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For the Love of Literature

Join us in the exploration of great British, American, and Postcolonial literature and the practice of clear, thoughtful writing.

Focus on Literary History and Aesthetics

The Department of English at Catholic University is dedicated to the study of literature: learning its history and searching its aesthetic depths. Our faculty publish in fields ranging from Anglo-Saxon visual culture to Victorian fiction to contemporary American poetry. While our critical approaches vary widely, we share a love of literature and a dual commitment to scholarship and teaching.

The undergraduate curriculum provides English majors with a strong grounding in British and American literature. Our Ph.D. and M.A. programs educate graduate students to become scholars and teachers at once expert in their chosen fields and conversant with the broader history of literature in English.

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate Programs

The undergraduate programs in English at Catholic University center on the study of literature as the focal point of a liberal education.

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Graduate Programs

Graduate Programs

The Department of English grants the M.A. and Ph.D. in English and American Literature, offering training in all major historical periods.

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The Writing Center

The Writing Center

The Writing Center helps students develop as writers. It offers one-on-one consultations with student writers of all levels, at all stages of the writing process.

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  • About Us

    We are committed to the study of literature as literature. We offer small classes led by faculty who are active scholars and dedicated teachers. Our student community is active, welcoming, and supportive.

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    About Us
  • Our Students

    The students in our department are an active, tight-knit bunch who love literature and talking about it, often over food and drink at events sponsored by one of our several literary student organizations.

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    Our Students
  • Our Faculty

    The English professors at Catholic U are scholars whose interests range from classical literature to the poetry of rock music, from Southern literature to Irish Studies, and from Medieval to modern periods.

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    Our Faculty
  • The D.C. Advantage

    Our location is ideal for any student of literature who wants to be immersed not only in literary history, but also in current discussions in the worlds of politics, literature, theater, and the arts. 

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    The D.C. Advantage

Study Abroad

The English Department strongly encourages students to take advantage of Catholic University's programs for studying abroad.

Message from the Chair

Great literature, literary study, and writing are at the heart of the Department of English’s mission. In our courses students encounter outstanding novels, short stories, poems, plays, essays, and song lyrics, and consider the many ways literature confronts fundamental questions about the human condition in different times and places. Our faculty consists of engaged and accomplished teachers who write books and essays. Our goal is to challenge our students and make them more sophisticated thinkers and better writers.

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