Who Says English Is a Dying Discipline?

The article argues that the U.S. academic discipline of English in the 21st century is not in decline. Details are given citing figures, such as intellectual William Deresiewicz, who suggest the field is suffering a marked decline. The author then proposes a counter argument, asserting that the discipline is actually quite resilient in the long term. A large scale overview of the discipline since 1971 is then provided, noting stability or growth in the Humanities between then and 2010. Concluding remarks are given asserting the need to expand attention to the discipline, particularly in regard to international cooperation and in relation to digital media.