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.
Dana Spiotta
(Jan. 29, 2024)
Humanities Center Showcases and Supports Graduate Student ResearchGrants and fellowships support work in: archiving Black literature; sharing stories through photographs; linguistic injustice; and borders in contemporary Indigenous and Latinx literatures.
(Jan. 26, 2024)
Curating LearningSyracuse University faculty, staff and students curate two educational exhibitions at the SU Art Museum along with a collection of digital exhibitions featuring works from the museum’s collections.
(Nov. 8, 2023)
Fall BookshelfThe weather might be turning chilly, but your reading list will heat up with these recent literary works from College of Arts and Sciences faculty and Department of English alumni.
(Oct. 13, 2023)
High-Profile Lawyer Joshua Koskoff ’88 Featured in New York Times MagazineKoskoff spoke about his firm’s legal victory against gun maker Remington and other prominent cases he has been involved with.
There are no events in this category right now, but please check the University calendar for many other options.