| Previous | Next | Contents | Search | UA |
Professor Harold Weber, Director of Graduate Studies
Office: 113 Morgan Hall
The department offers programs leading to the master of arts, the master of arts in teaching English to speakers of other languages, the master of fine arts in creative writing, and the doctor of philosophy.
Requirements for the M.A. Degree in English
Applicants for graduate work in English are required to take the verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination general test; the advanced (literature) portion is recommended but not required. Each applicant should submit a sample of his or her critical writing (normally an essay of 10-20 pages written for an upper-level English course or an excerpt from a senior thesis). Unconditional admission to the M.A. degree program in English is dependent upon the student's having completed the requirements for an undergraduate major in English with a grade point average of at least 3.0 and having satisfied the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School. Conditional admission may be allowed under the stipulations outlined in the general admission policy of the Graduate School. Application materials should be received by February 21 to ensure full consideration for admission for the following fall term.
With the exception of students admitted into the master's program to pursue a concentration in Renaissance studies (requirements for that program follow), all candidates for the master's degree are required to take the following: 3 hours in bibliography and research (EN 537 Introduction to Graduate Studies, which is normally offered every fall and which students are encouraged to take in their first semester, for maximum benefit); 3 hours of critical theory (EN 535 Literary Criticism, EN 536 Advanced Modern Criticism, or EN 635 Seminar in Literary Criticism); 3 hours of writing workshop (EN 538 Research and Critical Prose Workshop, which is offered every spring, and which students take in their fourth semester); 3 hours of teaching practicums (students with teaching assistantships take the summer practicum, EN 533, and EN 534, for a combined three hours of pass/fail credit); and 3 hours of coursework in each of the following four areas of English/American literature: medieval-16th century, 17th-18th centuries, 19th century, and 20th century. All master's students must take at least three courses at the 600 level. Students not writing the thesis (Plan II) will take 6 credits of electives to acquire the 30 credits for completion. Students writing a thesis (Plan I) will take 6 thesis hours.
Plan I (thesis plan) students must complete at least 24 semester hours of coursework in English before writing the thesis, which must be a historical, critical, or otherwise analytical treatise. Thesis-plan students must take 6 semester hours of thesis research (EN 599) in addition to their 24 hours of coursework for a total of 30 hours. At least three of these courses must be at the 600 level. (See the general requirements for a master's thesis listed under "Academic Policies" in this catalog. For additional information regarding the master's thesis in English, contact the director of graduate studies in the English department.)
Plan II (nonthesis plan) students must take at least 30 semester hours of coursework in English. At least three of these courses must be at the 600 level. See the course requirements for all master's students cited above.
Degree requirements for the M.A. in English with a concentration in Renaissance studies. Students admitted as candidates for the master of arts in English with a concentration in Renaissance studies are required to take the following: 3 hours in bibliography and research (EN 537 Introduction to Graduate Studies); 3 hours of critical theory (EN 535 Literary Criticism, EN 536 Advanced Modern Criticism, or EN 635 Seminar in Literary Criticism); 3 hours in medieval literature; 3 hours of Shakespeare (EN 566); 3 hours of non-Shakespearean Renaissance literature (either EN 565 Renaissance Drama or EN 563 Studies in 16th-Century English Literature); 3 hours in interdisciplinary coursework subject to the approval of the Strode committee; 3 hours of a Renaissance seminar; 3 hours in the Shakespeare in Performance Practicum (a course offered every other spring, in years when there is not a Strode seminar); and 3 hours of writing workshop (EN 538 Research and Critical Prose Workshop, which is offered every spring, and which students take in their fourth semester). Each student pursuing this concentration must also take 3 courses at the 600 level. A student not writing a thesis (Plan II) will take 3 hours of electives to acquire the 30 hours for completion. A student writing a thesis (Plan I) will take 6 thesis hours (EN 599) and in consultation with the director of the Strode Program, drop 3 hours of coursework from his or her Renaissance concentration. Each student pursuing this concentration will also take the general departmental master's comprehensive examination.
Master's comprehensive oral exam. The master's comprehensive exam is an oral examination and defense of the paper generated in EN 538. The professor in whose class the paper originated, or the specialist adviser chosen by the student, will work with the student to construct a list of reading material relevant to the paper's subject matter. This list will contain approximately 20-25 items; it may include articles as well as books, primary as well as secondary texts, works used in the essay as well as works that supplement the essay. This list should be designed to place the paper's focus in the broader context of English literary studies. The student will then be responsible for these works in a one-hour oral defense of the paper staged before a faculty committee of no fewer than three members. Failure of the defense and exam for the second time will normally result in the student's dismissal from the program. If the second defense is successful, the student will be awarded a master of arts in English but will not be allowed to work toward the doctoral degree in this program.
