The Futures of English: Introduction from the UK

Summary: This article explores the challenges and issues of teaching English in UK universities, where there has been a decline in humanities enrolments and changes to the school curriculum. It discusses the difficulty of making a case for the value of English education in today's educational context, which focuses on technology and measurable outcomes. However, it argues that the skills cultivated in literary study, such as close reading, can help students navigate the complexities of the digitized, online world.