James English

James English is the John Welsh Centennial Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, affiliated with the School of Arts & Sciences. He serves as Faculty Director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities and previously directed the Penn Humanities Forum (now the Wolf Humanities Center). His research spans the sociology of literature, British cinema, and the cultural economics of literary awards. English holds a PhD from Stanford University and has authored influential works like The Economy of Prestige (2005) and The Global Future of English Studies (2012). He has taught over 30 courses, including seminars on literary awards, globalization, and the audiobook. English has mentored 25 doctoral dissertations and received major teaching awards, including the 2016 Ira Abrams Award and 2025 Dennis DeTurck Award. His current project, Beauty By the Numbers, examines rating systems in art and literature.

Education: MA from University of Chicago, PhD from Stanford University.

Research Interests: British Cinema, Sociology of Literature, Digital Humanities, Literary Awards, Modernist and Postmodernist Literature, Postcolonial Studies.

Awards: Ira Abrams Memorial Award (2016), Dennis M. DeTurck Award (2025), Penn Mortar Board Alumni Award (1995).

Teaching: Known for courses like “Literature as a Marketplace” and “The Novel in the Age of the Audiobook.” His pedagogical innovations focus on interdisciplinary approaches to literature and digital humanities.

Labs/Initiatives: Price Lab for Digital Humanities (co-founded 2015), Penn Humanities Forum (2011–2018).