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Literature & Writing Specialization
Mission and Goals
The graduate specialization in Literature & Writing offers an MA or MS degree in English to students who wish to do advanced work in the fields of literary criticism, composition, rhetoric, and creative writing. The specialization aims to professionalize its students—helping them to become scholars and teachers of English. While Literature & Writing welcomes any student with a strong undergraduate education in English and a desire to pursue that education further, it does cater most directly to future PhD students in English, to future community college instructors, and to secondary educators.
Although classes from the Literature & Writing curriculum may occasionally be offered online, this is not an online degree program. Students in the program take 80-100% of their credits on the Logan campus.
Literature & Writing mentors and trains its graduate students through four main activities:
(1) Coursework. In both seminars and independent study with faculty, Literature & Writing students consider literary and non-literary texts, learning not only how to interpret such texts but also how to produce them. The program’s course of study thus includes both theory and practice: students take part in the reading and the writing of literature, criticism, essays, and arguments.
While doing most coursework within the Literature & Writing curriculum, students may also pursue their interests by taking some courses in the department’s other master’s programs (American Studies, Folklore, and Technical Writing) as well as doctoral courses in the Theory and Practice of Professional Communication PhD program. Permission of the Director of Graduate Studies in English is required. Coursework may include some online courses, but the Literature & Writing degree is an on-campus program and may not be completed by taking only online classes.
(2) Teaching. Students in the Literature & Writing program have the opportunity to apply for Graduate Instructorships, which train them to be effective teachers of their own sections of college composition courses. Graduate Instructorships include both a stipend and—for non-Utah residents—a waiver of the non-resident portion of their tuition. Graduate Instructors participate fully in the culture of a large English department at a four-year university.
(3) Service Opportunities. Whether they work as Graduate Instructors or not, students are encouraged to volunteer for posts on departmental and university committees. Such work gives them an active voice in the day-to-day operation of an academic institution as well as valuable administrative and organizational experience.
(4) Professional Development Workshops: A series of Graduate Professional Development workshops offers advice and training to help students professionalize themselves in variety of ways: proposing and presenting conference papers, writing for publication, applying for teaching positions, and choosing doctoral programs. The department also has faculty members with non-academic work experience who can advise graduate students on how their knowledge and skills could translate into careers outside academia—in business, industry, and non-profit organizations.
Curriculum
The Literature & Writing curriculum is divided into three groups of courses: Literature, Writing, and Teaching Literature & Writing. Students who are particularly interested in one of these three areas may take as many courses in that group as are available. However, they should not expect to be able to take all their courses from any one group; rather, they are encouraged to take courses from all three groups before they graduate. Students work out their programs of study (i.e., the list of courses that will count towards the master’s degree) with their advisor until they have formed their Supervisory Committee, after which they are advised by the chair of that committee.
Because the Literature & Writing program caters to students with a variety of interests, it includes no mandatory courses. However, all students who are hired as Graduate Instructors must take Engl. 6820 during their first semester of employment. Credit from Engl. 6820 will count towards their degree.
Courses intended primarily for Literature & Writing students are listed below. Independent Study courses, subject to limits, are available every semester.
Literature
ENGL 6320: Literary Theory
Introduces students to advanced literary theories and provides training in sophisticated critical methods. (3 cr) ®
ENGL 6330: Topics in Literary Studies
Allows in-depth study of literary topics and theoretical questions that do not fit defined categories. Topics vary.
(3 cr) ®
ENGL 6340: British Literature and Culture
Offers new approaches to British literature; provides training in literary and cultural criticism; promotes research and writing skills. (3 cr) ®
ENGL 6350: American Literature and Culture
Offers new approaches to American literature; provides training in literary and cultural criticism; promotes research and writing skills. (3 cr) ®
ENGL 6360: World Literature and Culture
Offers new approaches to world literature; provides training in literary and cultural Criticism; promotes research and writing skills. (3 cr) ®
Writing
ENGL 6810: Introduction to Composition Studies
Introduces students to scholarship in the field of composition studies. Students become acquainted with scholars, forums, themes, and practices of the field. (3 cr) (F)
ENGL 6830: Rhetorical Theory
Covers intellectual traditions of rhetoric from classical times to the present. As students study major theories, theoreticians, and controversies in the field, they come to understand rhetoric as the study of relations between discourse, knowledge, and power. (3 cr) (Sp)
ENGL 6880: Topics in Creative Writing
Course changes topics as follows: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In each topic, students learn to write at an advanced level and learn to evaluate creative writing using workshop and peer group methods. Enrollment limited to graduate students only. (3 cr) ®
ENGL 6890: Studies in Writing and Rhetoric
Provides students and faculty with opportunity for in-depth study of timely topics. (3 cr) ®
ENGL 6440: Advanced Seminar in Culture & Professional Communication
Covers topics in rhetorical, critical, and cultural theory, with an emphasis on their application to contemporary practices in social organizations. (3 cr) ®
ENGL 6480: Advanced Seminar in Technology & Writing
Study of theoretical aspects of technologies affecting wiriting. Course topics may include an examination of the history of computing, rhetorics of hypertext, or theories of communication in virtual space. (3 cr) ®
Teaching Literature & Writing
ENGL 6800: Theory & Practice of Online Education in Writing
Examination of principles and their implementation in online writing instruction. Emphasis is placed on writing instruction within English departments. (3 cr) ®
ENGL 6820: Practicum in Teaching Composition
Introduction to teaching writing, designed specifically for graduate instructors teaching in the English Department writing program. Focuses on theory and practice of teaching writing, specifically Engl. 1010, but also prepares graduate instructors for further teaching responsibilities. (3 cr) (F)
ENGL 6850: Studies in the Teaching of English
Prepares students to teach English classes such as literature, composition, or creative writing. Up to 6 credits for Utah Writing Project classes may be earned under this course number. (3 cr) ®
ENGL 6860: Teaching Technical Writing
Prepares students to teach general-purpose technical writing courses at secondary or undergraduate level. Students read and discuss articles on technical writing and practice writing a series of technical documents. (3 cr) (Sp)
Independent Study
ENGL 6900: Graduate Internship
(1-15 cr) ®
ENGL 6920: Directed Study
(1-6 cr) ®
Engl. 6900 and 6920 may only be taken with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and under supervision of a faculty member. Unless there are special circumstances, students may count only 3 credits of Engl. 6920 as part of their programs of study.
