Welcome to the Stanford University Department of English

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Congratulations, Class of 2024!

One of the founding departments of Stanford University in 1891, the English department is the cornerstone of the humanities at Stanford. The pioneer faculty of English was an eclectic group of writers, comparativists, and literary scholars.

Front entrance of the quad from Jordan Hall to Hoover Tower, on Serra Street. From a series of images intended to "recreate" historical images from the Stanford Archives. bicycle

 

Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Undergraduate Program

To study English is to master the power of language.

On the first day of summer, junior Chaz Curet takes a break to read in the sun. The English major found a comfortable spot in the SEQ to read from 'Our Story Begins,' a collection of short stories by Stanford professor Tobias Wolff.

Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Coterminal Master of Arts

If you are an advanced undergraduate who wants to take the study of literature to a higher level, then the coterminal M.A. program is for you.

Ato Quayson speaking with Ramon Saldivar and Paula Moya

Paul Keitz

Check out our courses

Stanford English offers a wide variety of interdisciplinary courses taught by world-class faculty

A photo of Ato Quayson and Adam Johnson attending the Creative Writing Welcome Back Dinner.

Views from the Department

Professor Ato Quayson with Professor Adam Johnson at the Creative Writing program Welcome Dinner

 

 

Recent News

Congratulations to Professor Nicholas Jenkins for winning the 2024 Warren-Brooks Award for Outstanding Literary Criticism for his book, The Island: War and Belonging in Auden's England!His book is available for purchase through Harvard University Press.
Professor Ramón Saldívar has won the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE)'s Research Institute Mentoring Award. The award "recognizes faculty members who have made exceptional contributions to the mentorship and development of graduate students pursuing research related to race, ethnicity, and inequality."
https://youtu.be/jR1u72V7bVs?feature=shared 

Upcoming Events

April
1
Date
Tue April 1st 2025, 5:00pm
Location
Building 460, Margaret Jacks Hall
450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 460, Stanford, CA 94305
Greenberg Room (126)

In this talk, Dr. Laubender turns to the work of midcentury British psychoanalyst D.W.…

April
11
Date
Fri April 11th 2025, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Location
Building 260, Pigott Hall
450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 260, Stanford, CA 94305
216

"The Loving Moon of the Medieval World"

Comparative Methodologies is a…

April
25
Date
Fri April 25th 2025, 9:00am - Sat April 26th 2025, 6:00pm
Location
Humanities Center
424 Santa Teresa Street, Stanford, CA 94305

Join us for the first ever conference of Kurdish Literature at Stanford!

The title question, Kî ne em?Who are we?, could…

Department Bookshelf

English remains a top-ranked department nationally because of the strength and variety of our faculty publications, both in scholarly research and creative writing. Browse the Bookshelf to explore our many interests.

 Browse the entire Bookshelf