Curriculum

Program Rationale:

The Master of Arts in English program is designed for students who wish to pursue the advanced study of British, American, and World literatures in English. The program offers two tracks, both of which provide students opportunity to refine and expand their knowledge of literature written in English and their facility with its criticism.

The “Literary Studies” track begins with an introduction to the theory and practice of literary criticism and research and continues with coursework allowing students to work with faculty in small classes to investigate the discipline of literary studies and the scope of British, American and World literatures from their beginnings to the present day. In this way, the MA program supports students' pursuit of careers in teaching at the K-12 level (or enhances the skills and qualifications of those already teaching); helps prepare students for further advanced study in a doctoral program; and gives them the tools necessary for other careers involving reading, research, critical writing, and textual analysis.

The “Online-Hybrid Track for Teachers” is designed specifically for practicing teachers, whether in public or private settings, who want to deepen their knowledge of the type of texts frequently assigned in middle- and high-school Literature courses. Students read widely and critically in the school literature canons, and beyond, and they work closely with faculty to develop their research and presentation skills. The “Online-Hybrid Track for Teachers” offers several advantages for existing educators:

• Graduate level study and research of American, British, and World literatures
• Available accelerated course schedule
• Summer online courses
• Capstone project geared toward practicing teachers

Program Learning Outcomes:

Students will:

• construct a sound argument, supporting effectively and appropriately a valid claim about the material addressed;
• discuss effectively the literary aspects of a prose work or works, such as tone, point of view, characterization, imagery, etc.;
• employ technical language and appropriate literary terminology in service of a clear, effective treatment of material discussed;
• analyze a work or works effectively from the perspective of genre;
• offer persuasive and technically accurate close readings of poetry, including analysis of prosody and other formal features;
• construct an effective analysis of a work or works informed by the tenets of a literary theory;
• analyze a work or works effectively from the perspective of the cultural issues it addresses (gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, etc.);
• analyze a work or works considering accurately their engagement with relevant historical periods;
• read effectively and incorporate successfully into their own arguments secondary material treating the works they address.

Literary Studies Track

Total Credit Hours: 30