University of Michigan. Department of English Language and Literature.

The origin of the study of English language and literature at the University of Michigan can be traced to the 1840s. From 1841 to 1852 the university curriculum of traditional college courses included classes in both rhetoric and English grammar. A course in English composition was added in the academic year 1852/1853. The instruction in English and rhetoric was shared by professors from various disciplines.

English literature was first studied at the university following the appointment of Erastus Otis Haven in 1854 as professor of History and English Literature. Professor Haven resigned in 1856, and courses in English literature were suspended until the professorship was filled by Andrew Dickson White in 1857. White held the position until 1863. He later became the first president of Cornell University and ambassador to Germany. It was not until the appointment of Moses Coit Tyler in 1867 as professor of Rhetoric and English Literature and as the first chairman of the department that studies in English literature truly flourished.

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