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The English Ph.D. program at UCI ranks as the nation's top department for literary and critical theory according to US News and World Report. Faculty research and teaching span diverse disciplines, historical eras, and methodological perspectives. Our alumni have secured teaching positions at prestigious institutions nationwide, such as the University of Michigan, Tulane, Rice, Clemson, BYU, and Connecticut College in recent years.
At UCI, Critical Theory encompasses the examination of fundamental concepts, challenges, and principles across humanities disciplines. Doctoral candidates from any Humanities department may pursue this specialization alongside their standard English Ph.D. requirements. The Critical Theory Emphasis program collaborates with faculty from Humanities and Social Sciences, while hosting renowned scholars like Slavoj Zizek, Giorgio Agamben, Judith Butler, David Lloyd, John Frow, N. Katherine Hayles, Iain Chambers, Page duBois, Barbara Johnson, Fredric Jameson, Elizabeth Grosz, Etienne Balibar, and David Palumbo-Liu for specialized seminars.