Department of English
The English department at Syracuse University acknowledges that we are living and working on the lands of the Haudenosaunee. Please see our linked statement.
Take a journey through the human experience via literary study. Explore creative expression across a broad array of texts—novels, plays, film, digital media and more. Interpret motivations behind stories of yesterday and today and hone your skills as a writer.
Our curriculum is called English and Textual Studies (ETS) to acknowledge the breadth and diversity of the texts you will study. In addition to traditional literature courses in Chaucer and Shakespeare, the Romantics and Victorians, and literary modernism, you can also take courses in:
- Fantasy and Science Fiction
- Hollywood film
- Video game history
- Comics and Graphic Novel
- Hip-hop culture and more
ETS is designed to:
- Introduce you to a wide array of texts
- Enhance your ability to interpret texts and express ideas
- Develop powers of argument and analysis
- Train you to write critically and clearly
- Develop skills for writers of poetry and fiction
- Become critical readers of your own work
Our diverse faculty includes literary historians, critical theorists, film scholars, editors, poets, and novelists who approach the field in a variety of ways.

(March 28, 2023)
Uniting the Community in the Pursuit of Environmental JusticeThe Environmental Storytelling Series of CNY brings together faculty, students and local community partners to address the climate crisis through creative outlets.

(March 23, 2023)
‘My Poetry is a Record of What Happened’Mosab Abu Toha finds mentors, refines his craft in A&S’ Creative Writing Program.

(March 8, 2023)
Film Rights to Mona Awad’s Novel Bunny Purchased by Bad Robot ProductionsThe 2019 bestselling novel has become a viral phenomenon on TikTok, with book-related posts garnering over 4.1 billion views.

(Feb. 9, 2023)
Graduate Students Illuminate Lives, Race and PlaceHumanities Center fellowships and project grants support students' research on Druze culture, histories of self-harm, youth literacy and Black narratives from Syracuse schools’ desegregation era.
There are no events in this category right now, but please check the University calendar for many other options.