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English Department records

 Collection
Identifier: RG0070

Collection Scope and Content

This collection contains minutes of committee and departmental meetings, Tupper lectures, Ph.D. field exams, class mid-term exams, course descriptions, photographs of past faculty (1895-1976), and CDS and DVDs of courses taught by GW faculty as distance education courses in 2005, and websites. The collection covers 1895 to 2006. The collection was transfered to the University Archives by the Chair of the English Department in 1995.

The third series of this collection contains administration files, financial files, correspondence, clippings and other material pertaining to the Jenny McKean Moore Fund for Writers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1895-2006

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Restrictions on Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Historical or Biographical Note

The English Department of The George Washington University is responsible for undergraduate English requirements and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.

English and Literature have always been a part of the curriculum from Columbian College's founding in 1821 to the present. Requisites for admission in 1822 included an acquaintance with English grammar and arithmetic, a thorough knowledge of geography, and the ability to read and write Latin. The prospective student had to be able to translate, with a high degree of competence, Caesar's Commentaries, and the works of Virgil, Sallust, select orations of Cicero, and the New Testament in Greek. A candidate for advanced standing from another college had to pass examinations in all subjects previously taken and show that he left the other institution in good standing. No one was admitted without satisfactory credentials of good moral character.

Jenny McKean Moore (1923-1973) was a writer and social activist in Washington, D.C. After her passing in 1973, the Jenny McKean Moore Fund was established at the George Washington University. Formed in 1976 with an endowment left by Jenny McKean Moore, the purpose of the fund is to choose a candidate to teach four semester long creative writing workshops at George Washington University as the Jenny McKean Moore Writer-In-Residence.

Extent

5.75 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection contains minutes of committee and departmental meetings, Tupper lectures, Ph.D. field exams, class mid-term exams, course descriptions, correspondence, CDs and DVDS, photographs of past faculty (1895-1976) and other materials pertaining to the English Department and the Jenny McKean Moore Fund for Writers. The collection is organized into five series, two containing department files, one containing the records of the Jenny McKean Moore Fund for Writers, one for Distance Education course recordings, and a fifth series for Websites.

Collection Organization

Organized in five series: department files, department files, Jenny McKean Moore Fund for Writers records, Distance Education course recordings, and Websites.

Physical Location

Materials may be stored off-site, and may require additional retrieval time. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.

Acquisition Information

Materials acquired through transfers from the Engliish Department. The material related to the Jenny McKean Moore Fund were donated by Faye Moskowitz and Susan Willens in two separate accessions.

Gift of David McAleavey 7/29/2009 (acc. 2009.041)

Title
Guide to the English Department records , 1895-2006
Author
Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
Date
2007
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository

Contact:
George Washington University Gelman Library
2130 H Street NW
Washington DC 20052 United States of America