The English department is a nationally recognized leader in teacher-training programs for prospective college and high school teachers. Several English department faculty have appointments and teach courses in allied programs, such as Comparative Literature, the Honors Division, African-American, American Studies, Women's Studies, Jewish Studies, Cultural Studies, Film Studies, Medieval Studies, and others. In addition, English faculty are currently directors of the Honors Division, Jewish Studies, Medieval Studies, American Studies, Cultural Studies, the Individualized Major Program, and the Wells Scholars Program. We also offer courses in creative writing in culture, gender, and performance studies, in film studies with a strong literary-cultural component, in the history, structure, and sociology of the English language, and in cyberfiction and the theory and practice of eletronic literacy. Despite its size and the wide range of its offerings, the English department prides itself on its teaching excellence and attention to individual student needs.
All faculty hold regular office hours whenever they are in residence.
I institution are legion, particularly for literature students. The English department typically sponsors nearly 50 special lectures and readings every academic year, featuring outstanding researchers and writers from around the country and the world. These groups thrive and change according to members' interests, but are always supported by departmental resources. Kenneth R. Johnston Professor and Chair Department of English 442 Ballantine Hall 1020 E. Kirkwood Ave.