Foreign language requirement. A reading knowledge of one foreign language is required. The foreign language requirement may be satisfied by one of the following: (a) the certification through the appropriate department of a "B" average or the equivalent of two years of undergraduate- or graduate-level study in a single foreign language, completed within five years of admission to the master's program; or (b) passing the foreign language reading examination prepared by the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. Students who are not native speakers of English may use their native language to fulfill this requirement.
A candidate for admission to the M.A.-TESOL degree program must satisfy the minimum conditions for regular admission to the Graduate School (including a grade point average of 3.0 overall and an acceptable score on the general test of the Graduate Record Examination). Each applicant must also submit a sample of his or her academic writing. In addition, those who are not native speakers of English must score at least 600 on the TOEFL examination; and must submit an audiotape demonstrating their speaking proficiency in English. Scores on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and Test of Written English (TWE) are also desirable as part of the application. Students may be required to take appropriate courses in speaking and writing at the English Language Institute. Application materials should be received by February 21 to ensure full consideration for admission for the following fall term.
Students will be required to complete 30 semester hours for the degree: 24 hours of required courses and 6 hours of department-approved electives or of thesis research.
Students will be required to pass a comprehensive examination at the end of their coursework; the examination is normally given twice a year, in February and June. The examination will cover all the major areas of study.
An optional thesis may be written under the guidance of the TESOL faculty. Please see the Graduate School's general requirements for the master's thesis, outlined under "Academic Policies" earlier in this catalog.
To earn the degree, native speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in a second language; students whose native language is not English must demonstrate satisfactory proficiency in spoken and written English.
The program leading to the master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degree in creative writing is a studio/academic course of study. Imaginative writers enroll in writing workshops, forms courses, and literature classes, gaining exposure to a broad range of writing models and experimenting with a variety of strategies and forms. Guided development of each writer's talents culminates in a complete, carefully conceived final project (the thesis), typically a book-length manuscript. Most writers focus their studies on either poetry or fiction, with minor studies in one or more additional genres. Coursework is offered in hypertext, nonfiction, screenwriting, and autobiography, as well as poetry and fiction. Writers may, however, choose to balance the study and practice of two or more genres throughout the degree program, bearing in mind that at least one complete project must be submitted as a thesis. The program can be completed in three intensive years; a fourth year of study, in which work on the final project is the central activity, is often elected. All admitted M.F.A. students receive support in the form of graduate teaching assistantships or fellowships. Support is available for up to four years, subject to satisfactory performance.
Applicants to the M.F.A. program in creative writing must submit either the general portion of the Graduate Record Examination or the Miller Analogies Test in support of their applications for admission. They must apply to the Graduate School for admission to the Department of English, and must submit portfolios of their writing and three letters of recommendation directly to the following address: Director, Program in Creative Writing, Department of English, Box 870244, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0244.
Portfolios should include 30 pages of prose, or 10- 20 pages of poetry, or a substantial sampling of work in several forms. Writing that incorporates hypertextual linking may also be submitted as - or as a part of - the portfolio.
Candidates for the M.F.A. degree are required to spend a minimum of two semesters in residence and to complete 48 hours of graduate-level coursework, divided as follows (half of all coursework must be at the 600 level):
Workshops may be repeated for credit.
The M.F.A. thesis - and its oral defense - are required of all degree candidates. This final project is typically a substantial and carefully conceived book-length manuscript. Projects that are not print-based may also be submitted. Thesis projects are prepared under direction of a thesis adviser, usually a member of the resident creative writing faculty. Candidates for the M.F.A. are examined on their final projects by a committee of five faculty members (including the thesis adviser): four total from the Department of English and one graduate faculty member from outside the department. Two semesters in advance of their anticipated graduation, students apply to the director of creative writing for approval of thesis project and director. Students form their examination committees and meet all Graduate School deadlines for filing required paperwork. Thesis defenses must be scheduled for dates at least two weeks prior to the Graduate School deadline for thesis submission.
Students in the program in creative writing give a presentation of a significant portion of their own written work produced while in residence. In this 45-minute public reading/performance, the student demonstrates the wide array of his or her work before an audience of peers, faculty, and the general public and fulfills the comprehensive exam requirement.
In addition to the Graduate School's general requirements for the Ph.D. degree, the Department of English has the following specific requirements:
Admission. Applicants for admission to the Ph.D. program in English are required to take the general test of the Graduate Record Examination; the advanced (literature) portion is recommended but not required. Each applicant must submit a sample of his or her critical writing (normally an essay of some 20 pages written for a course, or a portion of a master's thesis) and must normally have a grade point average of 3.5 or better for his or her master's courses or equivalent graduate work. Application materials should be received by February 21 to ensure full consideration for admission for the following fall term.
