Universiteto g. 5, LT-01513 Vilnius. Tel. (8 5) 268 7216
Head of the department – Prof. Dr Brigita Speičytė.
The majority of the lecturers that work here today are graduates of the Departmment. Research fields of the Department focus on the studies of the history of literature and religion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Prof. Dainora Pociūtė-Abukevičienė, Assoc. Prof. Darius Kuolys), Lithuanian literature of the 19th century (Prof. Brigita Speičytė, Assoc. Prof. Dalia Čiočytė), history of 20th century Lithuanian literature (Dr Regimantas Tamošaitis, Assoc. Prof. Rita Tūtlytė, Dr Ernesta Pauvels, research worker Dr Mindaugas Kvietkauskas), children literature (Assoc. Prof. Kęstutis Urba), contemporary trends in Lithuanian literature (Assoc. Prof. Audinga Peluritytė-Tikuišienė), Lithuanian theatre and dramaturgy (Dr Neringa Klišienė).
Though the Department is not large in the number of staff, it is a leader of Lithuanian literature and culture studies in Lithuania. With respect to the scope of publications the Department has had the lead in the Faculty of Philology for a couple of years in a row. Some scholars of the Department have been awarded Rector’s Prize for outstanding results in academic activity (V. Daujotytė-Pakerienė, R. Tūtlytė, D. Pociūtė-Abukevičienė), they have also received a number of other scientific awards. In latest years the Department’s scholars have published such significant books as Kalba ir jos menas (The Language and the Art of It by V. Daujotytė), Senieji mitai, naujieji pasakojimai. Apie naujausią lietuvių literatūrą (Old Myths, New Tales. Study on Contemporary Lithuanian Literature by A. Peluritytė-Tikuišienė), Maištininkų katedros. Ankstyvoji reformacija ir lietuvių-italų evangelikų ryšiai (Rebellious Cathedrals. Early Reformation and the contacts between Lithuanian and Italian Evangelicals by D. Pociūtė) and others. The staff of the Department cooperates with a number of foreign universities and regularly goes on academic tours abroad: Italy (D. Pociūtė-Abukevičienė), Poland (A. Peluritytė-Tikuišienė), Germany (R. Tūtlytė) and other countries.
The Department has had traditions in PhD research, PhD students are an integral part of the Department and they are actively involved in daily research and teaching activity. At the moment the Department has four PhD students: Gintarė Petuchovaitė-Majauskė, Agnė Ambrasaitė, Eleonora Buožytė and Aleksandra Strelcova.
The teaching activity of the Department is closely connected with the BA and MA programmes offered. The Department offers a BA programme in Lithuanian Philology and administers two study MA programmes (Anthropology and Culture of Literature, supervised by Prof. D. Pociūtė-Abukevičienė) and Intermedial Literary Studies, supervised by A. Peluritytė-Tikuišienė). A number of lecturers also work in Vilnius University Faculty of Communication and deliver a variety of optional courses.