4 Literary Studies
The M.A. with Literary Studies Emphasis is designed for students preparing for Ph.D. programs and for those who desire a terminal M.A. with a focus on literature. The Literary Studies emphasis provides Master’s students with a foundation in the skills and critical awareness necessary for literary scholarship while also offering a flexible range of courses within the distribution areas and plenty of elective options to allow students to explore the literature of a wide variety of times, places, and genres. Students may pursue this option either with thesis or directed portfolio.
- 6 hours of Core Courses, including ENGL 6001: Introduction to Graduate Studies, Bibliography and Research (recommended in the first semester); and either ENGL 6701: History of Criticism or ENGL 6705: Contemporary Critical Theory.
- 12 hours of Recommended Courses in the Emphasis including
- one course (3 hours) in British or American literature up to 1700; options include: ENGL 6011, 6015, 6021, 6051, 6101, 6111, 6115, 6201 (may only be used to fulfill one category), and 6171, 6231, 6415, 6611, and 6655 if appropriate.
- one course (3 hours) in British or American literature from 1700 to 1900; options include: ENGL 6131, 6145, 6151, 6201 (may only be used to fulfill one category), 6205, 6211, and 6171, 6231, 6221, 6225, 6415, 6601, and 6611, if appropriate.
- one course (3 hours) in British or American literature since 1900; options include: ENGL 6161, 6301, 6215, 6411, 6401, and 6171, 6231, 6221, 6225, 6415, 6601, and 6611, if appropriate.
- one course (3 hours) in Global literatures in English; options include: ENGL 6301 and, when appropriate, 6415, 6601, 6611. In order to satisfy this requirement, the works studied in the course must emphasize non-British and non-American works written in English. Courses that focus on translations from other languages do not qualify.
- 9 hours of Electives fulfilled by any combination of 5000- or 6000-level English courses. One 5000-level World Language for Reading Knowledge course may be used as an elective. Students are expected to take 3 hours of Master’s Readings (6909) with their proposed thesis director the semester before enrolling for thesis hours.
- 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 the Emphasis as those choosing the Thesis Option. They take 12 hours of Electives fulfilled by any combination of 5000- or 6000-level English 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 portfolio is made up of three course papers revised according to the recommendations of the assigning professors (one of whom should act as portfolio director) into short essays appropriate for submission to relevant academic journals and an essay of at least 1500 words addressing the choice of essays and reflecting on the process of revising them into publishable articles. Final submission of the portfolio to the portfolio director should include the originally assigned papers, the revised articles, the reflective essay, and a sign-off sheet attesting to the directing professor’s satisfaction with the revisions. The portfolio director will assign a grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory based upon the completed portfolio.
