Master of Arts in English
Program Coordinator: Dr. Elizabeth Bidinger
Phone: 508-929-8431
Email: ebidinger@worcester.edu
In addition to the standard admission requirements set by Worcester State at: http://worcester.edu/Graduate/ applicants to the Master of Arts in English must have either earned an undergraduate degree in English or completed at least 18 semester credit hours of English courses, not counting first-year English composition classes or English for English Language Learners, at an accredited institution of higher education. Applicants without undergraduate training in the English discipline are strongly advised to take survey courses in American and English literature and a course in undergraduate literary theory as part of the required 18 undergraduate credits.
The program has the following convenient features:
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A part-time evening schedule
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A rolling admission that allows students to start their studies in any semester
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Possibility of transferring in up to 12 credits of graduate work after coordinator review
Note: transfer credits may include coursework taken at Worcester State University prior to matriculation.
Items Needed to Apply:
- Online application found at www.worcester.edu/apply
- Essay explaining reason for pursuing this degree program
- Application fee
- Two letters of recommendation from professional or academic sources
- Official transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended showing a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
- Official transcript evaluation for any transcript from outside the United States
- An English language proficiency test if the student’s academic background is not taught in English
- Undergraduate degree in English or at least 18 completed semester credit hours of English courses, not counting first-year English composition classes or English for English Language Learners, at an accredited institution of higher education
Applicants without undergraduate training in the English discipline are strongly advised to take survey courses in American and English literature and a course in undergraduate literary theory as part of the required 18 undergraduate credits.
Requirements of the Program
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| English Foundation courses | (3 credits) | |
| EN-901 | Methods of Graduate Research | 3 |
| English Elective courses | (21 credits) | |
| Students will select, with the approval of a graduate advisor, 21 credits from the graduate English courses listed in the catalog. | 21 | |
| Additional electives | (9 credits) | |
| Students will select, with the approval of a graduate advisor, 9 graduate credits in English or another area. | 9 | |
| Thesis/Exam Option | (0 credits) | |
| Upon completion of their course work, candidates must successfully fulfill a last requirement in the form of either two substantial area examinations or a thesis. While the general focus of the examinations and the thesis must deal with literature and/or rhetoric, the individual student and his or her advisor together will decide on the specific subject(s) to be explored. | ||
| Thesis Research & Writing (option in place of an elective course.) | ||
| Total Credits | 33 | |
Graduate English Courses
EN-900 History and Structure of the English Language
The phonology, syntax, and lexicon of English from its proto-Indo-European origins to its contemporary dialects.
3 Credits
EN-901 Methods of Graduate Research
An introduction to graduate-level research and writing.
3 Credits
EN-903 Theory and Teaching of Writing
Current writing theory and pedagogy with emphasis on the college, high school, or middle school classroom.
3 Credits
EN-908 Milton
Analysis of Milton's prose and poetry, emphasizing "L'Allegro,"Il Penseroso," Comus,"Lycidas," Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes, and Areopagitica.
3 Credits
EN-909 Critical Approaches to Literature
An in-depth examination and interpretive application of the works of a critical theorist or a critical perspective, to be chosen by the instructor.
Every year. 3 Credits
EN-910 Literature of the English Renaissance
Advanced examination of Tudor and Jacobean literature emphasizing More, Wyatt, Surrey, Sidney, Spenser, Marlowe, Nashe, Shakespeare, Donne, and Jonson.
3 Credits
EN-911 Young Adult Literature
Examination of a range of texts, classical and modern, that address both middle-school and high- school (and older) readers.
3 Credits
EN-912 Shakespeare
This course will examine various aspects of Shakespear's plays and poems.
3 Credits
EN-921 Antislavery Literature in the Atlantic World
This course traces the literary history of the antislavery movement in the Atlantic World: writing in a range of genres (journalism, history, fiction, poetry, drama, slave narratives), antislavery writers made a significant contribution to the campaigns to end the slave trade and slavery. While the Atlantic system of legal slavery ended in the nineteenth century, an even larger system of illegal slavery still exists, and so the course concludes by considering the work of twenty-first century antislavery writers and what they might learn from their predecessors. In other words, can we use literary history to make slavery history?
Fall only and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
EN-925 Eighteenth-Century Novel
Explores the origins of the novel genre.
