Master of Arts in English
Engage in the study of language and literature with a Master’s Degree in English. You’ll develop the advanced critical reading, writing, and research skills necessary to participate confidently and meaningfully with other English studies scholars and professionals and to apply disciplinary knowledge beyond the field of English studies.
The Master’s in English is offered entirely online with interactive courses. You’ll benefit from the individual attention of professors. Choose from a variety of elective course offerings, including 17th – and 18th-century literature, Romanticism, Gothic, and Harlem Renaissance.
Core Requirements
ENG 599 Intro to Grad English Studies – 4.50
Introduces students to graduate level research practices and methodologies in English Studies. Students gain the grounding and skills required to research and write scholarly articles for peer reviewed journals in the field of English Studies.
ENG 600 Seminar in Literary Theory – 4.50
Historical and current issues in literary criticism and theory with particular attention to developments of the last fifty years. Emphasizes both reading and writing literary criticism in order to develop vocabulary and skills necessary to participate in scholarly literary debate.
ENG 620A Literary Period or Movement I – 4.50
Advanced, historically oriented study of a literary period, such as English Medieval, Romantic, or Victorian literature, or a movement, such as The Beat Generation. Variable topic selected by the instructor. (May not duplicate content of ENG 620B.)
OR ENG 620B Literary Period or Movement II – 4.50
Advanced, historically oriented study of a literary period, such as American Romanticism, or of a movement such as American Modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, or the Lost Generation. Variable topic selected by the instructor. (May not duplicate content of ENG 620A.)
ENG 680A Seminar in a Theme I – 4.50
Study of a literary motif or theme over time and/or across cultures. Variable topic chosen by instructor. Examples of themes are: the gothic, utopia/distopia, vampires, the road, and gender in literature.
OR ENG 680B Seminar in a Theme II – 4.50
Study of a literary motif or theme over time and/or across cultures. Variable topic chosen by instructor. Examples of themes are: the dark gothic, meta-fiction, the home, and war in literature.
ENG 690A Major Author Seminar I – 4.50
A critical study of the work of a single author, such as Jane Austen, Walt Whitman, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, Jack London. Special attention given to biography, culture, and literary context.
OR ENG 690B Major Author Seminar II – 4.50
A critical study of the work of a single author, such as Shakespeare, George Eliot, Garcia Lorca, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin. Special attention given to biography, culture, and literary context.
ENG 699 English Capstone Course – 4.50
Writing the Master’s thesis or capstone project. Taken as the last course in the M.A. English program. Exceptions may be made if within two courses of program completion, with approval of the lead faculty. Grading is by S or U only. Course is eligible for an “IP” grade.
OR ENG 697 Capstone Project in Rhetoric – 4.50
Prerequisite: ENG 655; ENG 656; ENG 657 and ENG 668, or ENG 680A Topic: Literary Noir/Noir Mediascape
Writing the Master’s thesis or capstone project. Taken as the last course in the M.A. English with a Specialization in Rhetoric program. Exceptions may be made if within two courses of program completion, with approval of the lead faculty. Students study published models of rhetorical criticism. They hone critical tools and apply them to a substantial, original project. Working closely with the capstone instructor and peers, students take this project from inception to final form: a work of professional-quality rhetorical criticism. Grading basis is S/U only. Course is eligible for In Progress (IP) grade.
Elective Requirements
ENG 610 Multicultural Literature – 4.50
Examines core concepts of race, ethnicity, culture, and multiculturalism from the standpoint of recent developments in American literary canon formation. Students will synthesize current multicultural literary theories with a corpus of significant literary texts.
ENG 620A Literary Period or Movement I – 4.50
Advanced, historically oriented study of a literary period, such as English Medieval, Romantic, or Victorian literature, or a movement, such as The Beat Generation. Variable topic selected by the instructor. (May not duplicate content of ENG 620B.)
OR ENG 620B Literary Period or Movement II 4.50
Advanced, historically oriented study of a literary period, such as American Romanticism, or of a movement such as American Modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, or the Lost Generation. Variable topic selected by the instructor. (May not duplicate content of ENG 620A.)
MCW 630 Seminar in Fiction – 4.50
Students write and critique each other¿s work in a workshop-style format. Through presentation and critique of published and student-generated work, students will advance their understanding of the genres’ many forms and styles, strengthen their own writing, and broaden their understanding of literature and various modes of literary writing.
ENG 640 Seminar in Poetry – 4.50
Advanced study of the history and practice of poetry. Close reading of a major poet or school of poetry, poetic forms and theories.
