English

• Faculty
• Course Work
• Related Courses
• Home Page - http://www.gmu.edu/departments/english/
  
  
• Undergraduate Programs in English
  • English, B.A.
  • Minor in English
  • Interdisciplinary Minors
  • Certificate in the Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL)
• Graduate Programs in English
  • English, M.A.
  • Track in Literature
  • Concentration in Cultural Studies
  • Track in Professional Writing and Editing
  • Track in the Teaching of Writing and Literature
  • Track in Linguistics
  • Creative Writing, M.F.A.
  • Certificate in the Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL)

Faculty

Professors: Bausch, Baxter, Bergmann, L. Brown, Brunette, Cheuse, D'Andrea (Robinson Professor), Forche, Foster, Gras, Hodges, Irvine, Jann, Kelley, Klappert, Melosh, Nadeau, Pankey, Shreve, Smith, Thaiss (chair)

Associate professors: Albanese, Burr, Foreman, Fuchs, Gallehr, Goodwin, Henry, Holisky, Irving, Jones, Kaplan, Kaufmann, Keaney, Kuebrich, Lathbury, Lowry, McKenzie, O'Connor, Owens, Radner, Rutledge, Story, Sypher, Tichy, Weinberger, Yocom

Assistant professors: Clark, Cruz, Lazaraton, Matz, Trafton

Visiting assistant professors: Atkinson, DeNys, Fischer, Michals, Miller, Nichols, Samuelian, Scott, Taciuch, Thompson, Williams, Yadov, Young, Zawacki

Visiting instructors: Koch, Morris

Adjuncts: Berg, Carter, Casal, Craver, Crouch, DeFazio, Farrington, George, Grogan-Barone, Guss, Humbertson, Jacobs, Johnston, Karlson, Kelly, Kilmer, King, Leith, Levy, Meeks, Moody, Pyrek, Raffel, Rubin

Course Work

The English Department offers all course work designated ENGL and LING in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog.

Related Courses

Courses offered by other departments are occasionally cross-listed with English and given the ENGL course designator; such courses may be counted toward the English major.

Undergraduate Programs

English, B.A.

In addition to the general requirements for the B.A., English majors must complete 30 credits (nine courses) in English beyond ENGL 302. Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.000 in all courses counting toward the English major. The nine courses are distributed as follows:

1. Six credits of ENGL 325 Dimensions of Writing and Literature, with a minimum grade of C.
2. Twelve credits in one of the following concentrations. See the department for requirements for each concentration.
   • Medieval and Renaissance Literature
   • 18th- and 19th-Century British and American Literature
   • 20th-Century Literature
   • Nonfiction Writing and Editing
   • Creative Writing
   • Fiction
   • Poetry
   • Drama
   • Film and Media Studies
   • Gender and Sexualities
   • Cultural Studies
   • Folklore, Mythology, and Literature
   • Linguistics
3. Twelve credits of core courses, distributed as follows:
   1. Three credits in literature before 1800 (may simultaneously satisfy a concentration). This requirement is satisfied by ENGL 335/336, 400, 401, 402, 404, 405, 431, 440, 443, 450, 471, 472, 473, 474, and by special topics courses as approved by the department.
   2. Three credits in literature before 1915 (may simultaneously satisfy a concentration). This requirement is satisfied by courses listed under (a) above; by ENGL 370, 406, 407, 423, 425, 436, 452, 453; and by special topics courses as approved by the department.
   3. Three credits in noncanonical or minority literature (may simultaneously satisfy a concentration). This requirement is satisfied by ENGL 333, 334, 369, 370, 371, 439, 491, 492, 493, and by special topics courses as approved by the department.
   4. Three credits of an elective above ENGL 302.

Graduating majors participate in assessment of the degree by preparing a dossier of writing done in their upper-level courses.

Comparative Literature Emphasis

The Departments of English and Modern and Classical Languages offer a B.A. in English with an emphasis in comparative literature. This program permits the student to combine the study of literature in English with the study of one or more foreign literatures and with cross-cultural literary study. It requires 10 courses above ENGL 302, distributed as follows:

1. Two courses in English and/or American literature.
2. Two courses in a literature other than English or American, with selected reading in the original language.
3. Three courses designated as comparative or world literature courses by the Comparative Literature Committee. These courses include ENGL 431, 436, 437; CLAS 390; and appropriate special topics courses in CLAS, FREN, GERM, RUSS, and SPAN.
4. CL 300 Introduction to Comparative Literature.
5. One course in literary criticism: ENGL 494, ENGL 551, FREN 381, or SPAN 311, as appropriate for the student's focus.
6. CL 514 Theories of Comparative Literature.

