Rhodes University English Department
About Us
English at Rhodes
Welcome to the Department of English.
English literary studies at Rhodes seeks to develop critical and imaginative thought. The curriculum situates the study of individual works and authors within a general inquiry into cultural history and literary understanding, and exposes students to a variety of analytical orientations. Both in its teaching activities and research activities, the department is guided by the over-arching goals of social enrichment and justice.
The department has a lively culture of learning pursued through lectures and small-group discussions, as well as through research seminars and colloquiums. It regularly hosts visiting academics and writers, and maintains strong links with cognate departments and institutes such as the National English Literary Museum in Grahamstown.
While the undergraduate courses are wide-ranging, postgraduate courses and staff research focus on the fields of Early Modern to Romantic literature, World literature, and Southern African literature.
There are compelling reasons to study English at Rhodes: the university is located in a region known for its diverse and rich literary-cultural traditions; the department enjoys an excellent reputation; the curriculum is responsive to students’ needs and interests; prescribed reading balances the traditional and the new, the local and the international; courses focus on the skills of careful analysis and contextual interpretation; postgraduate students are involved in teaching activities and research presentations; and the academic environment is supportive, pleasant and stimulating.
A Short history of the Department of English
The Department of English was born when the University was – in 1904. From rooms beneath the clock tower in the present administrative building, the first Head, Stanley Kidd, conducted a one-year bachelor’s programme. In addition to studying Milton, Shakespeare, Tennyson, and Jane Austen, students attended one lecture a week, which the 1906 Calendar laid out as follows:Read More>>
Studying/Courses
Undergraduate 2017
- English I
- Course Co-Ordinators – Dr Lynda Gichanda Spencer (l.spencer@ru.ac.za) and Dr Aretha Phiri (a.phiri@ru.ac.za)
- Course Materials
- English II
- Course Co-Ordinator – Professor Dirk Klopper (d.klopper@ru.ac.za)
- Course Materials
- English III
- Course Co-Ordinator – Dr Minesh Dass (m.dass@ru.ac.za)
- Course Materials
Postgraduate 2017
- Honours – Course Co-Ordinator – Dr Deborah Seddon (D.Seddon@ru.ac.za)
- MA and PhD – Co-Ordinator – Prof. Mike Marais (M.marais@ru.ac.za)
ALL BOOKLISTS, TIMETABLES, COURSE GUIDES ARE AVAILABLE ON THIS WEBSITE UNDER – COURSE MATERIALS.
Contact Us
Postal Address
Rhodes University
Department of English
Drostdy Road
P.O. Box 94
Grahamstown 6140
South Africa
Telephone
Phone: +27 46 603 8400 or +27 46 603 8401
English@ru.ac.za