Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

English, M.A., Literary Studies Concentration


Degree Requirements


Candidates for the M.A. with concentration in literary studies may choose either the thesis or independent study track.

Thesis Track


This track requires completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours (10 courses), plus at least 6 hours of thesis credit, and a critical thesis (40-60 pages excluding notes and reference material) approved by a thesis committee consisting of a director and two other faculty members.

Coursework


In the interests of facilitating broad historical and disciplinary coverage across the areas of language, literature, and culture, the following courses are required:
English Language Study

3. Three hours in English language study from the following:

Literary Theory/Critical Methodology/Cultural Studies

4. Three hours in literary theory/critical methodology/cultural studies from the following:

Eighteen Hours in Literature

5. Nine hours in literature before circa 1800.

6. Nine hours in literature after circa 1800.

7. Of the eighteen hours in areas 5 and 6, six hours must be in British literature; six hours must be in American literature; and three hours must be in transnational, diasporic, multi-ethnic, racially diverse, and/or postcolonial Anglophone literature. 

Interdisciplinary Study

8. In the interests of fostering interdisciplinary study, and with written approval by the Director of Graduate Studies, up to six hours of electives may be substituted for any two courses described in areas 3-7 above. Electives may include transfer courses; Georgia State University English Department courses outside the Literary Studies concentration (e.g., Rhet/Comp); courses taken from other Georgia State departments (History, Communications, Philosophy, etc.); or courses taken through the Georgia State University cross-registration system. However, in ordinary circumstances, no substitutions within the Lit Studies concentration will be approved (no swapping a second course in theory for a pre-1800 lit); moreover, to be approved, any course proposed as a substitute must clearly and strongly relate to the area of the targeted course (Renaissance Art History or Colonial American History for a pre-1800 lit course, or a seminar on Hegel, Nietzsche, or Marx from Philosophy as a substitute for Foundations of Modern Critical Theory, for examples).

At Least Six Hours of

Graduate Assistants

10. Graduate assistants are required to enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours each for the fall/spring semesters and 9 credit hours for the summer semester. These credit hours will consist of courses required for the prescribed program of study, as well as additional hours of thesis research and non-thesis individual research.

Thesis


It is the student’s responsibility to select a topic and to find a faculty member who will direct the thesis and two others who will serve on the thesis committee. Only members of the graduate faculty may direct theses.

The semester before beginning to write the thesis, M.A. students must submit a written proposal for approval by their thesis committee. The proposal should include the following:

  1. A description of the subject, including a statement of the way the proposed approach to the subject differs from, contributes to, or modifies the existing scholarship on the subject;
  2. A description of the proposed method of treatment and an account of the research necessary to complete it; and
  3. A preliminary bibliography, including a discussion of the availability of materials.

The thesis must conform in all matters of documentation to the most recent edition of The MLA Style Manual. The Office of Graduate Services of the College of Arts and Sciences has specific standard requirements for format. The student is responsible for conforming to those standards. The thesis must be between 40 and 60 pages in length, excluding notes and reference material. By the time the thesis is completed, a student must have registered for at least six hours of ENGL 8999 Thesis Research.

Independent Study Track


This track requires completion of a minimum of 27 hours of graduate coursework (9 courses), plus three hours of ENGL 8950  and an Independent Study Project (20-25 pages excluding notes and reference material) approved by a committee as described below.

Coursework


1. ENGL 8000 - Bibliography and Research Methods 3 Credit Hours

English Language Study

2. Three hours in English language study from the following:

Literary Theory/Critical Methodology/Cultural Studies

3. Three hours in literary theory/critical methodology/cultural studies from the following:

Literature Courses

4. Nine hours in literature before circa 1800.

5. Nine hours in literature after circa 1800.

6. Of the eighteen hours in the areas below, three hours must be in British literature; three hours must be in American literature, and three hours must be in transnational, diasporic, multi-ethnic, racially diverse, and/or postcolonial Anglophone literature.

Internships

7. Up to three hours of internships can be used to satisfy requirements in Literature before circa/after 1800.

Capstone Course

8. Three hours of ENGL 8950 - Independent Study Capstone 3 Credit Hours.

Graduate Assistants

9. Graduate assistants are required to enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours each for the fall/spring semesters and 9 credit hours for the summer semester These credit hours will consist of courses required for the prescribed program of study, as well as additional hours of thesis research and non-thesis individual research.

Independent Study Project

This project will consist of a substantial, article-length treatment of a research topic 20-25 pages in length, excluding critical apparatus. The Independent Study Project could originate as an essay written in one of the courses taken by the student toward completion of the degree, in which case the Project Advisor may be the professor who taught that course. As per College of Arts and Sciences requirements, the Independent Study Project must also be read by two other faculty members in the department, one of whom, in addition to the Project Advisor, must approve the project by the appropriate College deadline for graduation. Readers of the Project are to be selected by the student in consultation with the Advisor. Students completing the Independent Study Project must register for ENGL 8950  in the same semester.