program description: composition/rhetorical studies

The emphasis in Rhetoric and Composition allows students the opportunity to better understand how writing is done in various settings, where the theories of writing came from, and how it is studied and taught in the academic world and in modern society.

By the end of their graduate course work, students completing a composition/rhetorical studies emphasis should:

• demonstrate an understanding of key trends and concepts in the field: defining arguments, making connections and distinctions, and articulating their theoretical underpinnings.
• demonstrate knowledge of key features of theory and research, articulate relationships between theory and research, and apply theory and research to instructional practices.
• situate (historically and politically) the discipline of Composition and Rhetoric within the larger field of English Studies and be able to describe its relationship to other fields (e.g., linguistics, education, psychology, anthropology, and ESL).
• demonstrate the ability to write for a variety of purposes including: textual analysis (especially rhetorical analysis); synthesis of key concepts; taking a position; reporting research findings; and developing a project which extends, applies, or employs theory.

Requirements. . . 30 hours

Students are advised to consult the current Graduate Catalog (available on the Graduate School webpage) and the program advisor to make sure they are fulfilling the appropriate requirements.

Core curriculum... 9 hours

ENG 808:   Studies in Modern Composition Theory
ENG 809:   Seminar in Scholarship and Writing OR ENG 812: Research Methods in Thetoric and Composition Studies (ENG 812 recommended for composition/rhetorical studies students)
ENG 833:   Modern Literary Criticism

**Core courses must be taken during the first and second semester of enrollment.

Area of emphasis ... 9-15 hours, selected from:

ENG 700:   Advanced Professional Writing
ENG 800:   Seminar in Composition
ENG 805:   Writing Project
ENG 806:   Topics in Rhetoric
*ENG 809: Seminar in Scholarship and Writing
*ENG 812: Research Methods in Thetoric and Composition Studies
ENG 827:   History of Rhetoric

*ENG 809 and ENG 812 may be applied to either the core curriculum requirement or the Composition/Rhetorical Studies area of emphasis; however, neither can be simultaneously applied to both.

3 hours (minimum) of a literature course.
3 hours (minimum) of a course in Language Studies/ESL.

Students have a choice of a non-thesis or thesis option:

For the non-thesis option, students must complete an additional 6-12 hours of electives in English to meet the requirement of 30 total hours for the Master of Arts degree in English; students also are required to write a mentored scholarly paper.

For the thesis option, students complete six hours of thesis credit, ENG 898: Thesis I and ENG 899: Thesis II, plus any necessary electives to meet the requirement of 30 total hours for a Master of Arts in English. Consult the Program Coordinator for information regarding registering for ENG 898/899. Thesis guidelines and requirements are available to currently enrolled students on the program Blackboard site.

All students must pass for the comprehensive examination. Comprehensive exam information, including reading list guidelines, is available to currently enrolled students on the program Blackboard site.