While English was not a subject in 1477 when Uppsala University was established, it still enjoys a long history, having been an academic discipline at the university since 1736, when Andreas Hesselius was appointed the first tutor of the subject. Today the Department's three chairs cover the fields of English Language (since 1904), English Literature (1948), and American Literature (1968). Our Celtic Section has grown out of a research professorship in Celtic Languages and Comparative Indo-European Linguistics (1941-1948) and the Irish Institute (established in 1950). In 2003, SINAS, the Swedish Institute for North American Studies, became part of the Department of English, adding to its competence in related fields.

The Department is located at The English Park Campus - Centre for the Humanities. Here students, teachers and researchers from a number of different disciplines enjoy both personal and scholarly exchange.

(June 2011)