The University of Vermont claims to have had the first department of
English literature in the US:
"The Department of English at UVM was established as a separate entity
around 1827, and according to university historian Julian Lindsay, was
the first department of English literature in America."
Anglistik Guide: University of Vermont, English Department
http://www.anglistikguide.de/cgi-bin/ssgfi/anzeige.pl?db=lit&nr=001289&ew=SSGFI
According to a source from Rutgers, Harvard's English department dates
to 1876, and (in England) Oxford's was established in 1885:
"The founding of the English Department at Rutgers College coincided
with the beginning of a revolutionary era in the development of the
discipline itself. Although Rutgers was founded in 1766 (as Queen's
College), nearly a century was to pass before the study of English
language and literature was to gain recognition and legitimacy in the
academic world. Still, despite its gradual beginnings, the formal
program of English at Rutgers was one of the first to be established
in American universities...
At Rutgers, this close tie between the study of rhetoric and the
church was embodied by the Reverend John Forsyth, the first faculty
member appointed to the 'Professorship of English Language and
Literature' created in 1860...
The creation of an English Language and Literature course at Rutgers
had preceded most other leading British and American universities by
over a decade. Harvard's first English professor began teaching in
1876, and Oxford did not establish the Merton Professorships of
English Language and Literature until 1885."
Newsletter of the Friends of Rutgers English
http://english.rutgers.edu/FoRE/newsletter/history_english.html
Some sources mention Oxford professor Joseph Trapp (appointed in 1708)
as the first professor of English literature in England. Trapp was the
first to occupy the newly-created Oxford Chair of Poetry. At the time,
however, the focus was on classical poetry, not English poetry:
"Joseph Trapp was not only the first professor of poetry at Oxford,
and, thus, possibly, the first professor of English literature in
England..."
Bartleby: Lesser Verse Writers
http://www.bartleby.com/219/0628.html
"The lectures of the Professor of Poetry were conceived by the
founder, Henry Birkhead, in 1708 to be a valuable supplement to the
curriculum: 'The reading of the ancient poets gave keenness and polish
to the minds of young men as well as to the advancement of more
serious literature both sacred and human...'. The first poetry
professor, Joseph Trapp, took as his subject poetry in general. He was
mainly concerned with the classical poets - particularly Roman
writers. William Hawkins, professor from 1751 to 1756, was interested
in drama and more modern works, and was renowned for quoting
extensively (in Latin) from the works of Shakespeare during his
lectures."
Oxford Blueprint: Prestigious poetry post to be filled
http://www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint/2003-04/2602/06.shtml
Google search strategy:
Google Web Search: "first OR earliest department of english"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22first+OR+earliest+department+of+english
Google Web Search: "harvard" '"english department" "founded in"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22harvard%22+%27%22english+department%22+%22founded+in%22
Google Web Search: "joseph trapp" + "first" + "oxford"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22joseph+trapp%22+first+oxford
I hope this is helpful. I'll be glad to offer further assistance as needed.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
