Department of English

Department Overview

The Department of English has a distinguished history. It is the oldest Department of English in the country, and can trace its beginnings to the establishment of the Faculty of Arts at the Universiti Malaya in Singapore in 1949. The Department of English subsequently became one of the first departments of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences set up on the present campus in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur in 1959.

The department’s identity, which proudly sets it apart from every other Department of English in Malaysia, lies in its continued commitment to coverage of traditional British literature, from Chaucer and Shakespeare to the Victorians and the Modernists. Through its academic staff’s specialization and research interests, the Department offers expertise in a wide range of literary fields, including Medieval literature, Renaissance literature, Romantic literature, Victorian literature, Modernist and Postmodernist literature, Postcolonial literatures (with a strong interest in Malaysian literature), Travel literature, Ecocriticism, African literature, Feminist literature, Modern drama, Literary theory and more.

In addition to our undergraduate enrolment, the department has a lively postgraduate (Master’s and Doctoral) student body. Our teaching, research and professional activities are also regularly energized by visiting faculty and through the convening of talks, seminars and conferences at both national and international levels

We have hosted distinguished scholars such as Michael Pearson, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Scott Slovic, Ien Ang, Yasmine Gooneratne, Benedict Anderson, Harish Trivedi, Sukanta Chaudhuri and Pheng Cheah. Notable alumni who have contributed significantly to the development of the nation include Shirley Geoklin Lim, Razali Ismail, K.S. Maniam, Chin San Sooi, Rebecca Santa Maria and Leow Puay Tin.