3 Credits
EN-931 Nineteenth-Century Novel
Explores British prose fiction of the nineteenth century.
3 Credits
EN-932 English Theatre: 1660-1780
English Theatre introduces the student to the study of Restoration theatre, the tragedies of Dryden, but principally the great comedies of Etherege, Vanbrugh, Wycherley, Dryden, Behn, Rochester, Farquhar, and Congreve; the counter-movement of sentimental comedy that followed from 1710 to the 1750s, notably in the work of Cibber, Steele and Centlivre; and finally the return in the 1770s to "laughing comedy" found in the plays of Goldsmith and the witty comedy of manners in the plays of Sheridan.
Other or on demand and other or on demand. 3 Credits
EN-933 Romantic and Victorian Gothic
Romantic and Victorian Gothic is a subversive arena where major authors explore the issues bedeviling their eras.
3 Credits
EN-934 The Romantics and the Victorians 1798-1901
An historical and critical survey of the prose and poetry of the nineteenth century including Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats, Tennyson, Arnold and Browning.
3 Credits
EN-938 The World of Dickens
Major aspects of the life and art of Dickens will be examined in a variety of contexts.
3 Credits
EN-941 Modern Poetry
A study of the major figures who shaped American and British poetry between 1920 and 1950.
3 Credits
EN-942 Three Modern Poets
Illustrates how modern poetry differs from that of earlier periods through study of W.B. Yeats, Wallace Stevens, and T.S. Eliot.
3 Credits
EN-943 Medieval Literature
This course covers the major genres of English medieval literature, such as drama, poetry, debate, prose, and riddles. The major works in medieval literature will be covered including Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and the Corpus Christi plays. The themes of religion, courtly love, chivalry, women's roles, and class will be considered.
Other or on demand and other or on demand. 3 Credits
EN-945 Contemporary Poetry
Concentrates on poets whose major work was written after World War II.
3 Credits
EN-953 The Short Story
The Short Story examines in depth the origin and evolution of the genre of short fiction. Nineteenth and early twentieth century American, British, and Continental European stories are studied to provide artistic, theoretical, and cultural contexts for the development of the genre. By the end of the course, representative modern short fiction from various nations is explored in an effort to situate the genre within emerging philosophies of form and narration.
3 Credits
EN-955 American Novel I
The development of the American novel from Charles Brockden Brown through Melville and Hawthorn.
Fall and Spring and other or on demand. 3 Credits
EN-956 Classical Mythology
Study of myths of ancient Greece and Rome through examination of major primary texts and secondary interpretative texts.
3 Credits
EN-957 American Novel II
The development of the American novel from naturalism and realism to the latest fiction of the twentieth century.
Fall and Spring and other or on demand. 3 Credits
EN-958 Women in American Literature
An advanced study of works by and about women in American literature, including Rowson, Foster, and Brown.
3 Credits
EN-961 Film and Literature: Page and Screen
This class explores film's artistic and cultural descent from literature.
3 Credits
EN-990 Directed Study: English
Directed study offers graduate students, who because of unusual circumstances may be unable to register for a course when offered, the opportunity to complete an existing course with an established syllabus under the direction and with agreement from a faculty member. variable credits.
Fall and Spring and every year. 1-6 Credits
EN-997 Graduate Independent Study
Guided exploration of a topic of interest to the student and a member of the English faculty.
Fall and Spring and every year. 3 Credits
EN-998 Special Topics
An exploration and consideration of a theme or topic of mutual interest to instructor and students.
Fall and Spring and other or on demand. 3 Credits
EN-999 Thesis Research & Writing
Guided work relating to the student's thesis.
3 Credits
Knowledge:
Students in the Master of Arts in English program will:
• Demonstrate knowledge of literary terms, major periods, authors, genres, and theories
• Demonstrate knowledge of “best practices” regarding research, writing, teaching, and the academic profession of literary studies
Skills:
Students in the Master of Arts in English program will:
• Develop complex reading, writing, and research skills
• Demonstrate argumentative skills which enable students to defend interpretations and research practices by using textual material, secondary sources, and literary theory
Career Preparation:
Graduates of the Master of Arts in English program are prepared to:
• Teach as adjunct faculty at colleges and universities
• Be a professional writer and editor in a variety of fields
• Work in other professions requiring analytical, literary, or writing skills
• Continue into a PhD program