Department of English
Master of Arts in English
The Department of English at Texas Southern University prides itself in preparing students to excel in their knowledge and understanding of the areas of British, American, and African American Literature, and Literary Analysis and Theory. Students engage in intensive study and research towards a command of the broad and diverse range of literatures written and/or translated into English. Our graduates make meaningful personal discoveries throughout their studies: how ideas in literature influence their life-long pursuits and thinking.
Master of Arts (M.A.) students will immerse themselves in both rhetorical and contemporary theoretical approaches to literary texts. Through expert instruction, workshops, and graduate experiential opportunities, the Master of Arts in English prepares successful graduates for exemplary higher education entry teaching opportunities; communication (oral and written); leadership opportunities in arts, business, education, government, and legal pursuits; and entrance into prestigious Ph.D. programs in literature and rhetoric and composition.
Master of Arts in English -- Degree Plans
The English Department offers three options leading to the Master of Arts degree:
- Track A – Masters of Arts degree (thesis option – 27 semester credit hours + 3 research hours for thesis) – in literature study with an emphasis in American, African American, or British literature.
- Track B – Masters of Arts degree (non-thesis option - 30 semester credit hours for non-thesis) – with a generalist concentration in literary studies. With the approval of the Department Chair and the instructor, the student will devote three credits to a “Directed Reading and Research” course resulting in two or more longer papers.
- Online Masters of Arts degree in English. Students electing this online option will follow the same Track A or Track B program noted above. Contact the Chair for more specific information.
Requirements of the Degree
- Thirty (30) hours of coursework
Conditional Admittance
- There is no conditional admittance to the Master of Arts in English Program at Texas Southern University.
- All requirements must be met before admittance to the Master of Arts Program (completed tests, fees paid, letters of recommendation submitted, et. al.)
Master of Arts in English -- Degree Plans
The English Department offers three options leading to the Master of Arts degree:
- M.A. with Thesis
- M.A. with Portfolio (non-thesis)
- M.A. Online with Thesis or Portfolio
The three degree paths for the M.A. degree are designed to prepare students for entry to the professional world or further graduate study.
Courses
WRITING GRADUATE (3) A course for students who have not achieved writing profi ciencies appropriate for graduate work, including the master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
CORNERSTONE SEMINAR (3) An intense and comprehensive period-based survey of Western literature from the ancient through the modern and postmodern (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
STUDIES IN LITERARY BIOGRAPHY AND NONFICTION (3) A study of the relationship of author and text in works of notable British and American writers (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
AFRICAN AMERICAN FICTION (3) An examination of the literary presentation of the passage from slavery to free personhood in selected texts of African American fi ction, with a special concentration on rhetorical structure (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
AFRICAN AND AFRICAN DIASPORA LITERATURE (3) A study of selected poetry, fi ction, and drama of Africa and the African Diaspora (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
METHODS OF RESEARCH (3) An introduction to techniques of independent graduate study, with emphasis on bibliographical studies and textual criticism (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
In this course, students will examine the rhetorical strategies circumstances most prominently in the southern literary tradition. Students will investigate the historical circumstances (including slavery, Reconstructions, etc.)that have shaped--and been shaped by ---southern literature. Topics to be addressed in this course include canon formation, negotiations between fiction and history, etc.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
SEMINAR IN ADVANCED TECHNICAL WRITING (3) The second of two technical writing courses that offer focused instruction on writing skills appropriate to the technical demands of the modern workplace such as business, science, and government (Prerequisites: ENG 412 and the consent of both the department chair and the instructor)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
SEMINAR IN AMERICAN LITERATURE (3) A special topics course focusing on American poetry, drama, and fiction. (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
SURVEY OF LITERARY THEORY (3) An historical survey of theories of literary criticism from Aristotle to the present (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
SEMINAR IN CHAUCER, SHAKESPEARE AND MILTON (3) An intense study of major works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
SEMINAR IN CREATIVE NONFICTION (3) A study of techniques of creative non-fi ction prose, both as a genre and in historical context (Prerequisite: graduate standing)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
THE AMERICAN NOVEL (3) A study of selected American novelists in conjunction with modern critical theories (Prerequisite: completion of all required core courses)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
SEMINAR IN MODERN POETRY (3) An examination of the primary trends in modern poetry, devoting attention to the masterpieces in the canon and engaging students in a systematic study of the techniques and philosophical tendencies in these works (Prerequisite: completion of all required core courses)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
THE BRITISH NOVEL (3) An intensive survey of the British novel from Defoe through the authors of contemporary British fi ction (Prerequisite: completion of all required core courses)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
STUDIES IN BRITISH LITERATURE TO 1900 (3) A study of British poetry, drama, and prose from Shakespeare to the era of modernism (Prerequisite: completion of all required core courses)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
This proposed course will engage students with utopian and dystopian literature from the ancient periods to the 21st century. Students will discover the pros and cons of past societies described in various literatures. Students will then be able to evaluate current social trends against a literary backdrop of social formation's..
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
DIRECTED READING AND RESEARCH (6) An individualized course for students wishing to work with a specifi c professor in a well-defi ned area of scholarship (Prerequisite: completion of all required core courses and the consent of both the department chair and the instructor)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English
THESIS IN PROGRESS (6) The writing of the thesis under the supervision of a thesis advisor from the graduate faculty of the Department of English (Prerequisite: All preceding requirements for the Master of Arts in English)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Department of English