5 Language and Writing Studies
This emphasis is designed for students primarily interested either in pursuing advanced graduate study in rhetoric and composition studies or in teaching college composition or related college-level writing courses. Students may pursue this option either with thesis or directed portfolio.
M.A. with Thesis. Students choosing this option take
- 6 hours of Core Courses, including ENGL 6001: Research & Bibliography (taken in the first semester) and either ENGL 6801: History of Rhetoric—Ancient to Renaissance or ENGL 6805: History of Rhetoric—Early Modern to Contemporary;
- 12 hours of Recommended Courses in the Emphasis including ENGL 6811: Studies in Composition and Rhetoric; ENGL 6651: Essentials of Linguistics; either ENGL 6821: Seminar in Teaching Composition or ENGL 5540: Teaching Grammar and Writing for ESL; and either ENGL 6815: Special Topics in Composition and Rhetoric or ENGL 6611: Special Topics in Linguistics;
- 9 hours of Electives from among the following: ENGL 6801: History of Rhetoric—Ancient to Renaissance (if not taken as a core class); ENGL 6805: History of Rhetoric—Early Modern to Contemporary (if not taken as a core class); ENGL 6825: Practicum in Composition Methodology; ENGL 6851: Writing Center Theory and Practice; ENGL 6655: Special Topics in the History of the English Language. One 5000-level World Language for Reading Knowledge course may also be used as an elective.
- Thesis: At least 3 hrs. of ENGL 6640: Thesis Research must be completed with a grade of S, and the completed thesis must be successfully defended and accepted by the College of Graduate Studies.
M.A. with Portfolio. Students choosing this option take
- The same Core and Recommended Courses in Emphasis as those choosing the Thesis Option, but would select 12 hours of Elective courses. One 5000-level World Language for Reading Knowledge course may be used as an elective.
- Directed Portfolio: Three (3) hrs. of ENGL 6913 must be completed with a grade of S. The Directed Portfolio for Language and Writing Studies is a culminating project which would offer students the opportunity to revise a seminar paper into a length and quality suitable for publication and would be accompanied by a rhetorical analysis of the target journal, a process narrative discussing the student’s writing process, and a reflection piece articulating what the student learned through this process.
