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Master
of Arts (M.A.) in English
Students pursuing this degree must choose one of the following
three areas of concentration.
Click one:
All courses are taught by full-time faculty and are offered
on weekdays (in the late afternoon and evening) and occasionally
on Saturdays.
Graduate teaching assistantships and fellowships are available
on a limited basis.
For more information, contact the English Department's Graduate
Advisement Coordinator, Marilyn Boutwell.
(In the summer, contact Wayne Berninger.)
Click here for the latest issue
of our graduate newsletter, A Word's Worth.
For general information or a Graduate Bulletin, call
the Admissions Office at 718-488-1011. You may also Download
a Graduate Admissions Application from the Admissions
Office website. On your application, be sure to indicate which
degree you want (M.A.) and which concentration (Literature,
Professional Writing, or Writing & Rhetoric). Note: the
term "specialization" may be used on the application
rather than "concentration," but it's the same thing.
With your completed application, be sure to include the following:
(1) A letter of intent about your academic interests and career
goals; (2) A sample of your academic writing such as an essay
or research paper from a college English class, no matter
which concentration you choose; (3) One or two letters of
recommendation.
Note: In order to register, a student must have at least
a B average in six advanced undergraduate English courses.
Click here for
information about how to become a middle school or high school
English teacher.
Literature
The concentration in Literature is designed for teachers,
future doctoral students, or for those interested in expanding
their knowledge of literature. It is a program based predominantly
on courses in American, British, and comparative literatures.
Our professors bring a variety of critical approaches, helping
students to develop as knowledgeable critics of literature.
A candidate for the M.A. with a concentration in Literature
must complete 33 credits, including English 708 (Thesis).
Twenty-one of these credits must be in literature.
Required Courses
English 707: Methods of Research and Criticism
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A choice of seven literature courses from departmental
offerings.
(Recent course titles include: Representations of Struggle
in African Literature and Film; Modern Irish Literature--James
Joyce's Ulysses; Contemporary Poetry; Gender
and Sexuality in Medieval Literature; Toni Morrison
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Two electives in English
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English 708: Thesis
The thesis is normally an extension of work already
undertaken or suggested by a course. It will generally
take more than one semester to be developed, revised,
and completed. Its scope should be precisely defined
so that the topic can be discussed intelligently in
approximately 50-100 pages. In addition to the primary
text(s), the thesis must include a significant number
of secondary sources demonstrating that the student
is familiar with the major critical approaches to the
subject. The thesis maybe based on single authors, genre
analysis, social or historical perspectives on culture,
critical traditions, or literary movements or periods.
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Click here to see descriptions
of selected courses offered during the last several semesters.
Click
here for general course descriptions, as they appear in
the Graduate Bulletin.
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Professional
Writing
The revised Professional Writing Concentration described
below is currently undergoing Long Island University's approval
process. Students should check with Marilyn
Boutwell in the English Department for the status of the
Concentration and for new Professional Writing courses.
The concentration in Professional Writing is designed for
students interested primarily in writing-related careers associated
with the professions, businesses and non-profit organizations,
science and technology, and new electronic media. The concentration
is designed to provide students with both individual attention
and professional guidance in writing workshops and independent
studies. The goal is to expand student's knowledge and practice
of nonfiction professional writing genres with attention also
to history, theory, research, and professional practices.
Required Courses
English 707--Methods of Research and Criticism
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1 Professional Writing Field Specialty
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2 Professional Writing Electives
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3 Electives chosen from the Department's concentrations
in: Professional Writing
and/or Writing & Rhetoric
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3 Literature Electives
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English 708: Thesis
The thesis is normally an extension of work already
undertaken or suggested by a writing course taken in
the Professional Writing concentration. The thesis will
generally take more than one semester to be developed,
revised, and completed. Its scope should be precisely
defined so that the topic can be discussed intelligently
in approximately 50-100 pages. The thesis should develop
principally from primary and/or secondary research.
The main document in the thesis should take the form
of an extended academic research paper or a research-based
professional writing genre, such as a report, grant
proposal, or informational Web site. This main document
may be accompanied by a portfolio of supporting or related
documents, such as a report accompanied by a proposal,
or a Web site accompanied by a justification report.
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Click here to see descriptions
of selected courses offered during the last several semesters.
Click
here for general course descriptions, as they appear in
the Graduate Bulletin.
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Writing &
Rhetoric
The Master of Arts with a concentration in Writing and Rhetoric
is designed to deepen students' knowledge and practice of
writing; to familiarize them with the history and theory of
rhetoric; and to develop their expertise in the teaching of
writing. It supports the development of nonfiction, academic,
and workplace writing; helps prepare teachers of writing in
secondary and post-secondary education; and can lead to advanced
work in rhetoric and related fields. Students receive extensive
feedback on their own writing, in-depth instruction in rhetorical
theory and research methods, and training in the teaching
of writing from diagnostics to evaluation, including a practicum
in which students teach composition under the guidance of
experienced instructors. The program addresses writing problems--from
pedagogical and theoretical perspectives--encountered at all
levels of writing from very basic to advanced composition.
33 credits
Required Courses
English 707: Methods of Research and Criticism
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English 700: Practicum in Teaching Composition
or
English 646: Individual and Small Group Writing Instruction
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English 620: Theories of Rhetoric
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English 508: General Linguistics
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Three electives (at least two from Writing & Rhetoric
and no more than one from either Professional
Writing or Creative Writing).
* See Note below.
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Three electives from Literature
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English 708: Thesis
The thesis is normally an extension of work already
undertaken or suggested by a course and will take more
than one semester to be developed, revised and completed.
Its scope should be precisely defined so that the topic
can be discussed intelligently in approximately 50-100
pages. It must include secondary sources, a description
of method, and analysis of data, although these requirements
may be met variously. The thesis should address topics
of rhetoric, composition, and/or pedagogy; it may be
based on 1) library research; 2) ethnographic research,
including authoethnography; and/or 3) case studies.
You may use any combination of these approaches for
the thesis.
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*Note
Teaching Assistansts (who tutor in the Writing Center)
will be required to take English 646 (Individual and
Small Group Writing Instruction). Teaching Fellows (who
teach English 16) will be required to take English 700
(Practicum in Teaching Writing). This means that those
who both tutor and teach may have to take an extra three-credit
course to be eligible for those positions. A total of
33 credits, including the thesis, is required to graduate.
Available Electives in Writing & Rhetoric
English 509: Sociolinguistics
English 520: Nonfiction Writing Workshop
English 522: Academic Writing Workshop
English 646: Individual & Small Group Writing Instruction
(if not counted as a required course)
English 700: Practicum in Teaching Composition (if not
counted as a required course)
English 519: Editing [NEW]
English 642: Computers and Composition [NEW]
English 530: Topics in Writing, e.g., Writing in the
Community, Writing for Nonprofits [NEW]
English 531: Topics in Rhetoric, e.g., History of Rhetoric,
Non-Western Rhetorics [NEW]
English 532: Topics in Theory, e.g., Discourse Theory,
Critical Theory [NEW]
English 533: Topics in Composition, e.g., Composition
Theories [NEW]
English 640: Second Language Writing [NEW]
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Click here to see descriptions
of selected courses offered during the last several semesters.
Click
here for general course descriptions, as they appear in
the Graduate Bulletin.
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