Indiana University. Dept. of English

While English classes at IU date back to 1829, it was not until the 1840s that the department began to specialize in classical languages and literatures. In 1861, department chair Henry Bascom Hibbens left to join the Union Army, and the department lacked a central figure until 1868 when George Washington Hoss became the new chairman. Hoss made some significant changes, most notably adding English to the catalogue as an elective (it would not be until 1880 that Chairman Orrin Benner Clark listed courses in the catalogue under the heading “Department of English.”) In addition to expanding the curriculum, Clark introduced a written exercise for all IU students and placed an emphasis on literature. Seven years later, in 1887, the department awarded its first M.A. degree.

In the late 1890s and early 1900s, Clark’s successor Martin Wright Sampson expanded the emphasis on literature to include literary history and critical study. Sampson also turned his attention to high schools and raised awareness that incoming freshman needed established writing and literary skills to succeed at IU.

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