Graduate Faculty

Elizabeth Birmingham, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 2000
Field: Rhetoric and Professional Communication, Gender Studies, Architectural History, Theory, and Criticism

Kevin Brooks, Ph.D.
Iowa State University, 1997
Field: Rhetoric and Professional Communication, Computers and Composition, Writing Program Administration

Muriel Brown, Ph.D.
University of Nebraska, 1971
Field: Medieval Literature, Modern Drama, Women's Studies

Linda L. Helstern, Ph.D.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, 2001
Field: Native American Literature, Modernism, Contemporary Poetry, Literature and the Environment

R.S. Krishnan, Ph.D.
University of Nebraska, 1981
Field: Restoration and 18th-Century British Literature, Postmodern Theories, British Novel, Postcolonial Literature

Andrew Flood Mara, Ph.D.
University of New Mexico, 2003
Field: Technical and Professional Communication, New Media, Rhetoric and Composition

Miriam O'Kane Mara, Ph.D.
University of New Mexico, 2003
Field: Postcolonial Literature, Irish Modern and Contemporary Literature, British Victorian through Contemporary Literature

Bruce Maylath, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota, 1994
Field: International Technical Communication, Rhetoric and Composition, Linguistics

Robert O'Connor, Ph.D.
Bowling Green State University, 1979
Field: Romantic Literature, Science Fiction and Fantasy

Kelly Sassi, Ph.D.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2008
Field: English Education, Composition and Rhetoric, Native American Literatures, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Dale Sullivan, Ph.D.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1988
Field: Rhetoric Theory and History, Rhetoric of Science, Rhetoric of Religion, Technical Communication

Amy Rupiper Taggart, Ph.D.
Texas Christian University, 2002
Field: Writing and Rhetoric, Pedagogy, Literacy Studies

Verena Theile, Ph.D.
Washington State University, Pullman, 2006
Field: 16th-/17th-Century Literature, Early Modern Drama, European Literature, Cultural Theory

Gary Totten, Ph.D.
Ball State University, 1998
Field: Late 19th-/Early 20th-Century American Literature, Travel Literature, Multi-Ethnic American Literature

 

Master of Arts

The Department of English, through its master's program, offers students the opportunity for intellectual growth and personal development; careers in diverse fields such as education, government, technical communication, law, public relations, theology, business; and studies leading to advanced degrees in such fields as English, law, creative writing, religious studies, and education.

Students may choose from two options within the masters in English: literature or composition. These options require Engl 760, Graduate Scholarship, normally taken during the student's first or second semester in residence. In providing an opportunity for wide-ranging career choices through the two options, the department emphasizes critical thinking as an essential approach to the writing of papers, the making of oral reports, and the study of language and literature.

Admissions Requirements

The Department of English graduate program is open to all qualified graduates of universities and colleges of recognized standing. To be admitted with full status to the program, the applicant must

1. hold a baccalaureate degree from an educational institution of recognized standing;
   
2. have completed a major in English at the undergraduate level;
   
3. have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.

Students who do not meet all requirements for admission or have deficiencies in prerequisite course work, but demonstrate potential for graduate study, may be given conditional admission.

Applications should be submitted directly to The Graduate School before March 1 of the upcoming academic year . Applications received after March 1 will be considered for the following academic year. Official transcripts (transcripts having an appropriate seal or stamp) of all previous undergraduate and graduate records must be received by The Graduate School before the application is complete. When a transcript is submitted in advance of completion of undergraduate or graduate studies, an updated transcript showing all course credits and grades must be provided prior to the initial registration at North Dakota State University . At least three letters of recommendation and a writing sample are required before action is taken on any application. Personal reference report forms for the letters of recommendation are available from The Graduate School.

