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Morris standing in a stairwell smiling at the camera.

In Memoriam

Morris Eaves, 1944-2024: irreverent innovator, steadfast colleague and devoted teacher

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Professor Tawil sitting in his office with his feet on his desk and a dog in his lap.

In Memoriam

Ezra Tawil, 1967-2024: Joyful spirit, beloved colleague, extraordinary teacher and scholar

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An exterior view of the front of Morey hall from the Eastman Quad.

Welcome to Morey Hall

Home to the Department of English, Morey Hall is named for William Carey Morey, 1843-1925, class of 1868. Professor Morey taught Latin, history, and political science, and also helped found the Rochester Historical Society.

Major & Minor

Pursue a degree or take courses in one of our four distinct program tracks.

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Graduate Studies

The National Research Council ranks our English PhD program among the best in the country.

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Research

Our faculty and students participate in numerous individual and collaborative research projects.

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Labors of Fear book cover and Jason Middleton Headshot

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

The Work of horror films

“Sometimes I wonder what it was exactly, that led me to pull The Dead Zone by Stephen King off of my parents’ bookshelf when I was in fourth grade,” says Jason Middleton. “It was the first ‘grown-up’ novel I ever read. There were certainly parts of it that I found kind of upsetting, but also magnetic. It almost felt as if the world was opening up in a new way.”

Middleton, associate professor of English and of visual and cultural studies and director of the film and media studies program, says the appeal of horror films is especially durable. In Labors of Fear: The Modern Horror Film Goes to Work (University of Texas Press, 2023), Middleton has joined with Aviva Briefel, to make the case that there’s been another kind of monster lurking in American horror films all along: the post-industrial world of work.

 

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PLUTZIK READING SERIES

Belarusian poet to headline series next

Poet and author Valzhyna Mort will join us for the Plutzik Reading Series on Tuesday, March 26 at 5pm in the Hawkins-Carlson Room.

Mort's Music for the Dead and Resurrected, was named one of The New York Times' best poetry books of 2020, and won the International Griffin Poetry Prize and the UNT Rilke Prize.

Valzhyna Mort headshot

UPCOMING EVENT

Writer's Lounge meets weekly

Join us every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in the Humanities Center Lounge for the Writer's Lounge.

Share and edit your own work, talk shop and catch up with fellow students and professors.

It is free and open to all. Refreshments are provided.

FACULTY IN THE NEWS

A poet's meditation on loss, light and legacy

Following news of a close friend's illness, Jennifer Grotzprofessor of English and an award-winning poet and translator, distilled her emotions and reflections into a poem titled “The Conversion of Paul," published in her latest collection, "Still Falling" (Graywolf Press, 2023). 

jen grotz book cover

In the News

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126internships and research projects

In the last two years, undergraduates have completed 126 English Department honors theses, local and national internships, and independent research projects.

A class with ChomskyLiterature andLanguage
A class at the George Eastman HouseFilm andMedia
Students performing in a playCreative writing andtheater

Want more information about the Department of English? Contact us.