We’re launching a new scholarship scheme to support UK students of Black heritage to study English literature at Durham, where their financial circumstances may be a barrier to them accessing higher education.  

Our cutting-edge Institute for Medical Humanities (IMH) has been awarded a £9m Discovery Research Platform Award to develop a new Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities (DRP-MH).

We are ranked 38th in the prestigious QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023.

Student theatre may be a staple of undergraduate life today, but in Shakespeare’s time it was controversial and provocative, and may have inspired some of ‘The Bard’s’ most important pieces.

We are delighted to announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras).

During National Storytelling Week, 30 January – 5 February, we have been hearing from three budding writers who are currently studying for an MA in Creative Writing in the Department of English Studies.

Simon J. James is Professor of Victorian Literature in the Department of English Studies. This festive season he discusses memory in Dickens’ work, and the importance of remembering past versions of ourselves at Christmas.

This Halloween, Dr Naomi Booth, Associate Professor in the Department of English Studies and award-winning fiction writer tells us about horror writing and the Boggart, a forgotten folklore monster.

Durham’s celebrated Book Festival returns this year for another weekend in October, celebrating new writing with particular relevance to the North East. Our Department of English Studies and Durham University are thrilled to be associated with the event once again, taking pride in the roots the city has in its literature and wider culture.  

We are delighted that Professor David Lawton from our Department of English Studies has been awarded the British Academy's Sir Israel Gollancz Prize for 2022.

Our outstanding research environment and our impact on public life, community, and culture have been recognised in the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

The University is one of three founding partners in Durham’s City of Culture 2025 bid, with Durham County Council and Culture Durham. Our Executive Dean for Arts and Humanities, Professor Janet Stewart, outlines the significance of the bid, why the University is lending its support, and what the title would bring to Durham City and County.