Courses. There is a minimum requirement of 30 hours beyond the master's degree (earned here or elsewhere), of which no more than 15 hours can be at the 500 level. To meet University requirements, doctoral students must have 48 credit hours. This means that 18 credit hours earned at the master's level must be formally transferred and applied to the requirements for the doctoral degree. Only credit earned during the six-year period preceding admission to the doctoral program may be considered for transfer. If a student's master's degree is more than six years old at admission, therefore, that student may have to complete up to 18 additional hours of coursework. (See the "Transfer of Credit" section for doctoral degrees under "Academic Policies" in this catalog.) Doctoral students whose work at the master's level does not meet the course distribution requirements of the department's M.A. program (see "Requirements for the M.A. Degree in English") may be required to complete those distribution requirements with courses taken toward the Ph.D. in addition to their regular coursework. Twenty-four hours of dissertation research are also required.
Foreign languages. The foreign language requirement may be satisfied by one of the following options:
To be formally admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, all students must receive a pass in EN 637 Workshop in Academic Writing, which will normally be taken in the final year of coursework.
Preliminary examination. After finishing coursework, the student must be formally admitted to candidacy for the degree. To meet this requirement, each student must pass a written preliminary examination, and engage with his or her dissertation committee in a one-hour conference concerning the dissertation prospectus. The written preliminary examination will be given at a date agreed upon by the student and his or her examination committee in consultation with the director of graduate studies. The oral conference concerning the dissertation prospectus can be scheduled after the student passes the written examination, when the student and dissertation director agree that the prospectus is ready (date to be arranged by the student in consultation with the graduate studies director and the dissertation committee). The examination and conference will be governed by the following guidelines:
A. Written preliminary examination (see specific procedures for applied linguistics and rhetoric and composition): The written preliminary examination will be of two to four hours in duration in the field or genre of the dissertation. The examination committee will consist of three faculty members from the English department chosen by the student for their expertise in the field. The precise nature of the examination - its length, the type and number of the questions to be asked and answered - will be negotiated between the student and the committee. The fields and genres from which students normally choose the examination specialty include the following:
Fields: Old and Middle English, Renaissance (including Shakespeare), 17th century, Restoration/18th century, 19th-century British, modern British, early American, late American; applied linguistics, rhetoric and composition
Genres: drama, fiction, poetry, intellectual prose, literary theory (e.g., deconstruction, new criticism, new historicism, psychoanalytical criticism)
At the beginning of the semester prior to the semester in which the written preliminary examination is to be taken, the student - working with his or her committee - will formulate a reading list of 30-40 works from which questions will be drawn.
The purpose of the written preliminary examination is to demonstrate competence in the student's area of specialization.
Students who fail the written preliminary examination may take it a second time. Students who fail the examination a second time will not be allowed to continue doctoral work.
B. Dissertation prospectus conference: The conference concerning the dissertation prospectus will be a one-hour discussion between the student and his or her dissertation committee. Generally, that committee will be composed of the dissertation director, plus three other graduate faculty members from the department and one graduate faculty member from outside the department.
The conference will focus on both the soundness of the prospectus and the student's readiness to undertake the research and writing of the dissertation. The purpose of the conference is to help the student begin the writing of the dissertation, to identify areas of potential difficulty, and to prepare the student for the project that lies ahead.
Once the written preliminary examination has been passed and the dissertation prospectus conference completed, the student and his or her dissertation committee must complete an application to candidacy and submit it to the Graduate School. The graduate studies director will notify the Graduate School that the written preliminary examination has been passed and the dissertation prospectus conference completed.
Once the prospectus conference is completed, then the student may proceed to the dissertation. The dissertation defense consists of an oral defense of the dissertation before four English department graduate faculty members (including the director) and an external graduate faculty member. Normally, the members of this committee are those faculty members who formed the dissertation prospectus conference committee. They will be appointed by the director of graduate studies in consultation with the student, who will have a clear understanding with the faculty members involved of whether they will be able to read the dissertation and conduct the final oral examination during summer months or during sabbatical leave if necessary. Faculty members have the prerogative to serve on a committee when they are not teaching; it is the student's responsibility to schedule investigation, writing, and examination in time periods acceptable to members of the committee. All five members of the dissertation committee must have time to read and analyze the dissertation before the oral examination on the dissertation; final approval of the dissertation must be received at least six weeks before graduation.
Composition, rhetoric, and English studies (CRES). The department offers two options for specialization in composition, rhetoric, and English studies:
Normally, 9 of the 12 hours required for either CRES option will consist of EN 532, EN 533:534 (3 hours), and either seminar EN 638 or EN 639. The remaining 3 hours may be selected from EN 512, an additional seminar (EN 638 or EN 639), or other graduate courses in linguistics, literacy theory, research methodology, or history of rhetoric approved by the field adviser in consultation with the rest of the faculty in composition studies. Candidates for either option will normally be expected to teach at least two different freshman composition classes and one sophomore literature survey.
The CRES preliminary examination. A doctoral student wishing to write a dissertation in CRES must pass both the written and oral components of the preliminary examination. CRES candidates who have taught any 200-level classes in English literature at The University of Alabama are not required to take the written preliminary examination required of students in other specialities (see "A. Written preliminary examination" above).
