The study 0f literature and language deepens students’ understanding of the human condition by engaging with and analyzing texts from a variety of theoretical perspectives. Literary study enhances cultural awareness and aesthetic appreciation, fosters sensitivity and mental suppleness through consideration of multiple viewpoints, and encourages critical thinking. Linguistic and rhetorical study heightens understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of language and perfects students’ abilities to critique and improve their own writing in light of its purpose and audience.
This program prepares students for further advanced study; for career development or advancement in secondary and community college teaching; or for careers in research, writing, and editing for business, government, and nonprofit organizations. The program is also open to qualified individuals who seek intellectual enrichment through stimulating study and ongoing dialogue with engaged adults from a variety of backgrounds about topics of ongoing human interest.
Students may choose from two program options:
Admission Requirements: In addition to meeting the Universitywide requirements for graduate admission applicants must present
Nondegree Admission: Applicants wishing to enroll for limited coursework may do so as nondegree students for a maximum of 9 credits and two consecutive semesters. See Admissions for further information on nondegree studies.
International Students: See Nonnative speakers of English for test options and score requirements. Students who hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited postsecondary institution where the language of instruction is English are exempt from this requirement.
Transfer Credits: A maximum of 6 semester credits of transfer graduate credit may be applied toward the degree, if approved by the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and the registrar.
Degree Requirements
Foundational Courses (6 credits), as follows:
EN 501 Building Textual Interpretation
EN 502 The Transformation of Literary Study
Program Courses (21-27 credits), as follows:
Six (6) credits in designated language courses. These courses focus on the theoretical and/or practical aspects of language and include classes in linguistics, rhetoric, and writing. Students may choose from the following: EN 524 Myth, Symbol, and Language; EN 550 General Linguistics; EN 551 Composition: Theory and Practice; EN 552 Applied Phonology; EN 554 Applied Grammar: Syntactic Structures; EN 558 History of the English Language; EN 559 Studies in Creative Writing
Nine (9) credits in designated literature courses. These courses focus on placing textual study in historical, cultural, or theoretical contexts. Students may choose from the following: EN 552 Out of the ‘30s*; EN 527 Dante’s Florence and the The Divine Comedy*; EN 528 Visions of Freedom in the Modern World; EN 533 Shakespeare: Text and Performance*; EN 542 Origins of the Novel: Text, Context, and Critique*; EN 545 Social Upheaval and Dramatic Structure*; EN 549 Topics in Counter-Cultural Literary Movements*; EN 572 The Canterbury Tales and the Late Medieval World*; EN 574 Gender, Race, and Empire in 19th Century British Culture*; EN 576 Literary Proponents of Culture in the 19th and 20th Century*; EN 590 Major Author(s)
Six (6) to twelve (12) credits in either language or literature courses and selected to fulfill the student’s goals and interests. Students in the 30-credit program take six (6) credits and may take three (3) of these credits in non-literature Humanities courses. Students in the 36-credit program take 12 credits and may take six (6) of these credits in Humanities (HUM) or approved Education (ED) courses.
Capstone Course (3 credits), as follows:
EN 695 Master’s Project (for students in the 30-credit program) or
EN 690 Practicum (for students in the 36-credit program)
*These courses are cross-listed as Humanities (HUM) courses.