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, the Guggenheim, and the Pulitzer Prize.
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.
CWRU Department of English Statement on Black Lives Matter and Antiracism
Department of English Newsletter: December 2022
Letter from the Chair One recent day in Guilford House, right around the fall break, I walked into the Parlor to find small clusters of students writing together. I recognized some from my visit to ENGL 300: English Literature to 1800 a few weeks before. Charlie Goyal, who is the...
Department of English Newsletter: September 2022
Letter from the Chair The packet of mail that Chris Flint left on my desk has an old black-and-white polaroid in it. Eight faculty are sitting or standing, some in pairs, some gesticulating. A combination of shirtsleeves and winter wear reveals very little about the season, hidden by the long...
Department of English Newsletter: June 2022
This newsletter has been edited in order to remove some regrettable language in the original version and to ensure that the English department remains an inclusive place for all. From the Department: Thank You by Christopher Flint The English Department could not have been more fortunate in the selection of Professor Georgia...
Department of English Newsletter: March 2022
Stonum Visiting Writer/USEM Prizes/Department News/Constance Fenimore Woolson/Alumni News/Poem by Saha Tom Bishop Returns as First Stonum Family Fund Writer-in-Residence Tom Bishop, Marilyn Stonum, Gary Stonum on the stairs of Guilford House. by Charlie Ericson Tom Bishop was a visitor at CWRU for a week-long residency in February, sponsored by the generous gift of...
Department of English Newsletter: December 2021
Remembering P.K./Remembering Jim/Department News/How I Write (Ricca)/Alumni News// Remembering P.K. Saha by Bill Siebenschuh I have many fond memories of P.K. Saha: his wonderful sense of humor, his amazing memory and command of just about everything he ever read or saw, the way the students loved him. But when I learned that...
Department of English Newsletter: October 2021
Farewell to Mobley/In Memoriam/CHC: Workshops/CHC: Making the Transition/Faculty News/Alumni News// Bidding Farewell to Marilyn Sanders Mobley by Gary Stonum Marilyn Sanders Mobley, who goes by “Maril,” largely began her professional academic career at CWRU and she has finished it here, but in between and also beforehand there were more than a few...