The written preliminary examination for candidates in CRES will be four hours in duration and will require candidates to respond to two of four topics prepared according to the guidelines available in the office of the CRES director.
If the candidate passes the written preliminary examination, the CRES faculty will conduct an oral examination of the candidate at the first convenient opportunity for both the candidate and the faculty. For the oral examination, the candidate will be responsible for material from all four topics - the two not covered on the written examinations as well as the two that were. Note: Candidates intending to write a dissertation in composition studies must pass the oral examination.
CRES dissertation and prospectus defense. CRES students who have passed the preliminary examination are free to form a dissertation committee consisting of a director from the CRES faculty, three other faculty members of the English department, and a faculty member from outside the department. The candidate's dissertation prospectus must be approved by his or her dissertation committee and then defended in an oral examination conducted by this same committee.
Ph.D. in English with a concentration in applied linguistics (discourse, culture, and English language studies). The applied linguistics Ph.D. concentration is shaped by departmental location, faculty expertise, and access to other resources within The University of Alabama. The location in an English department provides opportunities for research on second language writing through involvement in the teaching of freshman composition, while the M.A.-TESOL program, with its collaboration with the English Language Institute on campus, provides opportunities for research in an intensive language program context. Other programs in the Department of English (the literature Ph.D., the Strode Program in Renaissance Studies, the rhetoric and composition program, and the M.F.A. program) expand possibilities for graduate study into stylistics, rhetoric and composition, and literacy issues. Faculty expertise includes spoken language prosody, cross-cultural communication, issues in language teaching methodology, world English, pragmatics and discourse analysis, issues of language and identity, language policy, sociolinguistics, and dialectology. In terms of the wider University, a collaboration in applied linguistics with colleagues in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics offers further possibilities for study. Linguists in other departments also offer courses that can form part of an individualized plan of study (anthropology, education, communicative disorders, communication studies).
Because this is a small program, the admissions process is very selective. Applicants are encouraged to consider carefully the program offerings and apply only if they see a good fit between their interests and faculty expertise in the program. The statement of purpose is especially important in evaluating applicants for admission.
A. Admission. The typical student seeking admission into this program would have a master's degree in English, linguistics, applied linguistics, or TESOL. See the graduate catalog at http://graduate.ua.edu for Graduate School requirements. The application includes a data sheet, statement of purpose, two copies of all transcripts (including UA), three letters of recommendation, proof of immunization, and an application fee. See departmental requirements for GPA and entrance examination score. Whereas the Graduate School requires a TOEFL score of at least 550 for applicants whose first language is not English, the applied linguistics Ph.D. concentration requires a higher score (see below).
B. Departmental requirements. The English Ph.D. requires a GRE general test score of at least 1000 total, a sample of critical writing (20 pages), and a GPA of 3.5 or better on M.A.-level courses.
C. Applied linguistics Ph.D. concentration requirements. A TOEFL score of at least 600, and a TSE score or an audiotape with samples of informal and formal speech by applicant.
D. Coursework. A minimum of 48 hours of coursework (including up to 18 hours from master's studies) will be required, distributed as follows: 9 hours of required courses, 12 hours of distribution requirements in (applied) linguistics, and 9 hours of electives.
9 hours of required courses
EN 637 Workshop in Academic Writing: Under ideal circumstances, the student will take EN 637 twice, once for each qualifying paper. Possible substitutions are EN 538 Research and Critical Prose Workshop or EN 630 Directed Study with the qualifying paper adviser. See the description of the qualifying papers below.
EN 533 and EN 534: Teaching College English practica (3 hours): Normally, students on assistantships would complete this requirement, but, in some instances, applied linguistics Ph.D. students, depending on their degree of support and their particular interests, would be able to substitute another course for this requirement. Note: EN 533 begins with a required one-week training session immediately prior to the start of the fall semester.
12 hours of courses meeting (applied) linguistics distribution requirements
At least one course (3 hours) in each of the following:
9 hours of electives
Depending on the student's area of research interest, he or she may take the remaining dissertation units in the Department of English, or, with appropriate approval, in other programs/departments, including modern languages and classics, anthropology, women's studies, communication studies, and education. Suggested electives in the Department of English: teaching academic writing skills to second language learners; structure of English; second language development; dialectology/sociolinguistics; spoken discourse analysis; teaching language through literature; research methodologies in applied linguistics; introduction to stylistics; a case study of one's own language learning; pedagogical grammar; multicultural literacies; history of the English language; cross-cultural communication; computers and writing; approaches to teaching composition; seminar in composition theories; special topics in composition, advanced modern criticism, and courses in literature and critical theory.
Other requirements
Of the 30 hours of coursework taken at The University of Alabama, no more than 15 hours can be at the 500 level.
