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- Department of English -
Master of Arts in English
Program Description
Course Descriptions
Deadlines
Full-time Faculty
Financial Assistance
Contact
Application Forms
Program Description
The Master of Arts in English focuses on the interconnectedness of writing, teaching, and literary studies. At the heart of the program is a concern for the integrated interests of students and teachers in all branches of the field. Teachers, scholars, and writers in the program gain a better understanding of their own practices by seeing the extent to which each writer is also a literary critic, each teacher is also a writer and reader of literature, and all critics and readers are teachers and writers. The program is designed to extend and deepen the intellectual rigor of customary approaches to literature by examining issues these approaches often leave unaddressed, such as the history and institutionalization of the discipline, the relationship between theory and the practices of writing, teaching, and textual studies; and the processes by which knowledge in the field of English has been and is constructed.
The program responds to changing perspectives in the humanities and expands the professional options of its graduate students through a broadly conceived course of study and an integrated curriculum providing instruction in the four areas of literary criticism, teaching writing and literature, rhetoric and composition, and literary history. The program also allows students flexibility to design part of their program in consultation with the graduate advisor.
English 510, 530, and 540 have been created to serve as the core of each graduate student’s program and are required. These courses give students a “state of the art” map of the field, and the additional options give them the flexibility to move in the direction of their interests.
The Master of Arts degree requires 30 credits. Students will select one of two options, either the professional paper or the thesis. The first option involves 24 hours of course work and 6 hours of professional paper, the latter 20 hours of course work and 10 hours of thesis. Students are expected to have completed the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree in English. Students with undergraduate degrees other than English are encouraged to apply; however, they may be required to take additional English courses as a condition of their acceptance.
In every area of the program, students work closely with excellent teachers who are active scholars and whose research interests range widely, from Anglo-Saxon studies to contemporary critical theory, innovative pedagogy, creative writing, linguistics, and western American literature. Three interdisciplinary journals based in the department offer graduate students additional opportunities for professional experience.
Deadlines
The deadline for admission and consideration for a teaching assistantship is March 1. The final deadlines for admission only are July 1 (fall semester) and November 1 (spring semester). Deadlines for international students are May 15 (fall semester and September 15 (spring semester).
Graduate Handbook pdf
Course Descriptions
English 510: Studies in Critical Theory and Practice
(Required—3 credits)
Topics in critical theory and practice. Explores how historical and contemporary theories of literature have shaped the ways readers, teachers, and critics have thought about such fundamental questions as canon formation, pedagogical practice, and the goals and purposes of literary studies as a field.
English 530: Studies in Writing Theory and Practice
(Required—3 credits)
Topics in rhetoric and composition. Examines a variety of models that have historically governed composition theory and writing practice.
English 540: Studies in Theory and Practice of Literary History
(Required—3 credits)
Topics in the theory and practice of literary history. Examines debates in the discipline on topics such as the production and reception of literary texts, the practice of periodization, and the relationship between literary studies and historiography.
English 550: Focused Research Seminar
(maximum 6 credits)
Topics offered at the graduate level not covered in the required courses. Involves directed research resulting in a paper, as well as participation in preparing and presenting discussion material. Topics will vary.
English 570: Individual Problems
(maximum 6 credits)
Directed research and study on an individual basis.
English 575: Professional Paper
(maximum 6 credits)
A research or professional paper or project dealing with a topic in the field. The topic must have been mutually agreed upon by the student and his or her major advisor and graduate committee.
English 576: Internship
(1-12 credits)
An individualized assignment arranged with an agency, business, school, or other organization to provide guided experience in the field.
English 580: Special Topics
(maximum 9 credits)
Advanced study of topics in the discipline, in courses not required in any curriculum, including experimental offerings of visiting professors, trial offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.
English 590: Master’s Thesis
(1-10 credits)
A thesis dealing with a topic in the field. The topic must have been mutually agreed upon by the student and his or her major advisor and graduate committee.
Faculty
David Agruss, Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Cornell University
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Beehler, Michael T., Professor
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Modern Literature, Literary Theory
Beehler, Sharon A., Professor
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
English Education, Shakespeare
Bennett, Robert, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Cultural Studies, Global Studies, Urban Studies and American Studies
Branch, Kirk, Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle
Composition
Douglas Downs, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Rhetoric and Composition
Eckert, Lisa, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Western Michigan University
English Education
Gaines, Philip., Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Washington
Linguistics, Discourse Analysis, Composition
Karell, Linda K., Department Head
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Rochester
Western American Literature, Literary Theory
Keeler, Greg, Professor
D.A., Idaho State University
Creative Writing, Contemporary Literature
Kollin, Susan, Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Lansverk, Marvin D. L., Professor
Ph.D., University of Washington
Eighteenth-Century British Literature
Minton, Gretchen, Assistant Professor
Ph.d., University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
English Renaissance, Shakespeare, Drama, Christian Late Antiquity
Morgan, Gwendolyn A., Professor
Ph.D., University of South Florida
Medieval Literature, Linguistics
Sexson, Michael, Professor
Ph.D., Syracuse University
Literature and Religion, Mythology
Thomas, Amy M., Associate Professor
Ph.D., Duke University
Nineteenth-Century American Literature, History of the Book
Financial Assistance
Graduate students may apply for departmental teaching assistantships, which are awarded on a competitive basis.
To apply for an assistantship, discuss your interest in teaching in the personal essay you will submit as part of your application packet.
Dr. Robert Bennett
Graduate Program Coordinator
P.O. Box 172300
Bozeman, MT 59717-2300
Telephone: (406)-994-3768
E-mail: bennett@english.montana.edu
Application Forms
These are available on-line at the College of Graduate Studies’ website.
University standards for admission with full standing to the College of Graduate studies include:
1) 3.0 grade point average (A=4.0); and official transcripts for all undergraduate course work.
2) Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test scores.
Additionally, the English department requires:
3) three letters of recommendation from people who can comment on your success in a graduate program in English; and
4) a personal essay in which you discuss your reasons for pursuing the Master of Arts in English.
5) 10-15 page writing sample.
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