Department of English Studies

The Department of English Studies provides both theoretical and practical approaches to research in the three fields of literatures in English, English linguistics, and studies in English cultures.

Literatures in English

Naming the literature section of the English studies graduate program “Literatures in English” rather than the more traditional “British and American Literature” speaks to how our perspectives have become global: interrogating British and American literature now also means exploring histories of colonization and empire as well as tracing the migration of people and (re)discovering the literature they wrote. While offering courses in British and American literature, we encourage students not only to explore connections between those two national literatures but also to investigate literatures of other nations and cultures written in English. Students hone their skills in reading, analyzing, and writing about literature through discussions and presentations and peer editing exercises in small classes. Research methods as well as critical approaches are also explored as students conduct original research on thesis and dissertation topics.

English Linguistics

The goals of the field of English linguistics are not only to describe but also to explain various aspects of the English language in terms of morphology, syntax, speech, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and applied linguistics. For example, when studying English syntax, students examine a wide range of authentic examples and analyze a number of constructions that are of interest to both descriptive and theoretical linguistics. In sociolinguistics, students study regional and social variation in English. In the English Language Teaching (ELT) course, students pursue effective methods of instruction regarding four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening), grammar, and vocabulary. And in the neuroscience, experimental linguistics, and psycholinguistics courses, students analyze experimental data of linguistic behavior and study demonstratively the brain's language processing, using state-of-the-art functional brain imaging equipment including near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electroencephalograms (EEG).

Studies in English Cultures

The U.K., the U.S., and other English-speaking countries have different cultural and historical characteristics. The studies in English cultures component of the English graduate program explores the history, culture and society of each country and region to understand cultural diversity in today's society. In our courses, various theories and analytical methods related to history, cultural studies, and comparative culture are introduced to facilitate research. We encourage graduate students to engage in interdisciplinary work such as studying the relationships between language and culture, literature and culture as well as multiculturalism and education.