ENG 645 Seminar in Poetry – 4.50
A poetry workshop where students will learn the craft of poetry by writing their own original work and offering feedback to their peers. Students will be introduced to contemporary poetry though readings and discussions of poems from a poet’s point of view.
MCW 650 Seminar in Creative Nonfiction – 4.50
Students write and critique each other’s original work in a workshop-style format. Through presentation and critique of published and student-generated work, students will advance their understanding of the genre’s many forms, including memoir, autobiography, nature writing, literary journalism, and the personal essay, while strengthening their own writing.
ENG 655 Composition Pedagogy – 4.50
Prepares students for the practical and theoretical challenges of teaching English composition and other writing courses. Topics include process theory, cognitive studies, language and diversity, genre studies, and best practices.
ENG 656 History of Rhetoric – 4.50
Focuses on the teachings of the major figures of ancient rhetoric, such as the sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian. Students will study the classical texts that form the basis of modern rhetoric studies. The course also surveys major shifts through Medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment rhetoric.
ENG 657 Modern Rhetoric – 4.50
Introduces students to the contemporary study of rhetoric. The course covers major figures such as Kenneth Burke, Lloyd Bitzer, and Stephen Toulmin. The course introduces a wide range of academic interests in contemporary rhetoric; in particular, students will practice reading texts rhetorically through major theories of rhetoric.
ENG 665 Film Theory – 4.50
An overview of film theory designed to give students the critical tools necessary to describe and evaluate various aspects of cinema art. This course introduces concepts from a variety of approaches, including deconstruction, existentialism, Marxism, phenomenology, and psychoanalysis.
ENG 666 Silent Film – 4.50
A survey of films produced before the advent of recorded sound, this course focuses on the early national cinemas of France, Germany, the Soviet Union and the United States; attention is directed to concepts of visual narratology, montage and the conventions of acting, set design, lighting and movement.
ENG 667 American Film History – 4.50
This course offers an in-depth study of the development of cinema in the United States that takes a broad overview of American film making. Topics include film genre and the relationship of film to art, politics, religion and society. Additionally, the course considers Hollywood’s treatment of ethnic groups, women, and systems of class structure.
ENG 668 Film Genre Studies – 4.50
Film Genre Studies is a content-variable course that may be repeated for credit. Each iteration of the course focuses on a specific genre of film in an international- or American-historical context, including the Western, the Epic, the Biblical Epic, Film Noir, the Crime Story, Science-Fiction Adventure, Agitprop, or other film genres. This is an intensive study of the conventions, artists, and styles associated with specific genres and the historical circumstances in which the genre appeared.
ENG 669 World Film – 4.50
World Film is a content-variable course that may be repeated for credit. Each iteration of this course is a study of the film tradition of a specific nation or group of nations other than the United States. Students in this course will engage in an intensive study of the elements of filmmaking and theory, as well as the contrasting visual styles of directors, artists, and themes prominent in the particular tradition or traditions surveyed. Trans-cultural and transcendental film categories, universals values, and the fundamental principles of film art are also important topics of discussion.
ENG 670 Comparative Literary Studies – 4.50
Analysis of literary texts across national and linguistic as well as temporal, cultural, and disciplinary lines.
ENG 690A Major Author Seminar I – 4.50
A critical study of the work of a single author, such as Jane Austen, Walt Whitman, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, Jack London. Special attention given to biography, culture, and literary context.
OR ENG 690B Major Author Seminar II – 4.50
A critical study of the work of a single author, such as Shakespeare, George Eliot, Garcia Lorca, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin. Special attention given to biography, culture, and literary context.
ENG 680A Seminar in a Theme I – 4.50
Study of a literary motif or theme over time and/or across cultures. Variable topic chosen by instructor. Examples of themes are: the gothic, utopia/distopia, vampires, the road, and gender in literature.
ENG 680B Seminar in a Theme II – 4.50
Study of a literary motif or theme over time and/or across cultures. Variable topic chosen by instructor. Examples of themes are: the dark gothic, meta-fiction, the home, and war in literature.
ENG 685 American Directors – 4.50
This seminar in great American directors is a content-variable course that may be repeated for credit. Each iteration of this course is a comprehensive study of the artistic achievements of an American director. Students will engage in detailed interpretations and analyses of the techniques and concepts employed by a particular director, paying special attention to literary works as they relate to the filmmaking efforts of the director studied.
ENG 686 International Directors – 4.50
This seminar in great international directors is a content-variable course that may be repeated for credit. Each iteration of this course is a comprehensive study of the canon of work of a specific director, excluding American directors. Students will engage in detailed interpretations and analyses of the techniques and concepts employed by a particular international director, paying special attention to literary works as they relate to the filmmaking efforts of the director studied.
