English DepartmentAre you an undergraduate who enjoys creative writing? You could win an award for your talents! The Rosati Creative Writing Prize is awarded each spring in recognition of an outstanding work of creative writing. All Duke undergraduate students are eligible to submit work for consideration. Projects may be any genre and take any form (audio/video, digital media, etc.), but must include a substantial creative writing component. Deadline: May 15th, 2018Prize: $1500 Eligibility… read more about The Rudolph William Rosati Creative Writing Award »
University Assistant Professor of English, Aarthi Vadde is this year’s winner of the American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA) Harry Levin Prize for Best First Book in Comparative Literature for her work Chimeras of Form: Modernist Internationalism Beyond Europe, 1914-2016, Columbia University Press, 2016. Professor Vadde was recently awarded tenure by University. The Harry Levin Prize is awarded annually for a comparative literature work that is the author’s first book-length publication. Prof. Vadde was… read more about Congratulations to the 2018 Harry Levin Prize Winner, Prof. Aarthi Vadde »
Dean’s Diversity Award Priscilla Wald R. Florence Brinkley Professor of English, Chair of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies “Professor Priscilla Wald has been a strong leader in advocating for a more diverse faculty at Duke. She always steps up to lead when issues of diversity are at stake,” said nominator Kevin Moore, vice dean for Faculty, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. “We have seen sustained evidence for this in her home department (English) as well as in Gender, Sexuality & Feminist (GSF) Studies… read more about Congratulations to Professor Priscilla Wald On Winning Dean's Diversity Award »
The English Department is proud to acknowledge that Patrick Morgan, English PhD candidate, was selected as one of the 2018 Teaching Award Recipients. Dean Paula D. McClain announced the 2018 recipients of the Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Mentoring, Excellence in Teaching and Inclusive Excellence in Graduate Education in January and the Dean's Awards Ceremony was held on March 28, 2018, in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. … read more about Patrick Morgan, 2018 Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching Recipient »
Thank you for your interest in DearEnglishMajor.com! My name is Alyssa W. Christensen and I’m the creator and English major behind the blog. After graduating from college, I had no idea what kind of career I wanted to pursue. (Not only did I attend a liberal arts school, but my emphasis was in creative writing, specifically poetry, which didn't exactly set me up on a lucrative career track.) My idea of what I could do with an English major was limited, and even after an internship at a publishing company, I… read more about Dear English Major Blog »
When I saw the news last month that my alma mater (aka the Alma Mater of the Nation, aka William & Mary) had hired a new president, I was struck by something: Katherine Rowe was an English major in college. That makes one thing (and probably the only thing) we have in common, because, I, too, majored in English. Rowe went on to be an English scholar (she specializes in Shakespeare, Milton and others medieval and Renaissance writers) and, eventually, the provost of Smith College in Massachusetts. But as an… read more about The Syllabus: Good news for English majors! »
The Duke University linguistics professor talks about her new book, and the power of language in determining inclusion. read more about 'The Myth of English as America's National Language': A Conversation with Dominika Baran »
Professor Tsitsi Jaji has been invited by the World Union of Poets to participate in a poetry reading in Paris. This event is part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Poetry Day. In 1999, the (UNESCO) declared March 21st as World Poetry Day. “One of the main objectives of the Day is to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities. The observance of World Poetry Day… read more about In Honor of World Poetry Day, Prof. Tsitsi Is Participating in a Reading in Paris »
Gregory Brennen took his English 90S.05 “Mystery and Detective Fiction: Sex and Secrets in Mystery Fiction from Sherlock Holmes to Harry Potter” on a class field trip. The class attended a performance of The Moors at Manbites Dog Theater, in Durham, NC. Brennen described The Moors as a contemporary play based on 19th century literature. He felt that it had a lot of resonances with the themes from his “Detective Fiction “course, including a country house mystery, gender issues… read more about English 90S.05 “Mystery and Detective Fiction” Field Trip »
The Spotlight on Southernist Scholars Initiative is a newly created ongoing project that asks scholars to comment on the state of the field in southern studies. The project collects information about how scholars became involved in southern studies, insights they’ve come to through their work, benefits and challenges of these scholars’ work, advice for upcoming scholars, and reflections on the job market. read more about Prof. Jarvis McInnis' Spotlight on Southernist Scholars Initiative Interview »
The English Department would like to congratulate Jacqueline Kellish and Ben Richardson on being two of the eight Ph.D. students that have been named Versatile Humanists at Duke (VH@Duke) Interns for 2018. read more about 2018 VH@Duke Interns »
Sholarships, memoirs, novels and poems: Faculty and staff offer something for any reader read more about Living With Uncertainty and Other Winter Reads From Duke Authors »
Jackson Skeen, a Duke senior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, is one of 12 students nationwide selected as George J. Mitchell Scholars. read more about Jackson Skeen Named Mitchell Scholar »
GQ Senior Editor and 2008 English Alum, Daniel Riley was one of the featured speakers during the 2017 DEMAN Weekend. Riley spoke in front of a packed room in the Allen Building, where he spoke about, “Making Magazines, Publishing Books: Agents, Editors, & the World of Professional Writing.” Interest in the Riley's talk was so great that the English Department elected to use Facebook Live to stream his talk and Q&A session. Attendees enjoyed the… read more about GQ, Senior Editor and Author, Daniel Riley Featured As One of 2017 DEMAN Series Speakers »
Caroline Fairchild, 28, graduated from Duke cum laude in 2012 with a degree in Public Policy, a minor in English and a Policy Journalism and a Media Studies Certificate. read more about Forbes 30 under 30 list includes 11 former Duke students »
