76
English Program Director: Laura E. Rutland, Ph.D.
INTRODUCTION
The Department of English offers the Master of Arts degree. Its inception in 1964 makes it the oldest Master’s program at Gannon. The program is characterized by its range of offerings and flexibility of requirements. The Department has graduate teaching assistantships. Competition for these positions is intense, and applications must be completed by mid-February. Contact the Office of Graduate Admissions or the Director of the Graduate English Program for more information.
OBJECTIVES
The Graduate Program in English is designed for the professional student of letters seeking preparation for doctoral study in the discipline, for teachers of English who desire increased general competency, and for those in business and industry seeking professional growth or personal enrichment. The program is intended to expand the student’s knowledge of linguistic and critical theory, composition and rhetoric, literary history, the development of literary genres, and major and minor writers of all periods. Additionally, the program is designed to refine students’ responses to literature and language in use, sharpen their critical judgment, and develop their extended knowledge and expanded abilities into more effective writing, speaking, and teaching.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Completion of an undergraduate degree in English with a 3.00 average is the normal prerequisite. However, students who do not meet this norm may be admitted to the program, dependent on their background (e.g. literature and writing courses, job experience, independent study, etc.). The Graduate Advisor based on a conference with the applicant, may determine that some additional coursework is necessary. All students must arrange an interview with the Graduate Advisor before registering.
CURRICULUM
Master of Arts Program Thirty graduate hours are required. Candidates may elect to take all thirty graduate hours within the English department, or they may elect to take six hours of other graduate level courses approved by the Graduate English Program Director. Students are required to take nine graduate hours in English and American literature and nine graduate hours in language studies courses. Of the graduate hours required in English and American literature, three must be in British literature before 1700 (excluding Shakespeare), three in British literature between 1700 and the present, and three in
American literature. Of the graduate hours required in language studies, three must be in theory, three in writing, and three in linguistics. If students have not taken Shakespeare and literary criticism as undergraduates, they must take them as part of their graduate curriculum. All students must take GENGL 500 in their first semester, or as soon as possible in their graduate study. The candidate must take GENGL 796, Directed Research, as part of their 30 hours. Most students enroll during the next to last semester of study and complete their projects the following semester.
Course of Study
Required Courses: GENGL 500 Introduction to Graduate Studies in English GENGL 681 Literary Criticism (If not taken as an undergraduate) GENGL 521 or 522 Shakespeare (If not taken as an undergraduate) GENGL 796 Directed Research American Literature (one course) British Literature Before 1700 (one course) After 1700 (one course) Language Studies Writing (one course) Linguistics (one course) Theory (one course) Students who have taken Literary Criticism and Shakespeare as undergraduates have two electives, which may be taken either in English or other graduate departments as appropriate to the students’ academic goals.
4+1 B.A./M.A. Program in English
The English Department offers outstanding undergraduate students an accelerated program which allows them to complete both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in English in five rather than six years. Exceptional students may be accepted at admission, and enrollment will be confirmed in the middle of the junior year. Students may add the program after the freshman year, but will need to plan coursework accordingly.
4 + 1 Curriculum
Freshman Fall LENG 111 College Composition LTHE 101 Foundations of Theology LHST 111 History without Borders Modern Language Liberal Studies Social Science First-year seminar