Specialization in Gothic Studies
ENG 620A Literary Period or Movement I – 4.50
Advanced, historically oriented study of a literary period, such as English Medieval, Romantic, or Victorian literature, or a movement, such as The Beat Generation. Variable topic selected by the instructor. (May not duplicate content of ENG 620B.)
ENG 620B Literary Period or Movement II – 4.50
Advanced, historically oriented study of a literary period, such as American Romanticism, or of a movement such as American Modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, or the Lost Generation. Variable topic selected by the instructor. (May not duplicate content of ENG 620A.)
ENG 640 Seminar in Poetry 4.50
Advanced study of the history and practice of poetry. Close reading of a major poet or school of poetry, poetic forms and theories.
ENG 668 Film Genre Studies – 4.50
Film Genre Studies is a content-variable course that may be repeated for credit. Each iteration of the course focuses on a specific genre of film in an international- or American-historical context, including the Western, the Epic, the Biblical Epic, Film Noir, the Crime Story, Science-Fiction Adventure, Agitprop, or other film genres. This is an intensive study of the conventions, artists, and styles associated with specific genres and the historical circumstances in which the genre appeared.
ENG 680A Seminar in a Theme I – 4.50
Study of a literary motif or theme over time and/or across cultures. Variable topic chosen by instructor. Examples of themes are: the gothic, utopia/distopia, vampires, the road, and gender in literature.
ENG 680B Seminar in a Theme II – 4.50
Study of a literary motif or theme over time and/or across cultures. Variable topic chosen by instructor. Examples of themes are: the dark gothic, meta-fiction, the home, and war in literature.
ENG 690A Major Author Seminar I – 4.50
A critical study of the work of a single author, such as Jane Austen, Walt Whitman, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, Jack London. Special attention given to biography, culture, and literary context.
ENG 690B Major Author Seminar II – 4.50
A critical study of the work of a single author, such as Shakespeare, George Eliot, Garcia Lorca, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin. Special attention given to biography, culture, and literary context.
Specialization in Rhetoric
ENG 656 History of Rhetoric – 4.50
Focuses on the teachings of the major figures of ancient rhetoric, such as the sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian. Students will study the classical texts that form the basis of modern rhetoric studies. The course also surveys major shifts through Medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment rhetoric.
ENG 657 Modern Rhetoric – 4.50
Introduces students to the contemporary study of rhetoric. The course covers major figures such as Kenneth Burke, Lloyd Bitzer, and Stephen Toulmin. The course introduces a wide range of academic interests in contemporary rhetoric; in particular, students will practice reading texts rhetorically through major theories of rhetoric.
ENG 655 Composition Pedagogy 4.50
Prepares students for the practical and theoretical challenges of teaching English composition and other writing courses. Topics include process theory, cognitive studies, language and diversity, genre studies, and best practices.
ENG 668 Film Genre Studies – 4.50
Film Genre Studies is a content-variable course that may be repeated for credit. Each iteration of the course focuses on a specific genre of film in an international- or American-historical context, including the Western, the Epic, the Biblical Epic, Film Noir, the Crime Story, Science-Fiction Adventure, Agitprop, or other film genres. This is an intensive study of the conventions, artists, and styles associated with specific genres and the historical circumstances in which the genre appeared.
OR ENG 680A Seminar in a Theme I* – 4.50
Study of a literary motif or theme over time and/or across cultures. Variable topic chosen by instructor. Examples of themes are: the gothic, utopia/distopia, vampires, the road, and gender in literature.
ENG 680B Seminar in a Theme II – 4.50
Study of a literary motif or theme over time and/or across cultures. Variable topic chosen by instructor. Examples of themes are: the dark gothic, meta-fiction, the home, and war in literature.
Degree and Course Requirements
To receive the Master of Arts in English, students must complete at least 45 quarter units. A total of 4.5 quarter units of graduate credit may be granted for equivalent graduate work completed at another regionally accredited institution, as it applies to this degree and provided the units were not used in earning another advanced degree. Students should refer to the General Catalog section on graduate admission requirements for specific information regarding admission and evaluation.
Program Learning Outcomes
Research and apply relevant criticism in sustained analyses and interpretations of specific works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry
Evaluate the relevance and validity of different theoretical approaches (e.g., historicist, biographical, etc.) to the understanding of specific works of literature
Engage in informed critical discussion, both oral and written, of theoretical issues pertaining to the study of literature
Engage in informed critical oral and written discussion of the works and criticism of a specific literary period or movement
Participate in rigorous critiques of the scholarly works of others
Revise and expand a scholarly paper to submit for publication in a scholarly or literary journal
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