ENGL 6970: Thesis
Plan A students must take 6 credits of Engl. 6970 at some point during their studies. The six credits need not all be taken in the same semester. Plan B students must take 3 credits (although 2 credits may be allowed under certain circumstances). Plan C students may not count Engl. 6970 credits towards their degrees. (See below for descriptions of Plans A, B, and C). (1-6 cr) ®
ENGL 6990: Continuing Graduate Registration
Taken only with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and only when students need to fulfill a Graduate School requirement to register for a certain number of credits. Engl. 6990 credits do not count towards the 30 or 33 required for graduation. (1-6 cr) ®
Summer courses
With approval from the Director of Graduate Studies or their Supervisory Committee, Literature & Writing students may include in their programs of study some summer courses: 8-week online graduate seminars or short workshops or institutes lasting one or two weeks. However, workshops and institutes shorter than eight weeks fall under the Graduate School’s limit on workshop credits: students may include a total of no more than 12 credits from these kinds of courses towards the 30 or 33 credits needed to graduate.
Elective courses
With approval from the Director of Graduate Studies or their Supervisory Committee, Literature & Writing students may include in their programs of study the following courses from outside the Engl. 6300 and 6800 ranges:
● Graduate courses in the department’s other specializations:
American Studies (Standard) (Engl. 66xx)
Folklore (Engl. 67xx)
Technical Writing (Engl. 64xx, esp. Engl. 6400:
Advanced Editing)
● Courses in the doctoral program in Theory & Practice of
Professional Communication (Engl. 7xxx). However,
these courses are often cross-listed with courses in
the Engl. 6xxx range. If so, Literature & Writing
students should register for the 6xxx course rather
than the 7xxx course.
● One graduate course in another department.
Program Requirements
Plans A, B, and C
Literature & Writing students are encouraged to choose either Plan A or Plan B, both of which are 30-credit plans requiring a thesis project completed under the supervision of the student’s Supervisory Committee, which consists of three faculty members who have agreed to work with the student in this capacity.
Plan A consists of 24 credits of coursework and 6 credits of Engl. 6970: Thesis, leading to a thesis of 60 pages or more that makes a contribution to scholarly knowledge in the field. The format for the thesis is subject to negotiation between the student and his or her Supervisory Committee.
Plan B consists of 27 credits of coursework and 3 credits of Engl. 6970, leading to a thesis of about 30 pages, for which the expectations of original scholarship are not as high. A Plan B thesis may include original scholarly arguments, but its main purpose may be to synthesize and apply the research of other scholars. A Plan B thesis might take a variety of forms. It might, for example, be a literary-historical survey of a particular writer or period; a pedagogical project that translates literary or rhetorical theory into classroom practice; or an analysis of how skills learned in the Literature & Writing specialization are transferable to other professional fields. Other models for a Plan B thesis may be approved by the student’s Supervisory Committee.
Both Plan A and Plan B projects require the student to meet with his or her Supervisory Committee on campus at least twice. The first meeting, typically near the beginning of the student’s second year, is to defend a written thesis proposal and the second meeting is to defend the completed thesis. If the student has the appropriate preparation and experience in creative writing, a Plan A or Plan B project may consist of a piece of creative writing and an accompanying critical essay.
Plan C, which includes more coursework (33 credits, as opposed to 30 for Plans A or B) but no thesis or defense, is also available to students. Plan C may appeal to students whose career plans would be served better by additional coursework than by writing a thesis. Plan C students should not register for any credits of Engl. 6970 (Thesis), since those credits will not count towards a Plan C degree. (If a student switches from Plan A or B to Plan C after having taken Thesis credits and perhaps even begun work on a thesis, those credits will still not count towards the student’s degree. The student will have to register for additional coursework to make up for the lost Thesis credits.)
Online courses
As part of a commitment to exploring the relationship between technology and the humanities, students in the Literature & Writing specialization will occasionally have the opportunity to take graduate seminars online. However, Literature & Writing is not an online degree program. Students should expect to take all, or almost all, their classes on campus.
MS or MA degree
Students in Literature & Writing may pursue either the MS or the MA degree, the only difference between the two being that the MA requires demonstration of proficiency in a foreign language while the student is pursuing the master’s degree. The department recommends the MA for those planning to continue study at the doctoral level, but students should contact particular doctoral programs to find out whether those programs prefer the MA to the MS.
Comprehensive Exam
Whether they choose Plan A, B, or C, students in Literature & Writing must pass a Comprehensive Exam, which is typically taken during the semester when the student graduates but at least one month before the thesis defense for Plan A and B students. For the Comprehensive Exam, students are given an open-book, take-home essay prompt and 72 hours in which to write a 10-page essay in response to the prompt. The prompt is written by the chair of the student’s Supervisory Committee, in consultation with the other two committee members. Students may elect to receive the prompt and return the essay by email.
Keith Grant-Davie
2/6/2007 5:10:52 PM
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