Applications must include

• at least 3 letters of recommendation, ideally addressing your abilities as a student and your potential for graduate work;
• a writing sample that demonstrates your abilities as an academic writer, ideally an expository or analytical piece rather than poetry or fiction;
• a statement of purpose that includes the following:
  
  • coursework you plan to complete in the program
  • faculty members with whom you wish to study
  • scholarship you plan to pursue
  • a sense of what you hope to do once you have completed a master's degree in English
  • how your education and/or life experience have prepared you for graduate work;
• official transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate records; and if you wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship (see details below)
• a letter stating your interest in and qualifications for a teaching assistantship.

The TOEFL examination is required of all international applicants. A minimum score of 100 (internet test) 600 (paper test) or 243 (computer test) or a minimum of 7 on the IELTS is required of international students seeking admission with full standing.

Financial Assistance

Teaching assistantships are available and are based on the applicant's scholastic record and letters of recommendation. However, the student must first make application to The Graduate School and be accepted for admission before she/he is eligible for an assistantship in the Department of English. Letters of application for teaching assistantships should be submitted at the same time as the application to the program is submitted to the graduate school and should specify experience and qualifications.

Graduate students are awarded teaching assistantships for the academic year only. As of the 2008-2009 academic year, the annual stipend is $8,100. University graduate tuition charges (not fees) are waived for all TAs. Teaching Fellowships are available to selected TAs after completing course work. Moreover, the Department of English annually awards the Rooney Scholarship (2008: $1,220) and the Madeline S. Gittings Scholarship (2008: $1,000) to deserving graduate students.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts program offers the option of completing 27 credit hours of letter-graded course work with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better, and a 3-credit master's paper. A thesis-oriented plan of study is also available with variable credit hours of letter-graded course work. Completion of intermediate competency in one foreign language is required.

Within the first semester of graduate work, each student is assigned an academic adviser who helps in overseeing the student's course work and paper committee. Students who plan to pursue a Ph.D. after completing their M.A. degrees are encouraged to work closely with their respective advisers in choosing the courses which best prepare them for doctoral work.

A graduate student in English should enroll in no more than 3 credits of Engl 793, Individual Study/Tutorial, during his/her master's career. Exceptions are provided for through a graduate form signed by the chair of the department and the adviser.

Literature Option

Students must

1. Complete Engl 760 Graduate Scholarship and Engl 762 Critical Theory.*
   
2. Complete 6 credits in British and 6 credits in American literature. At least three credits must be in pre-1900 American or pre-1660 British and at least three credits must be in post-1900 American or post-1660 British. Three credits in multicultural or post colonial literature is recommended.
   
3. Complete one course (3 credits) in Composition** or Linguistics.
   
4. Complete two elective courses (6 credits), literature recommended.
   
5. Complete Engl 797, Masters Paper, or 798, Master's Thesis.

Composition Option

Students must

1. Complete Engl 760 Graduate Scholarship.*
   
2. Complete two required courses: Engl 755 Composition Theory,* Engl 756 Composition Research.
   
3. Complete three electives in Composition.**
   
4. Complete one course each in Literature and Linguistics.
   
5. Complete one elective.
   
6. Complete Engl 797 or 798 (Master's Paper or Master's Thesis).

*Graduate students in any of the options are strongly advised to take Graduate Scholarship (Engl 760) and, as appropriate, Critical Theory (Engl 762) in their first year in the program. Students in the Composition Track planning to complete their course work in two years must take Composition Theory and Composition Research when they are offered, as those two core courses alternate.

**Engl 764 Classroom Strategies for TAs may be used to satisfy one Composition requirement.

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Courses Offered

652 History of the English Language   3

Development of the English language from its Germanic origins to the modern period. (offered on alternate years)

653 Social and Regional Varieties of English  3

Regional and social variables affecting language uses; attitudinal considerations with emphasis on the educational and sociopolitical ramifications of standardization policies. Focus on American English with reference to British and other English dialects. (offered on alternate years)

654 Language Bias   3

Examination of how social asymmetries of race, gender, and ethnicity are reflected and sustained in discourse practices. Use of current critical linguistics theories to examine how gender, racial, and ethnic abilities/disabilities are manifested through language.(offered on alternate years)

