Advanced courses, seminars, and research opportunities are offered in literary history, criticism, and theory, with excellent opportunities for interdepartmental and interdisciplinary study available. Courses within the department cover major genres, periods, and authors as well as a broad range of methodological and theoretical approaches. The graduate curriculum is enhanced by frequent lectures and workshops at which Northwestern faculty from English and related departments as well as visiting faculty from around the world present their research. Student-organized colloquia, conferences, reading groups, and dissertation groups provide opportunities for advanced students to present their research to an audience of peers.
Funding is available for travel to research archives and conferences.
The Ph.D. program provides superb training in teaching skills in a variety of venues, including teaching assistantships for undergraduate lecture courses, composition courses, freshman seminars, and continuing education courses. The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in the Graduate Study at Northwestern University section of The Graduate School Bulletin. A department guide is available.