Foreign language requirement: see current graduate catalog
Dissertation research: 24 hours minimum required
Total hour/credit requirements
18 hours of transfer credit from the M.A. degree program, 30 hours of coursework at The University of Alabama, and 24 hours of dissertation research at The University of Alabama = 72 hours.
E. The Ph.D. examination. After finishing coursework, the student must be formally admitted to candidacy for the degree. To meet this requirement, the student must 1) complete two qualifying papers, with oral exams, as described below; and 2) engage with his or her dissertation committee in a one-hour conference concerning the dissertation prospectus, as described below. It is the student's responsibility to become familiar with the research interests of the faculty and to choose faculty advisers (and committees) for the two qualifying papers as soon as possible in the program. The components of the exams will be governed by the following guidelines:
F. The dissertation and defense. After advancement to candidacy, the student may proceed with the dissertation. The dissertation defense consists of an oral defense of the dissertation before four English department graduate faculty members, two of whom should be linguists in the department (including the director) and an external graduate faculty member. Normally, the members of the committee are those faculty members who formed the committee at the student's dissertation prospectus conference. (See the graduate catalog for more details of the appropriate arrangements.) When the dissertation has been successfully defended and all departmental and Graduate School requirements have been satisfied, then the student will be awarded the doctoral degree. In the formation of all committees, the graduate studies director has the responsibility for coordinating formation of committees with candidates and faculty members.
Teaching experience. All candidates for the Ph.D. degree are required to have college or university teaching experience in English composition or literature. Teaching assistants in all programs must enroll in EN 533:534 Teaching College English during their first year of service. Completion of the summer practicum, EN 533:534, will result in a combined 3 hours of pass/fail credit.
Admission into the doctoral program with a B.A. degree. Those who wish to apply for admission directly into the doctoral program after completing a B.A. in English must have shown superior aptitude for English at the undergraduate level and satisfy the Graduate School's normal requirements for admission.
The Ph.D. will consist of 48 hours of coursework. Twenty-four of those hours are required. The first 24 hours must be satisfied by coursework specified below in section A. While completing those 24 hours, the student will be given an oral examination (in EN 538), passage of which determines whether the student continues in the program.
A. The first 24 hours: 3 hours in bibliography and research (EN 537 Introduction to Graduate Studies, which is normally offered every fall and which students are encouraged to take in the first semester, for maximum benefit); 3 hours of critical theory (EN 535 Literary Criticism, EN 536 Advanced Modern Criticism, or EN 635 Seminar in Literary Criticism); 3 hours of writing workshop (EN 538 Research and Critical Prose Workshop, which is offered every spring and which students take in their fourth semester); 3 hours of teaching practicums (students with teaching assistantships take the summer practicum, EN 533, and EN 534, for a combined 3 hours of pass/fail credit); and 3 hours of coursework in each of the following areas of English/American literature: medieval-16th century, 17th-18th century, 19th century, 20th century.
The comprehensive oral exam. The comprehensive exam is an oral examination and defense of the paper generated in EN 538. The professor in whose class the paper originated, or the specialist adviser chosen by the student, will work with the student to construct a list of reading material relevant to the paper's subject matter. This list will contain approximately 20-25 items; it may include articles as well as books, primary as well as secondary texts, works used in the essay as well as works that supplement the essay. This list should be designed to place the paper's focus in the broader context of literary studies. The student will then be responsible for these works in a one-hour oral defense of the paper. Failure of the defense and exam for the second time will normally result in the student's dismissal from the program. If the second defense is successful, the student will be awarded a master of arts in English and will not be allowed to work toward the doctoral degree in this program.
B. The second 24 hours: These hours will consist of elective courses, except for EN 637 Workshop in Academic Writing. To be formally admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, all students must receive a pass in this course, which will normally be taken in the final year of coursework.
C. Other requirements: Of the 48 hours taken, 24 must be at the 600 level.
The foreign language requirements, written and oral preliminary examination requirements, dissertation and dissertation research hour requirements are the same as those for students who enter the program with master's degrees.
Graduate students enrolled in 500-level courses that are also offered at the 400 level are expected to perform extra work of an appropriate nature. Graduate credit will not be granted at the 400 level.
All requirements for the M.A., M.A.-TESOL, and M.F.A. degrees must be completed within six years. The Ph.D. degree must be completed within seven years, beginning with the first semester in which the student registers for courses in the program of study.
EN 500 Special Topics. Three hours. Offered every year.
EN 501 Fiction Writing. Three hours.
Enrollment limited to M.F.A. students; other graduate students admitted on the basis of portfolios (see creative writing director during advising period). Focus will be a discussion of original student writing; other reading and writing may be assigned. Offered spring semester.
EN 503 Poetry Writing. Three hours.
Enrollment limited to M.F.A. students; other graduate students admitted on the basis of portfolios (see creative writing director during advising period). Focus will be a discussion of original student writing; other reading and writing may be assigned. Offered fall semester.
