Faculty Advisor: Franz Potter; fpotter@nu.edu

The Master of Arts in English program provides a comprehensive program of graduate study in English, including core courses in literature and a rich array of electives from Shakespeare to Poe to James Baldwin. The program is ideal for teachers who desire a content M.A. beyond the credential. It is also excellent preparation for doctoral studies in English, teaching in the two-year college, or other careers requiring a high degree of literacy.

The program’s core requirements include five seminars–theory, research, and three core literature courses: a literary period course, a major author course, and a theme course. Students have the opportunity to select their course content from a variety of available topics. For example, for the major author seminar, we offer courses in Chaucer, Shakespeare, Austen, Radcliffe, Poe, Dickens, Whitman, T.S. Eliot, Steinbeck, Hemingway, James Baldwin, among others. Students are allowed four elective courses. Those wanting a deeper study of English or American literature can select additional seminars in literary periods, major authors, or themes as their electives. The curriculum covers major approaches to literature, including theoretical, historical, comparative, thematic, multicultural, and genre studies. The program provides students with the critical vocabulary, tools, and research ability to produce literary scholarship of professional quality and to participate in the ongoing scholarly discussions of issues in the field of literary study. In their capstone project, students write a scholarly paper to the standards of a scholarly journal of their choice, and a number of our graduates have succeeded in publishing their capstone projects.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Research and apply relevant criticism in sustained analyses and interpretations of specific works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
• Evaluate the relevance and validity of different theoretical approaches (e.g., historicist, biographical, etc.) to the understanding of specific works of literature.
• Engage in informed critical discussion, both oral and written, of theoretical issues pertaining to the study of literature.
• Engage in informed critical discussion, both oral and written, of the works and criticism of a specific literary period or movement.
• Participate in rigorous critiques of the scholarly works of others.
• Revise and expand a scholarly paper to submit for publication in a scholarly or literary journal.

Degree Requirements

To receive the Master of Arts in English, students must complete at least 45 quarter
units. A total of 4.5 quarter units of graduate credit may be granted for equivalent
graduate work completed at another institution, as it applies to this degree and
provided the units were not used in earning another advanced degree. Students
should refer to the General Catalog section on graduate admission requirements
for specific information regarding admission and evaluation.

Core Requirements (6 courses; 27 quarter units)

ENG 599 Intro to Grad English Studies
ENG 600 Seminar in Literary Theory
ENG 620A Literary Period or Movement I or ENG 620B Literary Period or Movement II
ENG 680A Seminar in a Theme I or ENG 680B Seminar in a Theme II
ENG 690A Major Author Seminar I or ENG 690B Major Author Seminar II
ENG 699 English Capstone Course or ENG 697 Capstone Project in Rhet Crit

Additional Requirements (4 courses; 18 quarter units)

Select from the following courses:

ENG 620A Literary Period or Movement I or ENG 620B Literary Period or Movement II
MCW 630 Seminar in Fiction
ENG 640 Seminar in Poetry
MCW 645 Seminar in Poetry
MCW 650 Seminar in Creative Nonfiction
ENG 655 Composition Pedagogy
ENG 656 History of Rhetoric
ENG 657 Modern Rhetoric
ENG 665 Film Theory
ENG 666 Film History: The Silents
ENG 667 Film History: American Film
ENG 668 Film Genre Studies
ENG 669 World Film
ENG 670 Comparative Literary Studies
ENG 690A Major Author Seminar I or ENG 690B Major Author Seminar II
ENG 680A Seminar in a Theme I or ENG 680B Seminar in a Theme II
ENG 685 Great Directors: American
ENG 686 Great Directors: International