English, M.A.

The M.A. in English with an emphasis in Applied English Studies offers a broad curriculum meant to prepare students for a range of pursuits. The program fosters the development of critical reading, writing, teaching, research and other scholarly skills through focused study of literary and cultural texts, pedagogical theory, curriculum development, composition and rhetoric, digital humanities, linguistics, and ESL/EFL. Students gain an advanced understanding of current disciplinary knowledge, including how texts circulate among audiences and how language shapes the world. We offer a variety of opportunities for hands-on learning in the form of teaching assistantships, tutoring positions, and internships in teaching, editing, librarianship curating and archiving, digital humanities, tutoring, and ESL/EFL. With an emphasis on professional development, the program expands opportunities for K-12 teachers and prepares students for Ph.D. programs and jobs in college teaching as well as careers in publishing, editing, professional writing, librarianship, digital scholarship, and teaching English abroad. Students have considerable latitude in designing master’s projects that match their interests and the expertise of graduate faculty.

More about the Program

Please see the Department of English website for more information about the program, including how to apply, and opportunities for internships and student employment.

Requirements for the Degree (34 units)

For a description of degree requirements to be fulfilled in addition to those listed below see, “Master’s Degree Requirements ”

Complete 34 units of graduate work (500- 600 level) in language, composition, ESL, pedagogy, theory, literature, and digital humanities courses approved by the department. Also required: reading knowledge of one language other than English or two college semesters of the same language.

Students must earn a GPA of 3.00 in all coursework applied to the degree. (no individual grade less than B- will apply to the degree).

Required Courses

ENGL 536 - Problems in Form, Genre, Media Units: 4
ENGL 546 - Reading Historically Units: 4
ENGL 600 - Graduate Studies Introduction Units: 4
ENGL 605 - Cultural Studies Introduction Units: 4
ENGL 611 - Literacies and Epistemologies Units: 4
ENGL 612 - Theory of Rhetoric and Composition Units: 4
ENGL 614 - Teaching ESL Reading and Writing Units: 4
ENGL 615 - Digital Humanities: Public History, Archives, and Scholarly Communication Units: 4
ENGL 690 - Master’s Project Units: 1-4 (variable units; at least 2 units required; may be repeated once if not completed in one semester for a total of 6 Units)

Graduate Elective Courses

ENGL 510 - Topics in Queer and Trans Studies Units: 4
ENGL 571 - Literatures of Body, Environment, World-Building Units: 4
ENGL 580 - Special Topics Seminar Units: 1-3
ENGL 581 - Becoming a College-Level Instructor Units: 3
ENGL 520 - Advanced Topics in Critical Theory Units: 4
ENGL 535 - English as a Second/ Foreign Language Units: 4
ENGL 681 - Internship in Teaching Units: 2
ENGL 682 - Internship Units: 2

Program Learning Outcomes

Students completing this program will demonstrate the ability to:

Produce advanced-level, research-based analytical writing in one or more genres and/or media;
Demonstrate the use of a variety of interpretive strategies for analyzing multiple types of texts, including digital and new media production;
Locate texts in their cultural and historical contexts;
Examine and apply key theories and practices in reading, writing, teaching, and/or knowledge-making, including relationships between discourse, textuality, power, and social justice;
In the course of producing a master’s thesis or project, students will define an area of inquiry and its relation to the field by grounding the work in appropriate theory.

Graduate Coordinator

Janet Winston, Ph.D.
Founders Hall 213
707-826-3913
Janet.Winston@humboldt.edu