Best English Grad Programs for Theory & Criticism?

[Liesje]

Hello all,

I've seen this list:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-english-schools/literary-criticism

Does anyone know of lists that go beyond the top 10, or know of other programs strong in this area?

I've heard that Northwestern, WUSTL, and CUNY among others are notable, but am having trouble getting a sense of programs in this popular subsection of the field.

[YagglesSnaggles]

Call me uninformed of whatever, but I can't really conceive what this list is trying to get at. I mean, isn't every English program grounded in Theory and Criticism? If i were to specialize in Shakespeare, wouldn't I be doing T&C in Shakespeare. Show me a program (there is a topic about this with less than exceptional information)that does not emphasize T&C to some degree, and I will show you a program not producing worthy job candidates. I may be needlessly polemical right now, but these topics offer nice detours from letter writing and sample revision.

[Liesje]

Call me uninformed of whatever, but I can't really conceive what this list is trying to get at. I mean, isn't every English program grounded in Theory and Criticism? If i were to specialize in Shakespeare, wouldn't I be doing T&C in Shakespeare. Show me a program (there is a topic about this with less than exceptional information)that does not emphasize T&C to some degree, and I will show you a program not producing worthy job candidates. I may be needlessly polemical right now, but these topics offer nice detours from letter writing and sample revision.

Most (not every) English programs are grounded in Theory. That merely suggests that students will be familiarized with the common approaches within whatever passes for Theory at a given school, probably in some intro to theory class that they shuffle all their incoming students through. However, there is a difference between a class on Lacan and a class on Shakespeare, though both Hamlet and psychoanalysis could feature in either class.

And as you clearly know but stubbornly overlook, by Theory I, and the rankings, mean something quite specific that doesn't include necessarily Erich Auerbach or Hugh Kenner despite the highly theoretical nature of their approaches to literature.

Who cares? Well, it might kind of suck to spend several years with a group of people who have decidedly different ideas about the utility and worth of this kind of stuff than you do.

[Kursty]

Re CUNY: I believe they're strong in gender theories-Sedgwick was there until her unexpected death last year-and PoCo. Also after your 1st year you can take outside courses in places like NYU, Columbia, Princeton, Rutgers, and the New School via the New York University Consortium. Pretty much all New York area universities participate in this Consortium, but CUNY is significantly cheaper (don't know their funding situation at the english dept.).

[soxpuppet]

Careful - everyone says the USNWR specialization rankings are especially suspect. Buffalo IS strong in theory, especially for psychoanalysis. And Irvine still does a lot too - Marxism and deconstruction especially when I was there, some reader-response. Some of the faculty has changed though, so I'd check.

[TheSunnyMan]

UIUC is pretty good, too. There is the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory. You can get certified there and apply to Cornell's Critical Theory School, and if accepted, UIUC will pay for your summer stay. <BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break">

Shameless plug.

[Sibilance7]

If you're looking for programs further down the rankings list that are strong in theory, as it sounds like you are from your question, I'd recommend my current program, The University of Illinois at Chicago. It's a strongly theory-oriented department, with many professors who have been trained in philosophy or theory specifically. I'm sure it doesn't match up to all of those programs who rank in the stratosphere of the US News list, but it's much stronger theoretically than other departments that are higher in the general rankings.