How do I determine the "emphasis" of a Literature/English dept?

[akri]

Any tips on discerning what a program's research emphasis is on by looking at profiles? I have plans to visit my SF professor's office hours for some advice, but I want something more specific to bring to the hours besides a list of vague "interests." What's the best way to whittle down "fit" besides research interests...? So far I've just been going through pages of various grad programs and hoping something catches my eye. I don't really want to stay in the UC system, but that's because I would like to branch out or head back to the east coast (I'm from Florida). I've tried looking at Americanist / 20th century lit / STS programs / Critical Theory, but it's just overwhelming tbh! 

Some context: I'm a junior re-entry student thinking seriously about graduate school. My degree is in History and Science & Technology Studies at UC Davis, but I want to do research at the intersection of STS and Science Fiction, particularly the New Wave of SF and/or possibly contemporary SF. (Theoretical interests are Critical Theory/Marxism; History of SF; HPS is my background... I've read Suvin, Jameson, Csicsery-Ronay, the "big names"; I'm especially interested in Samuel R Delany's work; I am interested in how mythologies of tech manifest in literature and translate into "real life.") I've been trolling the boards + Googling various phrases, but I haven't found any guide/how to on determining what a program "stands for." When I look, it seems like the same combo of general/normal topics in literature (Medievalist, the long centuries, lyrical whatever, French, blahblahblah.) It doesn't help SF has only recently been taken seriously as an area of study! 

Sorry this is so vague! I'm still in early stages of researching programs.  I'm definitely planning on taking a gap year so I can ace the GRE.  (Also I'm new to this place, so I'm also apologizing in advance if this is the wrong forum for this...)

[Warelin]

I've moved this topic to the "Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition" subforum because I believe you'll get more answers here.

[WildeThing]

I remember there have been people in the past with interests in SF, so have a search through this subforum. As for fit, there’s no guide. Ask around, see what reputation places have, see where specialists apply to on these forums, see hiring trends by departments, check profiles to see which specialties are represented, what courses are offered historically, does the department state anything on the website, etc. Or, find scholars with similar interests through conference abstracts, journal articles, publications and see where they work/where they did their PhD (if recent). 

It’s one of the tougher parts of applying and the more specialized your field the harder (though sometimes easier) it can be.

[akri]

2 hours ago, WildeThing said:

I remember there have been people in the past with interests in SF, so have a search through this subforum. As for fit, there’s no guide. Ask around, see what reputation places have, see where specialists apply to on these forums, see hiring trends by departments, check profiles to see which specialties are represented, what courses are offered historically, does the department state anything on the website, etc. Or, find scholars with similar interests through conference abstracts, journal articles, publications and see where they work/where they did their PhD (if recent). 

It’s one of the tougher parts of applying and the more specialized your field the harder (though sometimes easier) it can be.

thanks so much! I saw that sub friend + the schools they recommended. I saw someone mention that you can still study SF within a larger field -- they mentioned 20th century American lit, for example. Wanted to see if there was an easy way to whittle down which departments specialize in that, or if it's really just a trial/error. Your advice about abstracts/conferences is very helpful though!! Thank you.  

[WildeThing]

Most departments will be pretty strong in American lit as a broad field because it encompasses so much.