Graduate Programs

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English Language and Literatures

Introduction

The Department of English Language and Literatures offers a flexible M.A. program designed to meet various needs, including those of prospective or practicing high school or college English teachers, ESL specialists, professional writers, and predoctoral students. The program is structured around work in language, literature, and writing. Courses are regularly available in the standard areas of literature, linguistics, composition/rhetoric, professional writing, and gender studies, as well as in nontraditional and interdisciplinary studies. Elective options allow students to design programs to meet their educational goals. In addition to the course and thesis options, special options allow students to combine courses in literature or language with work in creative writing, professional writing, technical writing, women’s studies, or the teaching of writing and literature. The program in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), which includes linguistics and which may be pursued as an option, as an endorsement for certified public school teachers, or as a concentration in itself, prepares students to teach English to nonnative speakers. Details about the different offerings in the TESOL program are available in the departmental office. Interdisciplinary options allow work in programs like reading, communications, religion studies, or history. Internships within the various options prepare students for professional writing careers, for college teaching, or for positions in special collections, archives, and private and rare book libraries by offering on-the-job experience at appropriate sites. Full-time or part-time study is possible.

Admission

Regular
In addition to meeting the admission requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, applicants for regular standing in the M.A. program in English must present either an undergraduate major in English from an accredited college or university with a major average of 3.2 or better (on a 4.0 scale), or five appropriate upper-division courses in English with an average of 3.5 or better in those classes. Applicants must also present an academic paper on a subject in English using secondary sources and an overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better. Applicants with deficiencies in their undergraduate preparation may be required to take additional courses.

Conditional
Applicants whose overall grade point average is between 3.0 and 2.7 will be admitted to conditional standing by action of the English department graduate committee if they meet the other requirements above. To attain regular standing, students must be reviewed by the graduate committee and must earn a grade of B or better in each of the first three graduate courses (12 credit hours) taken.

Upon petition of the student seeking admission, reasonable exceptions to these requirements may be made for sufficient cause.

International Students
It is essential that applicants for an M.A. in English be able to demonstrate their proficiency in written and spoken English. In addition to a minimum TOEFL score of at least 600 on the paper-based exam or 250 on the computer-based exam, applicants should submit (1) a sample of written English in the form of one or two school papers, one that the applicant regards as his or her best effort and perhaps a second showing a professor’s marks and grade; and (2) a score on the Test of Spoken English of 250 or above (old test) or 55 or above (new test); the Test of Spoken English can be taken on the same date as the TOEFL test.

Nondegree students enrolled in English graduate courses are subject to review and approval by the English department graduate committee.

Advising

No student should take graduate work without departmental advisement. Both full- and part-time students should consult regularly each quarter with the director of graduate studies in English, the department’s graduate advisor. Students taking graduate English courses who are not enrolled in the M.A. program should also consult the director of graduate studies to determine the courses that will best meet their needs.

Degree Requirements

The master’s program in English comprises three concentrations. The concentration in literature enables students to increase their knowledge of English and American literature and to improve their critical skills and their grasp of scholarly method. The concentration in composition and rhetoric provides training in writing theory and pedagogy. The concentration in TESOL provides those who wish to teach ESL with thorough grounding in linguistics, language acquisition theory, and classroom practice. To meet these goals, the program uses three groups of courses:

The 600-level courses offer widely varied topics in literature and language and are especially suitable for students wishing to extend their knowledge of English and American literature, critical theory, writing pedagogy, and linguistics.

The 700-level core courses provide students with the necessary scholarly and critical skills for graduate-level work. All students in the concentration in literature are required to take both ENG 701 and 702; all students in the concentration in composition and rhetoric and the concentration in TESOL are required to take both ENG 700 and 711.

The 700-level seminar courses offer opportunities for intensive and specialized scholarly and critical study on a broad range of specific literary and linguistic topics; three seminars are required of all students in the program.

Additional elective courses are available in literature, language, and writing.