EN 509 Writing for Film. Three hours.
An introduction to the craft of writing for film and television.
EN 510 Nonfiction Writing. Three hours.
Focus will be a discussion of original student writing; other reading and writing may be assigned. An introduction to the variety of nonfiction forms including memoir, reportage, the essay, travel writing, reviewing, and the interview.
EN 511 Writing: Special Topics. Three hours.
Enrollment limited to M.F.A. students; other graduate students admitted on the basis of portfolios (see creative writing director during advising). Focus will be a discussion of original student writing; other reading and writing may be assigned. Sample topics: hypertext; the prose poem.
EN 512 Computers and Writing. Three hours.
A survey of how computers can be used to help students improve their writing and to help teachers improve their writing instruction.
EN 520 The Development of English Grammar. Three hours.
A coherent examination of the changing methods and theories for describing the English language.
EN 523 History of the English Language. Three hours.
An introduction to the external history of the English language along with the study of the accompanying internal changes in structure.
EN 524 The Structure of English. Three hours.
An intensive investigation of the structures in the English language, including phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
EN 525 Dialectology. Three hours.
The study of the experience of the English language in America, with particular emphasis on its development and dialects.
EN 528 Directed Readings Abroad. One to three hours.
Designed for graduate students who wish to take an independent studies course during international summer programs. Reading list and requirements will be negotiated between student and faculty member. No more than three credits can be counted towards a degree program.
EN 529 Directed Readings. One to three hours. By arrangement.
EN 530 Feminist Theory (same as WS 530). Three hours.
EN 532 Approaches to Teaching Composition. Three hours.
A study of the basic philosophies and approaches to teaching expository writing in secondary and higher education, along with examination of the traditional grammar and print conventions used in such instruction.
EN 533:534 Teaching College English. Three hours.
Required of all graduate assistants teaching EN 101 and EN 102 for the first time. EN 533 Issues and Methods is offered fall semester; EN 534 Writing about Literature is offered spring semester. Please note: EN 533 begins with a required two-week training session immediately prior to the start of the fall semester.
EN 535 Literary Criticism. Three hours.
A study of selected major critics and critical trends from the classical period into the 20th century.
EN 536 Advanced Modern Criticism. Three hours.
A study of 20th-century literary criticism, with attention both to selected major critics and to contemporary critical trends and movements.
EN 537 Introduction to Graduate Studies. Three hours.
A study of selected bibliographical resources and of some of the important method approaches employed in literary study, including an introduction to critical approaches, scholarly writing, and issues in the profession.
EN 538 Research and Critical Prose Workshop. Three hours.
A writing workshop normally taken after 18 hours, this course is designed to encourage the student to draft and revise a substantial critical paper with the benefit of peer critiques.
EN 539 Approaches to Teaching the Sophomore EN Survey. One hour, pass/fail.
A teaching practicum required of first-time teachers of sophomore surveys of literature.
EN 540 Early American Literature. Three hours.
A survey of the major literary figures prominent in the development of literature in America through the early National period.
EN 542 American Novel to 1900. Three hours.
Emphasis is on the development of the American novel through 1900, with particular attention given to Hawthorne, Melville, Cooper, Twain, Chopin, Crane, James, and others.
EN 543 American Novel, 1900 to 1945. Three hours.
Emphasis is on the development of the American novel from 1900 to 1945, with particular emphasis on such writers as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Wolfe, Dreiser, Cather, Norris, Wright, and others.
EN 544 American Novel since 1945. Three hours.
Emphasis is on the development of the American novel since 1945, with particular emphasis on such writers as Ellison, Kerouac, Bellow, Mailer, Didion, Morrison, O'Connor, Pynchon, Percy, and others.
EN 547 American Poetry to 1900. Three hours.
A critical examination of the works of several major American poets before 1900, with emphasis on the poetry of Bradstreet, Taylor, Poe, Whitman, and Dickinson.
EN 548 American Poetry, 1900 to 1945. Three hours.
An analysis of the sources, themes, and directions of Modernist American poetry, 1900-45, through the work of Pound, Eliot, Williams, Stein, Stevens, Frost, and others.
EN 549 American Poetry since World War II. Three hours.
A survey of major postwar poets, with an emphasis on contemporary poetry and poetics.
EN 553 Studies in American Fiction. Three hours.
Advanced study of American fiction, focusing on a body of work or authors covered in depth using a variety of methodological or theoretical approaches. Topics announced each semester.
EN 554 Studies in American Poetry. Three hours.
Advanced study of American poetry, focusing on a body of work or authors covered in depth using a variety of methodological or theoretical approaches. Topics announced each semester.
EN 561 Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, Troilus and Criseyde. Three hours.
Includes study of Chaucer's language and the 14th-century milieu.
EN 563 Studies in 16th-Century English Literature. Three hours.
