Welcome
The Cornell English Department welcomes alumni, current and prospective students, and visitors from around the world to learn about its faculty and programs, and to discover its range of courses, activities, and events.
The Cornell English Department has a long history of critical and methodological openness. From the early twentieth century, it has embraced new approaches to literary study, while maintaining traditional strengths. Supported by a series of libraries and collections that are world-renowned in many fields, Cornell English is the largest humanities department at Cornell University. A library news blog for literary researchers at Cornell is also a resource for English students and scholars.
Courses for undergraduates range from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and James Joyce to critical theory, creative writing, cultural studies, and ethnic American literatures. The Honors Program challenges English majors to produce a major critical project as the culmination of their degree. The Ph.D. and M.F.A. programs enable advanced students to pursue intensive study with a distinguished faculty committed to creative and intellectual community. Courses and related programs link students at all levels with interdisciplinary opportunities on campus, while a lively series of speakers, colloquia, and conferences provide a context for sustained learning and debate within the humanities. Alumni from the undergraduate, M.F.A., and doctoral programs have garnered an outstanding range of accomplishments.