All students are required to submit a graduate portfolio.

Graduate Portfolio
During the last quarter in the program, a candidate for a degree must submit a portfolio that includes a cover essay, and an independent paper. Every Candidate must pass the graduate portfolio in order to receive a degree.

Details concerning the portfolio are available from the Department of English Language and Literatures.

Thesis
Students who elect the thesis option or the creative writing thesis option are required to enroll for 8 quarter hours of credit under ENG 799 and prepare a thesis or, in the case of creative writing students, a work of imaginative literature, under the supervision of an advisor approved by the director of graduate studies in English. This thesis will be read and approved by the candidate’s committee, which will be chaired by the candidate’s thesis advisor.

Certificate Programs in English
Wright State University offers graduate certificate programs in professional writing, technical writing, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). For more information about these certificates, contact the Department of English Language and Literatures, or visit http://cola.wright.edu/Dept/ENG/

Graduate Validation in TESOL
For information about the endorsement in TESOL, which enables the recipient to teach English as a second language to students in grades for which the candidate already holds or plans to earn a state of Ohio teaching licensure, students should contact the director of TESOL, the College of Education and Human Services, or visit http://cola.wright.edu/Dept/ENG/tesol/

Language Requirement
A reading knowledge of a modern foreign language is not required of any student but is strongly recommended for students contemplating additional graduate work at the doctoral level. An adequate reading knowledge can be demonstrated either by course work or an examination that certifies competence at the third year level.

Faculty

Professors
Peter S. Bracher (Emeritus), Victorian literature, English novel
Richard H. Bullock, director of writing programs
Norman R. Cary (Emeritus), world literature in English, non-Western literature
Robert M. Correale (Emeritus), Chaucer, Middle English literature
John F. Fleischauer (Emeritus), Renaissance literature, classical rhetoric
James R. Guthrie, American literature
O. Elizabeth Harden (Emerita), English romantic literature, English novel
Lillie P. Howard, African American literature, eighteenth-century novel, Jane Austen
James M. Hughes (Emeritus), American literature, American studies, popular culture
Lawrence E. Hussman (Emeritus), American literature, naturalism
Joe Law, composition and rhetorical theory, Victorian literature
Martin Maner, eighteenth-century English literature
Barry Milligan, nineteenth-century British literature, Romantic literature
Gary B. Pacernick, creative writing, modern poetry
Mary Beth Pringle, modern novel; women’s literary studies; professional, business, and technical writing
Martha C. Sammons, technical writing, fantasy literature
Donald R. Swanson (Emeritus), nineteenth- and twentieth-century English literature, English novel
Thomas R. Whissen (Emeritus), modern British literature, comparative literature, English novel

Associate Professors
Angela Beumer Johnson, English education, integrated language arts
Cecile W. Cary (Emerita), Shakespeare, Renaissance studies
Deborah Crusan, Director of ESL, TESOL, ESL, assessment, applied linguistics
Chris Hall, ESL composition, computers and writing
Lynette L. Jones, African American literature, American literature, women writers
Henry S. Limouze (chair), Milton, seventeenth-century literature, linguistics
Carol S. Loranger, Director of Graduate Studies in English, twentieth-century American literature, critical theory
Marguerite G. MacDonald, Director of TESOL
Nancy Mack, English education, writing theory
Annette Oxindine, twentieth-century British literature, feminist criticism
David Seitz, composition studies, rhetorical theory
Alpana Sharma, postcolonial literature and theory, feminist literature and theory, critical theory, U.S. multi-ethnic literature

Assistant Professors
Heidi J. Breuer, Medieval literature, Arthurian literature, women in literature
Erin Flanagan, Creative Writing
John Haught, TESOL, education

Alex Mcleod, Shakespeare, sixteenth-century literature, early modern drama

Financial Assistance

The Department of English Language and Literatures awards a limited number of graduate assistantships annually to qualified students. Assistants are usually assigned teaching responsibilities. Assistantships may be renewed for a second year, and assistants can complete the requirements for a degree in two academic years.

