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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 13.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 10000 items) |
Abstract | Instruction in English language and literature dates to the founding of the university. The Department of English was so named by the university's Board of Trustees in 1901. It began to take on its modern form during the chairmanship of Edwin A. Greenlaw (1914-1925). Under Greenlaw, a freshman composition program and an honors program were organized, courses in speech were expanded, new courses in drama and playwriting were developed, and a comparative literature curriculum was offered. A number of these courses later formed the basis for new departments. Studies in Philology, the university's longest-running journal, was first published in 1906 by the Philological Club. Though it has never been officially recognized as a program of the Department of English, its editors have always been members of the department; and thus its records are among those of the department. In 2006, the Department of English absorbed the Curriculum in Comparative Literature, forming the Department of English and Comparative Literature. Records include correspondence and other files relating to the administration of and programs in the Department of English and, later, the Department of English and Comparative Literature; also editors' correspondence and financial records of the journal, Studies in Philology. The Addition of May 2014 contains photographs of UNC-Chapel Hill Honors Presentation and Reception for the Department of English and Comparative Literature awards on 25 April 2014. |
Creator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dept. of English and Comparative Literature. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives. |
Language | English |
Processed by: University Archives Staff, 1983-2010; Anne Ligon Harding and Amelia W. Holmes, February 2015; Jennifer Coggins and Laura Smith, December 2018
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, October 2020
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
The Department of English traces its origins to the earliest days of the university. Both the Samuel E. McCorkle (1792) and the William R. Davie (1795) "Plans of Education" included instruction in English grammar and literature. Through the first century of the university's history, this instruction was supplied by faculty members whose positions were variously titled Professor of Languages, Professor of Rhetoric and Logic, Professor of English Literature and History, or Professor of Moral Philosophy and English Literature. Throughout the period, English instruction was closely aligned with that of languages, especially classical ones, and the curriculum reflected a pronounced philosophical perspective. Emphasis on rhetoric was a constant theme.
With the reopening of the university in 1875, a School of English Language and Literature was included in the new College of Literature. The next quarter of a century was marked by significant diversification of undergraduate courses, increases in teaching staff, and the initiation of a formal graduate program. In the twentieth century, the university and the Department of English, so named by the Board of Trustees in 1901, continued to expand. Departmental activities included the Shakspere Club, founded in 1886, and the Philological Club, established in 1892. In 1906, the Philological Club began publication of Studies in Philology. The late 1880s witnessed the awarding of the first graduate degrees to a student of the department--both to Stephen B. Weeks--the A.M. in 1887 and the Ph.D. in 1888.
The years 1914-1925, marking the tenure of Edwin A. Greenlaw as department chairman, were ones in which foundations were laid for the modern Department of English. A program of freshman composition was organized, courses in speech were expanded, and an honors program was inaugurated. A comparative literature curriculum also was offered. Courses in drama and play-writing were developed under Frederick H. Koch. Under Louis Graves, the department offered a certificate course in journalism. From these beginnings, other programs developed: the Speech Division (granted departmental status in July 1977), the Curriculum in Comparative Literature (1934), the Department of Dramatic Art (1936), the Carolina Playmakers (1918), and the School of Journalism (1926). In addition, the influence of the Department of English upon general university administration, the Division of Academic Affairs, the Graduate School, and the development of the general faculty has been significant. Members of the department have served as President of the University (Edward Kidder Graham, 1913-1918), Dean of the College of Liberal Arts (Edward Kidder Graham, 1909-1913, and James F. Royster, 1922-1925), Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (Clifford P. Lyons, 1951-1953; C. Hugh Holman, 1953-1955; and James R. Gaskin, 1972-1978), Provost (C. Hugh Holman, 1966-1968), Dean of the Graduate School (C. Alphonso Smith, 1903-1909; Edwin A. Greenlaw, 1919-1925; James F. Royster, 1925-1929; and C. Hugh Holman, 1963-1966), and chairmen of faculty standing and special committees too numerous to mention. A more detailed history of the department can be found in Dougald MacMillan's English at Chapel Hill, 1795-1969.
In 2006, the Department of English absorded the Curriculum in Comparative Literature, forming the Department of English and Comparative Literature.
Names of the department chairs and their tenures are as follows:
1901-1909 | C. Alphonso Smith |
1909-1914 | Edward Kidder Graham |
1914-1925 | Edwin Almiron Greenlaw |
1925-1930 | James Finch Royster |
1930 | Howard Mumford Jones, Acting |
1930-1945 | George Raleigh Coffman |
1945-1946 | Administrative Committee |
1946-1952 | Clifford P. Lyons |
1952-1958 | William Dougald MacMillan |
1958-1963 | C. Hugh Holman |
1963-1966 | George M. Harper |
1966-1971 | C. Carroll Hollis |
1971-1972 | James R. Gaskin |
1972-1978 | William R. Harmon |
1978-1981 | James R. Gaskin |
1981-1991 | Joseph M. Flora |
1991-1996 | Laurence Avery |
1996-1997 | Darryl J. Gless |
1997-2001 | William L. Andrews |
2001-2007 | James P. Thompson |
2007-2008 | Bland Simpson, Acting |
2008- | Beverly W. Taylor |
Records include correspondence and other files relating to the administration of and programs in the Department of English and, later, the Department of English and Comparative Literature; also editors' correspondence and financial records of the journal, Studies in Philology. The Addition of May 2014 contains photographs of UNC-Chapel Hill Honors Presentation and Reception for the Department of English and Comparative Literature awards on 25 April 2014.
