Dedicated to the intellectual curiosity, analytical dexterity, and creative thinking of its students, the English Department at CWRU fosters reading, writing, and media skills through a broad selection of seminars and research. Our classes combine the study of English and American literature, exploring the craft of poetry, Shakespearean drama, science fiction, the techniques of horror films, the rhetoric of medicine, and the dynamics of novels, plays, short stories, and creative non-fiction.
There is no better place to learn the art of communication. In addition to being a stand-alone major, English effectively complements many other disciplines and serves as excellent preparation for law school, medical school, and business school. Our smaller class sizes allow individual attention from professors who have published acclaimed books and won awards including the Fulbright and the Guggenheim.
The works we study challenge us with different values, ideas, and perspectives. We are committed to free and open debate in a context of tolerance and respect.
The Writing Program, part of the English department, focuses on supporting a thriving culture of writing at the university. The Writing Program coordinates courses for undergraduate and graduate student writers, including first-year Academic Inquiry Seminars and a variety of communication-intensive courses, and supports pedagogical and curricular development for faculty and staff. In addition, the Writing Resource Center provides individual consultations to CWRU writers at any stage of their writing processes, and for every writing occasion (from personal statements to science fiction; from research papers to podcasts).
Department of English Newsletter: March 2025
Letter from the Chair On a recent Friday night in Los Angeles, four CWRU English faculty read from their fiction and poetry for the Association of Writers & Writing Programs 2025 conference. Rumor has it that 130 guests arrived to hear their work, and the work of other Cleveland collaborators....
Current Work
James Newlin‘s article, “Signs and Semblances: The Problem of Likability in Some Recent Productions of Much Ado About Nothing,“ has been published in the open-access journal Humanities. The piece is a part of the special issue “Shakespearean Performance: Contemporary Approaches, Findings, and Practices,” edited by Cynthia Lewis.
The English Department & Writing Program are proud of the work we do with first-year students at CWRU … and it pays off
Yesterday’s Daily reported that the first-year experience at CWRU ranks in the top twenty nationwide (according to US News).