International students who wish to apply for teaching assistantships must demonstrate near-native proficiency in English by scoring 600 on TOEFL and 300 (old test) or 60 (new test) on the Test of Spoken English.

Course of Study

Program of Study: Concentration in Literature

Core Courses	8

ENG 701 Methods and Materials of Research in Literature	4
ENG 702 Theory and Practice of Literary Criticism	4
Additional Courses	20

Five 700-level courses, at least three of which must be seminars: ENG 720, 730, 740, 750, 760 (prerequisite ENG 701)
Elective Options (see below)	20-22
Total	48-50

Program of Study: Concentration in Composition and Rhetoric

Core Courses	8

ENG 700 Methods and Materials of Research in Writing and Language	4
ENG 711 Rhetoric	4
Additional Courses	20

Five 700-level courses: at least three must be seminars, and at least two must be seminars in writing and/or language:
ENG 770, 780 (prerequisite ENG 700)
Elective Options (see below)	20-22
Total	48-50

Program of Study: Concentration in TESOL

Core Courses	8

ENG 700 Methods and Materials of Research in Writing and Language	4
ENG 711 Rhetoric	4
700-level Courses	20
ENG 770 TESOL Listening and Speaking	4
ENG 780 TESOL Reading and Writing	4
Three additional 700-level courses in writing or language, at least one of which must be a seminar 12 (prerequisite ENG 700)
600-level courses in TESOL	24

ENG 681 Theory of ESL	4
ENG 682 Grammatical Structures of English	4
ENG 683 Sociolinguistics	4
ENG 684 TESOL Methods and Materials	4
ENG 687 TESOL Assessment	4
ED 660 or 658* Practicum	4
Total	52

*ED 658 is required for Endorsement in TESOL.
Details about adding a TESOL endorsement to the M.A. in TESOL are available in the departmental offices. The endorsement in TESOL enables the recipient to teach English as a second language to students in grades for which the candidate is licensed. It is attached to the existing state of Ohio teaching licensure in a related field.

