James F. English

James F. English is the John Welsh Centennial Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania and former Faculty Director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities (2015-2024). He previously directed the Penn Humanities Forum (2011-2018), served as Chair of the English Department, and has held interim leadership roles including Director of Cinema Studies and Moderator of the University Council. Currently teaching courses in British Cinema and The Economics of Literature and Film in the 21st Century for Fall 2025, he remains an active scholar despite being on leave Spring 2025.

English's research spans multiple interconnected fields including 20th and 21st century British and American literature, digital humanities, literary sociology, and the study of literary awards and prestige systems. His influential work examines how literary value circulates through institutional channels, with particular focus on globalization's impact on English studies. His approach combines historical analysis with contemporary cultural theory, examining how literature functions within broader economic and social systems.

His publications reveal consistent engagement with questions of scale, value, and institutional structures in literary production. The articles demonstrate his evolution from studying literary prizes and cultural prestige to examining contemporary issues like digital reading practices, temporal dimensions of fiction, and interdisciplinary approaches to literary sociology. His work consistently bridges traditional literary scholarship with sociological and economic frameworks.

• 2025 Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching
• 2016 Ira Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching
• 1995 Penn Mortar Board Alumni Association Award For Outstanding Teacher

Professor English has directed 25 doctoral dissertations across diverse topics in contemporary literature, globalization, and literary theory, while serving on nearly 50 doctoral committees. His teaching grants have supported innovative approaches to literary studies, particularly in digital humanities and the study of literary markets. His leadership in establishing the Price Lab for Digital Humanities has created significant infrastructure for digital scholarship at Penn.

As founder and former director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, English established one of the leading digital humanities centers in the country, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across humanities disciplines. His work with the Wolf Humanities Center (formerly Penn Humanities Forum) further demonstrates his commitment to creating institutional frameworks that support innovative humanities research.