A survey of the nondramatic literature of the Elizabethan period. Readings in major and minor writers in verse and prose.
EN 564 Renaissance Women Writers. Three hours.
A survey of women writers in English in the 16th and 17th centuries, including poetry, drama, fiction, and life-writing.
EN 565 Renaissance Drama. Three hours.
An exploration of the plays of Shakespeare's contemporaries (1580-1642).
EN 566 Shakespeare. Three hours.
Topics vary, but the course normally considers a broader selection of Shakespeare's works than is included in a typical undergraduate course.
EN 568 Studies in 17th-Century English Literature. Three hours.
A close reading of the most important and interesting works of Donne, Herbert, Bacon, Browne, Jonson, Marvell, Herrick, and selected minor metaphysical and cavalier poets.
EN 570 Spenser/Milton. Three hours.
At any given time, this course will focus either on Spenser (with emphasis on The Faerie Queene) or on Milton (with emphasis on Paradise Lost).
EN 571 Topics in Restoration and 18th-Century Literature. Three hours.
Designed not only to introduce graduate students to the literature and history of 1600-1785, but to connect that period to the periods which preceded and followed it. Topics will vary from semester to semester.
EN 573 Problems in Enlightenment Literature. Three hours.
Designed to introduce graduate students to new directions in scholarship on the literature of the European Enlightenment, or what is sometimes called "the Long 18th Century," 1650-1850.
EN 582 Romantic Literature. Three hours.
Advanced introduction to Romantic literature and to current developments in Romantic studies.
EN 589 Victorian Literature. Three hours.
Advanced introduction to Victorian literature and to current developments in Victorian studies.
EN 591 Modern British Fiction. Three hours.
An advanced survey of major British novels from the 1890s to the present. Included are works by Hardy, Conrad, Joyce, Lawrence, Woolf, Forster, and others.
EN 593 Modern British Poetry. Three hours.
A study of major British poets from Hardy to Ted Hughes. The emphasis is on the poetry of Yeats, Auden, and Dylan Thomas.
EN 594 Contemporary British Writing. Three hours.
Advanced introduction to trends and issues in British writing from 1945 to the present.
EN 595 Modern British Drama. Three hours.
A survey of British plays from Black-ey'd Susan to contemporary productions.
EN 598 Research Not Related to Thesis (M.A.). Variable credit.
EN 599 Thesis Research (M.A.). Variable credit.
EN 600 Special Topics Seminar in British Literature. Three hours.
A recent topic was Joyce and his contemporaries.
EN 601 Fiction Workshop. Three hours.
Enrollment limited to students with approved portfolios (approval secured upon admission to the M.F.A. program or during advising period - see creative writing director). Focus will be discussion of original student writing; other reading and writing may be assigned.
EN 603 Poetry Workshop. Three hours.
Enrollment limited to students with approved portfolios (approval secured upon admission to the M.F.A. program or during advising period - see creative writing director). Focus will be discussion of original student writing; other reading and writing may be assigned.
EN 605 Writing Workshop: Special Topics. Three hours.
Enrollment limited to students with approved portfolios (approval secured upon admission to the M.F.A. program or during advising period - see creative writing director). Focus will be discussion of original student writing; other reading and writing may be assigned. Sample topics: nonfiction; hypertext; prose poem.
EN 608 Forms: Special Topics. Three hours.
Through readings of primary works and theory by writers in a particular genre or form, this course examines the traditional and contemporary practice of that genre's aesthetics. Sample topics: Prosody, Short Short Fiction and the Prose Poem, Characterization Across Genres.
EN 609 Writers at Work: Form. Theory. Practice. One hour.
Short course in specialized topic of interest to creative writers. Sample topics: Teaching Creative Writing, Profession of Authorship, Writing Internship, Publishing: A Brief History, Poetry and Dance, Episodic Form.
EN 610 Methods in TESOL. Three hours.
A detailed account of language teaching approaches and methods according to their underlying theories of language and language learning.
EN 612 Topics in Applied Linguistics. Three hours.
Intensive study of theoretical issues in second language acquisition, including classroom applications; variable topics.
EN 613 Second Language Development. Three hours.
A study of psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, neurolinguistic, and other approaches to understanding how people develop skill in a second language.
EN 617 Teaching Academic Language Skills to Non-Native English Speakers. Three hours.
A course focusing on the teaching of academic writing skills in the context of an American university.
EN 618 Teaching Language Skills through Literature. Three hours.
A course focusing on literary language as a vehicle for teaching language skills to non-native speakers.
EN 620 English Linguistics. Three hours.
An advanced introductory linguistics course that focuses on the English language and which has relevance for students in the TESOL, literature, rhetoric and composition, and M.F.A. programs.
EN 622 Old English. Three hours.
Study of the language and reading of representative prose and poetry.
EN 625 Seminar in English Linguistics. Three hours.
The application of specific linguistic techniques to a variety of problems in the description of the English language; the course has a different focus each time it is taught.