Elective Options

Students may satisfy the Elective Option requirement in either emphasis above by taking any one of the following groups of courses:
Course Option
Five additional courses at the 600 or 700 level	20
Interdisciplinary Option
One or two additional courses at the 600 or 700 level	4-8
Four or five graduate courses from outside the department	12-16
Communication Options
Organizational Communication Option
This track is designed to develop or enhance applied communications skills appropriate to work in organizations in the public and private sectors.
Required	16
COM 741 Principles and Application of Communication Theory
COM 643 Interviewing
COM 647 Organizational Communication
COM 651 Communication Consulting and Training
Elective(s)	4-6
One or two communication courses chosen by the student and approved by the departmental advisor.
Mass Communication Option
This track is designed to develop or enhance applied communication skills appropriate to work in the mass media of radio, television, print journalism, cable, and videotape.
Required	16
COM 741 Principles and Application of Communication Theory
COM 654 Feature Story Writing
COM 658 Editing for the Media
COM 662 Mass Media Law and Regulation
Elective(s)	4-6
One or two communication courses chosen by the student and approved by the departmental advisor.
Communications Studies Option
This track is designed to allow students to design a program of study that coherently complements the English curriculum and allows for the development of applied communication skills or the enhancement of theoretical sophistication in the communicative arts.
Required	4
COM 741 Principles and Application of Communication Theory
Elective(s)	16-18
Communication courses chosen by the student and approved by the departmental advisor.
Option in Teaching Writing and Literature
ENG 716 The Study of Literature	4
One of the following:	4-6
ENG 703/704 Teaching College Composition
ENG 717 The Study of Writing
One of the following:	4
ENG 711 Rhetoric
ENG 712 Style in Writing
ENG 717 The Study of Writing
One of the following:	4
ENG 721 Teaching Gender Studies
ENG 731 Teaching Major Writers
ENG 741 Teaching Literary Genres
ENG 751 Teaching Cultural Periods
ENG 761 Teaching Literary Problems
Supervised Classroom Teaching Experience:	4
ENG 795 Internship in Teaching or another course chosen in consultation with the graduate director
Thesis Option
Three additional courses at the 600 or 700 level	12
ENG 799 Thesis (total of 8 credits required)	8
Creative Writing Option
Creative Writing Seminar
ENG 692 Poetry Writing Seminar
or
ENG 693 Fiction Writing Seminar
Two courses chosen from those in creative writing (e.g. ENG 692, ENG 710)
Two more courses in selected other courses in creative writing (memoir, creative non-fiction, multi-genre folklore), creative process, contemporary literature, aesthetics or literary criticism
or
ENG 799 Thesis (8 hours)
Note: ENG 692 and 693 may count up to three times (12 hours) for credit toward the M.A. degree. While each may be taken three times for credit, no more than 12 hours of such credit will count on any student’s program of study.
Archives and Records Management Option
HST 687 Introduction to Public History	4
HST 711 Introduction to Archives and Manuscripts	4
HST 714 Advanced Programs in Archival Work	4
HST 730 Archival Records Technologies	2
HST 740 Information Management	2
HST 715 Historical Management Internship	5
HST 720 Project	1
Note: Upon successful completion of these courses, students are eligible for a certificate in Archives and Records Management from the Department of History. Students must fill out a certificate application with the Director of Public History.
Museum Studies Option
HST 687 Introduction to Public History	4
HST 712 Museum Administration and Collections	4
HST 712 Museum Interpretation and Exhibits	4
HST 725 Topics in Public History: Decorative Arts	4
HST 715 Historical Management Internship	5
HST 720 Project	1
Note: Upon successful completion of these courses, students are eligible for a certificate in Museum Studies from the Department of History. Students must fill out a certificate application with the Director of Public History.
Technical and Professional Writing Option
Prerequisite: ENG 333/533 Fundamentals of Technical Writing
Both
ENG 600 Topics in Computers and Professional Writing	4
ENG 602 Professional Editing	4
Either
ENG 605 Topics in Technical and Professional Writing	4
or
ENG 604 Short Topics in Technical, Business, and Professional Writing
Two of the following courses	8
*ENG 654 Feature Story Writing (also COM 654)
*ENG 658 Editing for the Media (also COM 658)
ENG 712 Style in Writing
ENG 717 The Study of Writing
*ENG 718 The Study of Professional Writing
ENG 711 Rhetoric (if not taken as a core course)
*ENG 795 Internship
MBA 740 Legal and Ethical Decision Making
MBA 750 Leading Teams and Organizations
MGT 703 Seminar in Human Resources Management
Note: Students completing the core courses and ENG 700 or 701, or any one of the starred (*) courses, with a GPA of 3.2 or better are eligible for a Certificate in Technical and Professional Writing upon successful completion of a certificate portfolio. See Director of Writing Programs for details.
Women's Studies Option
ENG 720 Women's Studies through Literature	4
Four or five more graduate-level courses in English or other disciplines chosen from the list of approved graduate-level courses for WMS available from the director of Women's Studies. Four to eight credit hours of ENG 799 Thesis may substitute for two to three of these courses provided the thesis is focused on topics relevant to
Women's Studies.	16
Completing the option can also lead to a graduate certificate.
Contact the office of Women's Studies or visit their Web site for more information about the certificate: http://www.cola.wright.edu/wms/WMSPRGMS.HTM/
TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Option*
ENG 681 Theory of ESL	4
ENG 682 Grammatical Structures of English	4
ENG 683 Sociolinguistics	4
ENG 684 TESOL Methods and Materials	4
ENG 687 TESOL Assessment	4
ENG 660 Practicum	2
*These 22 hours constitute a certificate in TESOL as well as an option in the English M.A. program.