Department of English
English at Brown
Fostering an open understanding of literatures and cultures in English
English at Brown
Fostering an open understanding of literatures and cultures in English
News
May 22, 2025
News from Brown
A spirited celebration: Sights, sounds and stories from Commencement and Reunion 2025
Brown’s big weekend offered graduation ceremonies, alumni reunions and a multitude of other opportunities for graduates, alumni, family and friends to honor accomplishments and reunite.
The Brown Daily Herald
How Brown 2026 is shaping the University’s course offerings
Israel J. Kapstein Professor Philip Gould's courses “ENGL 1512A: Freaks of Nature: Emerson, Thoreau and the Transcendentalists” and "The American Revolution,” co-taught with Associate Professor of History Seth Rockman, included as part of the initiative.
Elizabeth Rush writes about water rationing in Bogotá for The Atlantic
With the support of a Solomon Award and IBES Catalyst Grant, Elizabeth Rush is spending the 2024-2025 academic year in Bogotá conducting research on her book-in-progress, These Andes, about raising a bi-cultural family on an endangered planet.
Academic Programs
Undergraduate Studies
We study how literature works, how we understand it, and how we write about it. We examine closely matters of language, form, genre, and critical method.
Nonfiction Writing Program
The Nonfiction Writing Program, unique to Brown University in its scope, teaches the writing of nonfiction in its predominant modes: the academic essay, creative nonfiction, and journalism.
Graduate Studies
Brown's doctoral program in English offers professional training in literary criticism, critical theory, intellectual history, and all aspects of research and pedagogy in the humanities.
For First Year Students
There are several ways to start your journey with English at Brown.
The Department of English offers several pathways for incoming students to deepen and strengthen their ability to think and write about literature and culture.
The Nonfiction Writing Program brings together three forms of writing: academic essay, journalism, and creative nonfiction.