Program Overview
English Program Overview
The English Department fosters the study of British, American, and Anglophone literature—old and new—in ways that are both intensive and open. We study how English literature works, how we understand and appreciate it, and how we write about it. We offer a wide array of courses in poetry, drama, fiction, creative nonfiction, film, digital media, and theory. All our courses emphasize the development of student skills in writing, textual analysis, and argument.
Program Details
- Degree Type: A.B.
- Department: Department of English
- CIP Code: 23.0101
- The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) was developed by the U.S. Department of Education to categorize educational programs in the U.S. for a variety of reporting purposes. Each program at Brown is assigned a CIP code that best matches its academic curriculum.
Related Academic Areas
- Africana Studies
- American Studies
- Cogut Institute
- Comparative Literature
- Literary Arts
- Modern Culture and Media
Program Description
The English Department fosters the study of British, American, and Anglophone literature—old and new—in ways that are both intensive and open. The department’s faculty members are deeply committed to undergraduate teaching and advising. You will find considerable diversity in our critical methods, including cross-disciplinary approaches that relate the study of literature to history, politics, science, as well as to other art forms. We encourage students in our classes likewise to forge their own new ways of understanding literature and culture.
Concentration Requirements
- List of requirements
- Honors website
Student Goals
Students in this concentration will:
- Explore how literature in English works
- Engage diversity of authors and literary works
- Understand English literatures from transnational perspectives
- Demonstrate excellence in critical reading and thinking
- Understand theoretically the place of literature and the arts in society
- Know what it means to write well
Tracks
- Nonfiction Writing Track
Department Undergraduate Group (DUG)
Student Leaders: Morenike Aig-Imoukhuede, Thomas Ward, Ella Ludwig, Gabrielle Yuan
Graduating Class
| Class Year | Total Students | Honors Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 64 | 23 |
| 2022 | 60 | 19 |
| 2023 | 77 | 28 |
| 2024 | 90 | 22 |
| 2025 | 90 | 26 |
Alumni Pathways
Alumni with a concentration in English have gone on to work in immigration and other types of law, journalism, business, technology consulting, counseling psychology, policy analysis, and in a variety of arts and entertainment industries.
Career Outcomes
English concentrators have pursued careers in:
- Authorship
- Scholarship
- Teaching
- Journalism
- Publishing
- Advertising
- Visual media
- Consulting
- Public relations
- Public service
- Finance
- Government
- Corporate research
- Administration
- Law
- Medical and professional schools
- Graduate education in literature and the arts
Faculty and Advising
The Director of Undergraduate Studies is typically the first point of contact for prospective concentrators. Once students have declared, they may be assigned a specific concentration advisor from within the department or program.
- Director of Undergraduate Studies: Ada Smailbegovic
- Advisors:
- Edward Hardy
- Austin Jackson
- Jacques Khalip
- Daniel Kim
- Nell Lake
- Rebecca Liu
- Rolland Murray
- Drayton Nabers
- Benjamin Parker
- Kevin Quashie
- Melinda Rabb
- Jonathan Readey
- Ravit Reichman
- Elizabeth Rush
- Ada Smailbegovic
- Lawrence Stanley
- Grace Talusan
- Robert Ward