For Black, McInnis and Michael D’Alessandro – the three new arrivals in Duke’s English department this fall -- words on the page are just one aspect of the study of English literature. All three explore relationships between stories and novels and other American art forms, including music, theater and film. read more about Three New English Department Faculty Take Study of Literature Beyond The Novel »
The English Department would like to congratulate, Ph.D. candidate Hannah VanderHart, on placing second in the Flyleaf Poetry Contest. Hannah will be participating in Flyleaf Second Thursday Poetry Reading and Open Mic, featuring the winners of the Flyleaf Poetry Contest on Thursday, October 12th. read more about Hannah VanderHart Wins Second Place In the Flyleaf Poetry Contest »
Last Thursday night, the Branson Hall Theater on East Campus was filled with people who came to hear Ann Lauterbach read her poems. A discussion session with Lauterbach on Friday at East Duke building followed the event. read more about Ann Lauterbauch Discusses Poetry, Inspiration In Public Reading »
Whenever I tell people that I traveled to Duke Kunshan University to teach a course about Henry David Thoreau and China, I often receive a bemused look and a response that goes something like this: “Thoreau seems so quintessentially American. How could you possibly relate him to China, let alone energize twenty-first-century Chinese students to study him?” read more about Exploring Walden Pond in Kunshan »
Michael D’Alessandro holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from Yale University and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Boston University. His principal research focuses on American literature and theatre history in the long nineteenth century. Whether studying well-known works of the literary canon or long-forgotten theatrical melodramas, D’Alessandro highlights the significance of social class within nineteenth-century reception. He also teaches twentieth- and twenty-first century American literature, film,… read more about New Assistant English Professor, Dr. Michael D'Alessandro and Learn About His Fall 2017 Courses »
Taylor Black is a native North Carolinian. He was born in Durham and split his time growing up between Winston-Salem and the Triangle. At 18, he left for New York, where he pursued a BA in Black Studies at Hunter College and later earned a Ph.D. in American Studies at Rutgers University. He is very excited to be returning home and continuing his work as a member of the Duke community. He has published on twentieth century American literature, popular music, gender and sexuality studies, queer… read more about New Assistant English Professor, Dr. Taylor Black and His Fall 2017 Courses »
Before the Spring Semester ended the English Department sent out a brief survey to our English Majors to see what they planned to read over the summer. Their list included classics, recent New York Times bestsellers and literary works that show our majors’ wide range of interests. Here is a list of some of the literature that our English Majors plan to enjoy during the Summer of 2017: The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami One Hundred Years of Solitude… read more about What Are English Majors Reading During the Summer of 2017? »
Professor Dr. Jarvis C. McInnis holds a BA in English from Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, and a Ph.D. in English & Comparative Literature from Columbia University in the City of New York. Jarvis is an interdisciplinary scholar of African American & African Diaspora literature and culture, with teaching and research interests in the global south (primarily the US South and the Caribbean), sound studies, performance studies, and visual culture. Dr. McInnis refers to himself as an… read more about New Assistant English Professor, Dr. Jarvis C. McInnis and "Conjuring the America" »
Duke University’s English Department will have three new Assistant Professors of English joining the faculty, during the fall of 2018. Prof. Taylor Black will be joining the faculty from New York University, Prof. Mike D’Alessandro, from Harvard University and Prof. Jarvis McInnis, from Notre Dame University. Bios and Classes Being Taught By the New Faculty During the Fall of 2017 Taylor Black – Prof. Black received his Ph.D. in American Studies from Rutgers University and has… read more about Meet the English Department’s Three New Faculty Members »
In response to a survey sent out to English Majors before the end of the 2017 Spring Semester, 14% of the survey participants stated that traveling would be a part of their summer vacation. Some would be traveling for their internship or work while others would be traveling for pleasure. Robin Wang, ’19, will travel to Rwanda this summer as a documentary filmmaker, while Emily Waples, ’18 will experience Australia as part of the Duke Study Aboard program. Michael Gulcicek, ’19, shared that he… read more about English Majors Summer Travel Plans »
Ranjana Khanna, a noted interdisciplinary and feminist scholar, has been appointed the next director of Duke’s Franklin Humanities Institute (FHI), to begin January 2018, Provost Sally Kornbluth announced this week. Khanna, who is a professor of English, Literature, and Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies, has had a long affiliation with the institute, which was created in 1999 to be a crucial hub at Duke for scholars across the disciplines to collaborate on humanistic writing, research and teaching. read more about Ranjana Khanna Appointed to Lead Franklin Humanities Institute »
A number of English majors are interning this summer at a number of different business and organizations and in a variety of roles. Some are interning in publishing/editorial roles: Michael Gulcicek, Class of 2019 major, is interning through the Duke in New York Program as Junior Editor for True.Ink. an online magazine. Class of 2018’s Manda Hufstedler is interning as Editorial/Acquisitions intern at Duke University Press. Others have taken up internships in politics: Katherine Haley… read more about Where Are Duke University English Majors Interning This Summer? »
During the first Summer Session of Duke in New York a group of Duke DiNY student got the opportunity to take this photo on the doorsteps of Langston Hughes' house during a group tour of Harlem. read more about Duke in New York First Summer Session on the Doorsteps of Langston Hughes' House »
During the summer of 2017, Duke University English majors are pursuing a number of different opportunities. The English Department sent a brief survey to its majors the last week of the spring semester to see what their plans are for the summer. Approximately 50% of the majors completed the survey. Amongst the responses received the department learned that the majority of majors are interning this summer. Fifty-seven percent of those responding to the survey are interning this summer while 19% are… read more about What Are Duke University English Majors Doing This Summer? »