This Department was founded in 1888, when Professor James Cappon took up the first Chair of English at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥.
Some English Language and Literature had been taught between 1841 and 1870 as part of Logic, Rhetoric, and Moral Philosophy; between 1870 and 1888 the subject was taught with History and Modern Languages.
The early focus was on the history of the language, grammar, and literary history; during Cappon's 31-year tenure the curriculum turned to a focus on the direct examination of literary works themselves.
Graduate studies have been a part of English at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ since at least 1929, when the first recorded MA was granted. The first recorded PhD was granted in 1942.
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