Each year the Humanities and Social Science Divisions at the University of Chicago offer a range of research workshops for faculty members and advanced graduate students. These research workshops are a key feature of the PhD program in English, one that helps to nurture a supportive as well as rigorous intellectual culture. For faculty and for students who have completed coursework, the workshops provide ongoing venues of conversation specific to disciplinary fields, areas of interest, and cross-disciplinary questions. The Department strongly recommends that PhD students participate in workshops relevant to their area of interest or dissertation project.

The workshop format varies, but participants typically discuss common readings and present the results of their own research. Most often, advanced PhD students present chapters of their dissertations, receiving important feedback and intellectual support from peers and faculty at a crucial time in their professional development. Faculty members from Chicago and other universities often present papers at the workshops as well. Departmental students and faculty can attest to the collegiality and high-quality commentary at these workshops; these are also registered in the book acknowledgments of many faculty members from Chicago and elsewhere.

Long-running workshops associated with the Department of English include workshops in Medieval Studies, Renaissance, 18th and 19th Century Cultures, American Literatures and Cultures, Poetry and Poetics, Theater and Performance Studies, and New Media. Students and faculty with particular areas of interests can form new workshops; see the Council for Advanced Studies Website.