About the English Department

Welcome to the English Department at LIU Brooklyn!

We offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in writing and literature, designed to meet the needs of a richly diverse student body. At all levels of study in all programs, we emphasize writing as a creative and rhetorical act and the analysis of texts in historical, critical, and cultural contexts. Our degree programs feature coursework in cultural criticism, literary analysis, the essay, rhetoric, and professional writing, as well as creative writing. The rigorous study of literary and cultural texts — from the canon and from traditions historically excluded from academic study — is at the center of our work.

Read our official Mission Statement.

Connect with the English Department Faculty.

For your convenience, see this list of Faculty Office Hours.

Courses in the First Year Writing Program focus on interdisciplinary issues intended to stimulate purposeful writing at each level of development. The study of the elements of rhetoric, along with intensive practice, equips students with the writing skills they will need for success in college and in the business and professional worlds after graduation.

The four sophomore literature courses (ENG 61, 62, 63, 64), any two of which will satisfy the six-credit literature requirement of the Humanities core curriculum, survey the Western literary tradition from the beginnings to the present as well as the non-Western traditions of Africa, Asia and/or Latin America. Readings from a wide variety of texts may be structured chronologically or thematically, depending on the instructor.

The B.A. in English offers concentrations in Literature, Creative Writing, or Writing & Rhetoric. All English majors gain a breadth of knowledge of English literary traditions, including American and Anglophone literatures around the world. In the Creative Writing concentration, students develop their abilities to express themselves imaginatively in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students concentrating in Writing & Rhetoric hone their skills in writing clearly and persuasively for any audience or purpose. In all three programs, students gain an extensive knowledge of literature, a sense of the scope of English studies, and familiarity with important issues in their fields of concentration.

Why major in English? Today’s professional must interpret and manipulate complex information, so employers are attracted to job candidates who read carefully, think creatively, and write clearly and persuasively. English majors have a distinct advantage. We believe the English major program at LIU Brooklyn helps students build a strong foundation for success in advertising, business, education, journalism, law, politics, and a wide range of other careers.


Students may also minor in English. The English minor consists of four English courses numbered above 100.

Read more about the English minor.

The M.A. in English offers concentrations in Literature, Professional Writing and Writing & Rhetoric.

The M.F.A. in Creative Writing allows students to explore poetry, fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and creative non-fiction and a wide range of literary styles through small, focused workshops.

The English Department promotes literary studies and the literary arts not only through its course offerings but also by sponsoring a variety of Clubs & Events and also through a series of literary Publications.

We also recognize outstanding students with a number of Awards & Prizes every year.

Follow the English Department on Social Media!

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