Study how literature works, how to understand it, and how to write about it. 

We invite you to new practices of reading and writing that promote the understanding of literatures and cultures in English through history, criticism, and theory. We are committed to the understanding of literature from a transnational perspective, emphasizing the movement of texts and peoples across borders of nation, race, gender, and sexuality. And we encourage students to commit themselves to the creation of original knowledge in their reading and writing.

One of the largest humanities concentrations at Brown, English provides a strong foundation for a liberal education and for work in many sectors, especially in the many areas where new media creates demand for transformative writing: the press, publishing, advertising, visual media, public relations, public service, teaching, finance, government, corporate research and administration. English concentrators routinely go on to law, medical, and professional schools as well as to graduate education in literature and the arts.