ENG 521 Spenser

Jeffrey Dolven

ENG 522 The Renaissance in England

Nigel Smith

ENG 523 Renaissance Drama

Lawrence N. Danson

A study of development, form, and content in Tudor and Stuart drama.

ENG 524 Special Studies in Renaissance Drama

Oliver M. Arnold

Selected topics and problems in Tudor and Stuart drama.

ENG 525 Shakespeare I

Staff

An intensive study of the Shakespeare plays, concentrating on one of the major genres.

ENG 526 Shakespeare II

Lawrence N. Danson

A study of special problems in Shakespeare criticism and research.

ENG 531 Milton

Staff

A study of major works by Milton in their political and cultural context.

ENG 532 The Early 17th Century

Nigel Smith

An examination of some major writers of the period.

ENG 533 Literature of the Restoration, 1660–1700

Staff

A study of the principal writings. The development of cultural and intellectual traditions is explored.

ENG 541 Restoration and 18th-Century Drama

Staff

A study of the development of the English drama and theater from 1660 to 1800.

ENG 543 The 18th Century

Claudia L. Johnson

A study of the principal writers, with attention given to their social, political, and philosophical backgrounds. Some consideration is given to the chief problems of 18th-century scholarship and to the history of ideas.

ENG 545 Special Studies in the 18th Century

Sophie G. Gee

ENG 550 The Romantic Period

Susan J. Wolfson

A study of the major Romantic poets, with some attention given to prose.

ENG 551 Special Topics in Romanticism

Esther H. Schor

Selected topics in Romantic studies. Topics include Romanticism and gender, Romantic historicism, Wordsworth and Keats, and Romantic drama, among others.

ENG 552 The Victorians

Staff

Major texts of Victorian literature.

ENG 553 Special Studies in the 19th Century

Deborah E. Nord

Selected topics and problems in Romantic and Victorian literature.

ENG 554 Race and American Literature

Eduardo L. Cadava

Examines some of the major literary works, including essays inspired by the question of race and racism in America, with an emphasis on the psychological and aesthetic complexities of such concerns.

ENG 555 American Literary Traditions

William A. Gleason, Jennifer R. Greeson

A study of selected major American writers in the context of intellectual, religious, and cultural traditions.

ENG 556 African-American Literature

Daphne A. Brooks, Valerie A. Smith

A survey of African American narrative and critical traditions in the context of social and cultural change. Attention is also given to the changing status of black literature in the curriculum of American colleges and universities.

ENG 557 Special Studies in American Authors

Jeremy Braddock

ENG 558 American Poetry

James Richardson

A study of 20th-century American poetry.

ENG 559 Studies in the American Novel

Lee Mitchell

ENG 560 Special Studies in the Drama (also COM 568)

Staff

Selected problems in dramatic literature and theory.

ENG 562 Modern Drama

Tamsen O. Wolff

A study of major currents in modern drama, from Ibsen and Shaw to the present day.

ENG 563 Poetics

Susan Stewart, Michael G. Wood

ENG 564 Literature of the Fin de Siècle

Staff

A study of literary genres and issues in the 1880s and 1890s, including aestheticism, decadence, utopias/dystopias, the New Women novel, and the New Drama, with emphasis given to their interaction with cultural change.

ENG 565 The Victorian Novel

Jeff E. Nunokawa

A study of 19th-century English fiction, emphasizing social contexts, narrative forms, and critical theory.

ENG 566 Studies in the English Novel

Maria A. DiBattista

Selected 20th-century English novelists, considered in terms of critical theory, technique, and form.

ENG 567 Special Studies in Modernism

Staff

Selected topics and problems in modern literature, culture, and criticism.

ENG 568 Criticism and Theory

Diana J. Fuss

A study in the major texts in criticism and theory. Authors include Aristotle, Derrida, Foucault, Plato, Sidney, and Shelley among others. Topics include Marxism, mimesis, new historicism, poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, and structuralism.

ENG 571 Literary and Cultural Theory

Staff

A study of the role of culture in literary practice and theory. Topics include postmodernism, post-colonialism, feminism, performance theory, queer theory, and popular cultures, among others.

ENG 572 Selected Topics in Criticism and Theory: Derrida’s Ethics, History, and Politics (also COM 572)

Eduardo L. Cadava

The ethical, historical, and political dimensions of Jacques Derrida’s thought and writings.

ENG 573 Problems in Literary Study

Simon Gikandi

An examination of selected issues or texts that offer radical challenges to the profession of literary study today. Intended for students in all periods of specialization.

ENG 574, 575 Literature and Society

Benjamin L. Widiss

Selected topics in the relation of literature to social, political, or historical issues. Topics may be offered in either or both terms.

ENG 576 Literature and Gender

Staff

Selected topics in gender theory, feminist criticism, and the role of women and men as writers, readers, and literary subjects.

Pertinent Courses in Allied Departments

Graduate students in English are encouraged to take graduate courses in other departments whenever such courses are approved as relevant for their particular course of study. Approval for such courses should be sought at the time of registration.