Hear from members of staff from the departments that have made the Faculty of Arts Building (FAB) their new professional home.

1. Hi Emma, tell us about your role as Head of Department for English and Comparative Literary Studies.

I guide a phenomenal department of world-leading researchers and teachers, thoughtful and imaginative students, and wonderful professional services colleagues.

2. How did you feel before the move to the Faculty of Arts building and how do you feel now?

I’ve been at Warwick for many years and so have real affection for the old Humanities Building. A lot of amazing students and academics worked within its walls. But I really like the light and open spaces in the new building, especially those that prioritize quiet conversation and study for staff and students.

3. In what ways has the re-location and the access to new spaces/facilities positively impacted the development/ teachings of the department?

Functional technology, large monitors, and practical workshop spaces bring teaching to life, and many of the FAB’s simple room layouts allow for contemplative discussions of literature and culture.

4. How has the move enhanced co-collaboration between different arts and humanities disciplines now that many departments are under one roof?

English values highly our joint degrees with Film and TV Studies, History, Theatre, the Writing Program, and Modern Languages (as well as those degrees beyond FAB, like Philosophy and Literature) and sharing a space with them creates fantastic conditions for dialogue, research, and teaching.

5. What plans do English have for the next academic year?

We've got a really exciting new MA in Environmental Humanities program starting, and our Comparative Religions and Literatures research group is rebooting. We're also continuing to work with our students and schools on the decolonising the curriculum question.

6. What’s the best thing about the Faculty of Arts Building?

The light.

7. How do you feel Arts and Humanities at Warwick help us to recognise the importance of understanding human culture, as a foundation of creating a better world?

My own research addresses the relationship between Christianity and literature, a connection that illuminates the radical, compassionate, and sometimes troubling ways Christianity has shaped and continues to shape culture. As a Catholic, I’m interested in the significance of Christian theology and literature in understanding the world, a subject often underestimated in an overpoweringly secular academic context. I’ve been privileged to teach many students interested in Christian literature and religious questions, atheists and believers alike, and our conversations have been the most rewarding of my career.