EN 627 Seminar in the History of the English Language. Three hours.
The close analysis of diachronic issues in the English language; a different set of issues is explored each semester the course is taught.
EN 630 Directed Readings. One to three hours. By arrangement.
EN 631 Classical Backgrounds of English Literature. Three hours.
An analytical study of selections from ancient Greek, Roman, and Hebrew literature, with special emphasis on its influence upon English and American authors.
EN 635 Seminar in Literary Criticism. Three hours.
Intensive study in the writings of one critic or exploration of a topic involving works by several critics. Recent topics have included feminist criticism and psychoanalytic criticism.
EN 637 Workshop in Academic Writing. Three hours.
A writing workshop normally taken in the student's final year of coursework. To pass this course, the doctoral student will be required to revise a paper and submit it for publication.
EN 638 Rhetoric and Composition. Three hours.
A study of major developments in rhetoric, linguistics, and cognitive psychology as they apply to composition theory.
EN 639 Seminar in Special Topics in Rhetoric and Composition. Three hours.
Topics to be proposed by faculty each semester. Typical topics include literacy theory, theoretical perspectives on basic writers, and computers and literacy.
EN 640 Special Topics Seminar in American Literature. Three hours.
Recent topics have included "American Madness: the Literary Figurations of Unreason"; and Thoreau, Dickinson, and related contemporary writings.
EN 641 Seminar in American Literature before 1850. Three hours.
Intensive literary and historical study of writing by one or more American authors. A recent topic was the making, recording, and remaking of history in 19th-century American literature.
EN 642 Seminar in American Literature, 1850-1900. Three hours.
Intensive literary and historical study of writing by one or more American authors. A recent topic was the mythologizing of Mark Twain.
EN 647 Seminar in Southern Literature. Three hours.
An intensive look at a major aspect of Southern American drama, poetry, and/or prose. Recent topics have included a study of race and gender in writings of Southern women; Faulkner and his legacy; and Tennessee Williams.
EN 648 Seminar in African-American Literature. Three hours.
A critical exploration of African-American literature - culturally, historically, politically, and aesthetically - with efforts to define and contextualize the African-American experience.
EN 660 Seminar in Old English Literature. Three hours.
Prerequisite: EN 622 Old English.
Intensive study of Old English literature and culture. Recent topics have included Beowulf and contemporary criticism.
The Canterbury Tales, Troilus and Criseyde, and selected minor poems. Includes advanced study of Chaucer's language and the 14th-century milieu.
EN 662 Middle English Literature Exclusive of Chaucer. Three hours.
A survey of the period with emphasis on types of literature, allegory, and satire. The opinions and attitudes of the Middle Ages are examined.
EN 665 Seminar in Renaissance Literature I. Three hours.
Recent topics have included Elizabethan drama and friendship in Renaissance literature.
EN 666 Seminar in Renaissance Literature II. Three hours.
Recent topics have included Jacobean and Caroline drama and Shakespearean tragedy.
EN 667 Shakespeare in Performance Practicum. Three hours.
Shakespeare wrote his plays to be performed, and this course investigates conditions and implications of performance on stage and in film, present and past.
EN 668 Seminar in Renaissance Literature III. Three hours.
Recent topics have included John Donne's poetry and mourning and the elegy.
EN 669 Strode Seminar in the Age of Shakespeare. Three hours.
This seminar is based around part-time residence of distinguished faculty from other universities. Recent topics have included constructing gender and Milton and Shakespeare in literary history.
EN 673 Seminar in Restoration Literature. Three hours.
An analytical study of a major aspect of the literature of Britain between 1660 and 1700. Emphasis varies; a recent topic was "The Romance of Conquest."
EN 674 Seminar in 18th-Century British Literature. Three hours.
Emphasis is on a major figure (Fielding, Pope, Swift) and/or groups of writers (The Age of Johnson) and/or form (the novel, biography, drama). Specific topics are announced prior to registration.
EN 683 Seminar in Romantic Literature. Three hours.
Intensive study of English Romantic poetry and prose. Recent topics have included Wordsworth and Coleridge, and the Shelley circle.
EN 685 Seminar in Victorian Literature. Three hours.
Intensive study of Victorian literature. Recent topics have included Browning and Hopkins, and "Anatomies of Pleasure and Pain."
EN 690 Seminar in Modern British Literature. Three hours.
A study of some major aspect or aspects of the literature from 1890 to 1945. Recent topics have included Modernism; Woolf, psychoanalysis, and feminism; and Dylan Thomas, D. H. Lawrence, and Ted Hughes.
EN 691 Seminar in Contemporary British Writing. Three hours.
Investigation of issues in British writing from 1945 to the present. A recent topic was "Representing Africa."
EN 698 Research Not Related to Dissertation (M.F.A./Ph.D.). Variable credit.
| Top | Previous | Next | Contents | Search | UA |