Department of English Records

Collection

Identifier: U032

Staff Only

Abstract

Collection contains documents, correspondence, publications, memos, brochures, special lecture recordings and clippings related to the Department of English at the University of Denver. The analog tape recordings have been digitized for the English and Literary Arts Digital Archive (ELADA). The collection includes 10 "Book of the English Major" editions produced between 1914 and 1934. These books summarize the required knowledge for each English student, help to prepare the student for a career in teaching and familiarize the student with leaders in the field.

Dates

1911

Creator

University of Denver. Department of English (Organization)

Biographical / Historical

The Department of English at the University of Denver was part of the College of Letters and Science in 1883 and the College of Liberal Arts as of 1895. The English Department Library began in 1913 with 12 books and grew to nearly 400 books by 1917. In 1915, the English course of study included "English Bible and Religion." By 1923, English included Composition and Literature. By 1945, English included Composition, Language and Literature.

The Creative Writing Program was established in 1947 and was the second oldest in nation to offer a Ph.D., in addition to a M.A. As of 1979, the Department also offered a Ph.D. and M.A. in Comparative Literature and English and American Literature. In 1986 when DU discontinued the School of Theatre, the English department began offering a theatre major also.

Effective Fall Quarter 2018, the Department of English became part of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Division of Arts and Humanities at the University of Denver.

The Department of English launched its own literary journal called the Denver Quarterly, originally the University of Denver Quarterly, in 1965 as a platform for poetry, essays and short stories. The student literary journal, Foothills, started in 1943 and published both undergraduate and graduate students’ work in poetry, fiction, play writing, graphic arts and photography. Foothills published intermittently until 1975, when the journal closed for lack of funding, and re-launched in 1981 with funding from AUSA to publish poetry, fiction and plays writing just for DU undergraduates.