Back to TopThis series contains files on the internal administrative structure and programs of the department as well as those relating to the department's role in the greater university. The majority of the material consists of the chairman's correspondence with other members of the department, with other administrative officials, and with public and professional organizations. Files relating to professional organizations will be found at the end of the series under the heading Outside Organizations.
The Department of English's undergraduate program consisted of two main divisions: the Freshman/Sophomore Program and the Majors (Junior/Senior) Program. Each was administered by a director assisted by a faculty committee. The department's undergraduate program also included an honors program administered by a faculty committee.
This subseries contains files relating to the department's General College courses and curriculum. See also General College under Administrative Correspondence: Academic Affairs, Series 1, and for information on remedial English programs, see Composition Condition Laboratory, Series 4.
This subseries contains information on the requirements for the department's undergraduate majors including curriculum planning and new course development. See also correspondence with the Provost and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences under Administrative Correspondence: Academic Affairs, Series 1.
Box 7 |
Administrative Correspondence and Memoranda, General, 1957; 1971-1977 |
Majors Committee, 1973(see also Administrative Correspondence and Memoranda, above) |
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Enrollment/Registration Statistics, 1954-1960(see also Annual Reports and Enrollment/Registration Statistics, Series 1) |
This series contains material on the development and administration of the department's "A" or honors sections. For information on the department's role in the university-wide honors program, see Arts and Sciences under Administrative Correspondence: Academic Affairs, Series 1. See also Creative Writing Program and Superior Students Program, Series 1.
Box 7 |
Administrative Correspondence and Memoranda, General, 1974-1977 |
Committee on Honors in English, 1938; 1964-1966 |
The department's graduate program was administered by the Director of Graduate Studies, assisted by the Graduate Studies Committee. The director and committee supervised the graduate admissions process, the development of degree requirements, the preparation of course schedules, the awarding of fellowships and assistantships, and the scheduling of M.A. and Ph.D. examinations. For information on graduate course approvals and appointments to the graduate faculty, see Graduate School under Administrative Correspondence, Series 1. On recruitment of faculty, see also Chancellor's Office under Administrative Correspondence as well as Affirmative Action, Series 1.
Box 7 |
Administrative Correspondence and Memoranda, General, 1916-1977 |
Enrollment/Registration Statistics (see Enrollment/Registration Statistics, Series 1) |
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Graduate Course Offerings, 1971-1973(see also Annual Reports and Permanent Record of Courses, Series 1) |
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Graduate Studies Committee, 1932; 1952; 1967-1975(see also Administrative Correspondence and Memoranda, above) |
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Graduate Students: Directories, 1971-1974 |
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Graduate Students: English Club: General, 1971-1977(see also Speakers and Visiting Scholars/Lecturers, Series 1) |
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Graduate Students: English Club: Newsletter, 1980-1986 |
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Graduate Students: Graduate English Women, 1970 |
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Graduate Students: Placement Service, 1952-1968 |
The Composition Condition Laboratory was established in the fall of 1935 as a remedial program administered by the faculty standing Committee on English Composition through the Department of English. Initially, a majority of freshman students were assigned to the Laboratory by examination, but later assignments were made by instructors in any General College course. Removal of the "cc" or Composition Condition was a requirement for completion of the General College curriculum and/or graduation. In 1965, the name was changed to Writing Laboratory. The archival records of the Writing Laboratory include material on the Committee on English Composition, correspondence of the laboratory's director, and reports of student assignments and program completions. See also Records of the Committee on English Composition under the Faculty Affairs Division in the Archives.
Box 7 |
Administrative Correspondence, Memoranda and Reports, 1931-1977 |
Studies in Philology, published by the Philological Club, first appeared in 1906. Although not officially recognized as a program of the Department of English, the Studies has always been closely associated with the department and the editors have always been members of the department's staff. As the title indicates, the journal was dedicated to the study of literature in the broadest sense. In 1910, an interdepartmental committee was created to assist the editor. This committee was the predecessor of the later Editorial Board. Until 1915, Studies in Philology appeared irregularly. Under Edwin A. Greenlaw's editorship, it was published quarterly and circulation markedly increased. Later a fifth volume including Renaissance Bibliography was added. The University of North Carolina Press and the Furst Company handled printing and distribution. This seris consists of the editors' correspondence, files on the Editorial Board, and financial records from the University of North Carolina Press and the Furst Company. Names and tenures of the editors are given below.
1906-1908 | C. Alphonso Smith |
1910-1913 | James F. Royster (Chairman of Committee) |
1915-1925 | Edwin A. Greenlaw |
1925-1929 | James F. Royster |
1929-1930 | Norman Foerster (Chairman of Committee) |
1930-1950 | George R. Coffman |
1950-1965 | Dougald MacMillan |
1966-1969 | O. B. Hardison |
1969-1974 | Ernest Talbert |
1974-? | Albrecht B. Strauss |
1997-2008 | Edward Donald Kennedy |
2009- | Reid Barbour |
Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-40081/1 |
Promotional materials for "The Idea of Place: Elizabeth Bishop in Brazil," October 1999 |
Photographs of UNC-Chapel Hill Honors Presentation and Reception for the Department of English and Comparative Literature awards on 25 April 2014.
Digital Folder DF-40081/1 |
Photographs, 25 April 2014Includes document with photograph captions. |