General Information

The Bar-Ilan Department of English Literature and Linguistics is composed of two independent, structurally related divisions:

• English & American Literature
• Linguistics

Literature
explores classical and contemporary poetry, fiction, and prose to understand how history shapes and is shaped by artists who use language. Literary theory asks psychological and philosophical questions about how we come to know the world and ourselves through texts and symbolic communication. Literature, as the critic Kenneth Burke said, is "Equipment for Living."

Linguistics
is the scientific study of language. The linguistics division provides students with a thorough training both in theoretical fields, such as syntax, semantics and phonology, and in applied and experimental fields, such as language acquisition, bilingualism, neurolinguistics, reading acquisition, and sociolinguistics.

For more information regarding the optional study tracks offered by The Department of English Literature and Linguistics in Bar-Ilan University, kindly contact our office here.

Literature Division

Bar-Ilan has an outstanding Literature Division with courses surveying the historical development of English and American literature and a variety of advanced seminars. The research specialties of our faculty, reflected in the courses they offer, include autobiography and life writing, Holocaust literature, African American poetry and fiction, children's literature, the history of the novel, Jewish American literature, Renaissance literature, and literature and pedagogy.

The MA in English Literature in the Creative Writing track is unique, with no known parallel anywhere in the world. Aspiring writers and translators develop professional excellence in prose, poetry or literary translation while drawing upon Jewish tradition and the experience and challenge of life in Israel. Our BA students also have the opportunity to take part in creative writing and translation seminars, in addition to their in-depth study of literary works.

Linguistics Division

Bar-Ilan has the most broadly based linguistics program in Israel, offering a wide variety of courses in syntax, semantics, morphology, phonology, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, sociolinguistics, and literacy. Linguistic research in the department deals with aspects of the grammar and use of Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, English and many other languages; much of the research in the department deals with multilingualism and with cross-linguistic variation in the grammar of human language. Our programs introduce students to a wide variety of research methods: experimental, corpus-based, as well as formal analysis of language phenomena using the tools of abstract theoretical linguistics.

In addition to our regular MA and PhD programs, which are meant for students with a background in linguistics (or those whose BA was not in linguistics who completed a year of prerequisite linguistics courses in the department), the Linguistics division also offers a Linguistics in Clinical Research MA program. This program focuses on the fundamental processes in language acquisition among children, including bilinguals and those with language impairments.

For more information regarding the optional study tracks offered by The Department of English Literature and Linguistics in Bar-Ilan University, kindly contact our office here.

Degree Tracks

The Department offers flexible tracks to accommodate students of every kind. Students may pursue a B.A. in either Literature or Linguistics as a Major or Expanded Major. Students in any of our M.A. programs can choose to do their Master's degree with or without a thesis. We offer M.A. programs in English Literature (possibly in the Creative Writing track), in Linguistics, and in Linguistics in Clinical Research.

The Department has many achievements in research, grants, and publications. There are more than 40 active Ph.D. students, many of whom are supported by Bar-Ilan Presidential Fellowships or assistantships funded by grants from sources such as the Israel Science Foundation and the Gonda Brain Sciences Research Center.

Faculty Members

The members of the Department faculty are warm, receptive, committed teachers as well as committed researchers. Some of the works they have published are listed under Research.

For more information regarding the optional study tracks offered by The Department of English Literature and Linguistics in Bar-Ilan University, kindly use this link to contact us.