656 Literacy Studies  3

Reading, writing, research, and discussion of diverse types of literacy from functional to cultural to technological and their roles in culture and identity formation. Completion of related community projects. (offered on alternate years)

659 Research and Writing Grants and Proposals   3

A rhetorical approach to writing academic and business grants, proposals, and related professional documents. Development of a portfolio of professionally designed and edited documents as well as the vocabulary of grants writing and research.(offered on alternate years)

670 Topics in American Literature  3

Intensive study of a special theme, form, period, or group of writers central to the formation and development of American literature. (offered on alternate years)

671 American Realistic Literature   3

Principles of American literary realism as exhibited in the major works of Howells, James, Twain, Crane, Chopin, Gilman, Norris, Wharton, Dreiser, and others. Combination varies. (offered on alternate years)

672 20th-century American Writers   3

Intensive study of major American writers from 1900 to 1950. (offered on alternate years)

674 Native American Literature   3

The development of literature by and about Native Americans is traced from 1850 to the present. Focus on Native American identity and contributions to the American culture. (offered on alternate years)

680 Medieval Literature   3

British poetry and prose from the beginning of the Middle Ages to 1500, excluding Chaucer. (offered on alternate years)

682 Renaissance Literature   3

Study of British writers of the 16th and 17th centuries. Past classes have covered non-Shakespearean drama, Renaissance poetry, and Shakespeare on film. (offered on alternate years)

683 Topics in British Literature  3

Intensive study of a special theme, form, period, or group of writers central to the formation of British literature. (offered on alternate years)

685 18th-century Literature   3

Study of major writers, Dryden, Pope, Swift, and Johnson, with occasional excursions into the fictional territory of Richardson , Fielding, Sterne, and Smollett. (offered on alternate years)

686 19th-Century Literature   3

Study of major British writers from the French Revolution to the coronation of Queen Victoria.(offered on alternate years)

753 Rhetorics and Poetics of New Media  3

This web-based class will explore issues related to the rhetoric and poetics of new media through selected reading, projects that allow students to develop skills and insight through experiential learning, and through reflection on the dynamics of online education itself. (offered on alternate years)

754 Rhetorics of Science and Technology 3

The study and critique of the rhetorics of science and technology, informed by rhetorical theory and by the philosophy of and the social studies of science and technology. (offered on alternate years)

755 Composition Theory   3

Study of contemporary theories of teaching writing with frequent summary/response papers on assigned readings and a research paper on composition theory. (offered on alternate years)

756 Composition Research   3

Study of designs and basic statistics for writing research, analysis of current research, and a research project in composition. (offered on alternate years)

758 Topics in Rhetoric and Writing  3

Intensive study of a theory, theorist, or issue in rhetoric or writing with regard to relevance for critical and production practices in English Studies. (offered on alternate years)

759 History of Writing Instruction  3

The study of the history of writing instruction from antiquity to the present, with emphasis on relevance to modern writing instruction. (offered on alternate years)

760 Graduate Scholarship   3

Introduction to scholarship in English studies and to the nature and state of the discipline. (typically offered every autumn term)

762 Critical Theory   3

Study of contemporary literary theory and criticism. (typically offered every spring term)

764 Classroom Strategies for TAs   3

Introduction to current issues in composition pedagogy, research, and theory, focusing on how they inform teaching practices. Instruction on developing philosophy of and strategies for teaching through short position papers, literacy autobiography, and a sequence of assignments for English 120. (typically offered every autumn term)

770 Studies in American Literature   3

Intensive study of a special period, theme, technique, or group of writers central to the formation, development, or flowering of American literature. (offered once a year)

780 Renaissance Literary Studies   3

Intensive study of a special theme, form, or group of writers central to the formation and development of British literature in the Renaissance period. (offered once a year)

790 Graduate Seminar   1-3

793 Individual Study/Tutorial   1-5

696/796 Special Topics   3

797 Master's Paper   1-3

798 Master's Thesis   1-10