Mission Statement for the MA in English

Mission Statement for the M.A. in English

The mission of the M.A. in English program is fourfold: to reinforce students’ knowledge and application of primary and secondary sources; to develop students’ knowledge of a number of critical and scholarly approaches to the study of literature and language; to enhance their knowledge of the structure and history of the English language; to understand problems and issues raised by contemporary research in the teaching of composition.

Goals, and Objectives of the M.A. in English

The department expects all students graduating with the M.A. in English to meet the following goals:

Goal I. To demonstrate advanced literary, linguistic, and stylistic analysis of primary texts and an understanding and application of scholarly research;

Objective: Write a critical-research paper on a complex literary text that demonstrates (1) mastery of literary, linguistic, and stylistic approaches and (2) the synthesis of sometimes conflicting critical interpretations through the competent application of research methods.

Goal II. To demonstrate advanced knowledge and application of literary criticism and current critical theory;

Objective: Employ critical theory in an interpretation of a text; for example, apply feminist theory to Meredith’s sonnet cycle Modern Love.

Goal III. To demonstrate an ability to conduct grammatical analysis within a current linguistic theory or to demonstrate a knowledge of specific developments in the history of the English language;

Objective: Write a paper in a graduate linguistics course either applying a current linguistic theory or analyzing specific changes in the history of the English language; for example,(a) discuss specific paradigms for the phonology, morphology, and syntax of Old English (450-1100 AD), Middle English (1100-1500), and Early Modern English (1500-1800); (b) explain how these paradigms change and evolve from one period to the next; (c) transcribe phonetically words and sounds from Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Present-Day English; (d) appraise the evolution of English and other modern languages (e.g., Dutch, French, German, and Italian) within the Indo-European family. Submission of extensive exercises that demonstrate application of a current linguistic theory is also acceptable.

Goal IV. To explore and analyze several aspects of the current theories in composition and literature.

Objective: Explore and analyze several aspects of the current theories in composition and literature in a final project; for example, investigate the benefits of psycholinguistic research on the teaching of composition or literature.