Students should consult with their advisors to design a program of study on a specific genre, period, issue, or other cross-cultural topic.

For more information, contact the Departments of English and Modern and Classical Languages.

Writing-Intensive Requirement
The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated "writing intensive" in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in English fulfill this requirement by successfully completing ENGL 325.

English in a Double Major
Students interested in designing a double major are encouraged to discuss their plans with their English advisors and the director of undergraduate programs in English.

Honors Program in English

To qualify for graduation with honors, students must complete the honors course sequence, receive a 3.500 GPA in all courses counted toward the major (including their honors courses), and have the written work judged of distinguished quality by a faculty committee. Honors courses may simultaneously satisfy concentration and distribution requirements in the major.

Students may satisfy the honors course sequence in several different ways:

1. A student may take two sections of ENGL 414 Honors Seminar and submit the work from both courses for consideration.
2. A student may take one section of ENGL 414 Honors Seminar and then take ENGL 415 Honors Thesis Writing Seminar in conjunction with another advanced literature or cultural studies course of the student's choosing, submitting just the honors thesis for consideration.
3. A student in the creative writing concentration may take one section of ENGL 414 Honors Seminar and then write a creative honors thesis in ENGL 416 Honors Independent Study, submitting just the honors thesis for consideration.
4. A student in the nonfiction concentration may take ENGL 416 Honors Independent Study in conjunction with an advanced course in nonfiction writing, and then complete a nonfiction thesis as part of ENGL 415 Honors Thesis Writing Seminar, submitting just the honors thesis for consideration.

See the English Department for application procedures and other information.

Minor in English

Prerequisite: completion of the six-credit College of Arts and Sciences general education requirement in literature.

The minor must be approved by the English Department undergraduate advisor before graduation. Students must achieve a GPA of 2.000 in courses counting toward the English minor.

Interdisciplinary Minors

The department coordinates or co-coordinates the interdisciplinary minors in film and media studies, folklore and mythology, and linguistics. See the Interdisciplinary Minors section of this chapter for more information.

Certificate in the Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL)

Admission Requirements

Undergraduates interested in the TESL certificate must first complete three credit hours of LING course work in the English Department, and they must apply before they have completed six credits of LING course work. Students must apply to the English Department by filling out a Change/Declaration of Academic Program form. This request must be approved by one of the linguistics faculty members. Applicants must also submit a 1,000-word writing sample, a one-page goals statement, and a recent George Mason transcript.

The TESL certificate may be pursued concurrently with any undergraduate major, and, with the approval of an advisor in the major, some courses taken as part of the TESL certificate may apply toward the undergraduate major. (Students should consult with an advisor.)

Courses taken as part of the TESL certificate and also used to complete the requirements for an undergraduate degree cannot be applied at a later time toward any graduate degree.

Certificate Requirements

Certificate candidates must complete the following LING courses:

1. LING 326, 521, 522, 523, 582
2. One elective (a list of approved electives is available from the English Department)

Undergraduates in Graduate English Courses
The English Department permits qualified undergraduates to enroll in its graduate courses numbered 500 through 599, either for undergraduate or for reserve graduate credit. See the department for details on how to enroll.

Teacher Licensure (Certification)
Students interested in becoming elementary or secondary school teachers should consult the general requirements for teacher licensure (certification) listed in the "Graduate School of Education" chapter. See the English Department's secondary education advisor for more information.

The Writing Center
The Writing Center offers one-to-one conferencing on all stages of the writing process. Conferences are available, free of charge, to all George Mason students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Writing Center tutors, who are graduate teaching assistants in the English Department, have been trained in current methods of composition instruction. They can help clients overcome writing anxiety, develop organizational and revision skills, and learn useful strategies for editing their own work.

Appointments should be made by calling (703) 993-1200, or by stopping by the center at Robinson Hall, Room A116, to schedule a session.

Northern Virginia Writing Project
The Northern Virginia Writing Project (NVWP) is an in-service organization dedicated to improving the writing of Northern Virginia students, kindergarten through university. Each summer, selected teachers attend an intensive five-week institute at which they demonstrate successful teaching techniques, study research on the teaching of writing, and write. After the summer institute, these teachers return to their schools, colleges, and universities to lead workshops and in-service seminars for other teachers.

NVWP is an affiliate of the National Writing Project and one of the seven sites of the Virginia Writing Project.

Graduate Programs

The Department of English offers graduate programs in the study and practice of writing and literature, as well as course work in related fields such as folklore, film, and cultural studies. The M.A. in English (30 credits) provides tracks in the following areas: (1) literature (including an optional concentration in cultural studies), (2) professional writing and editing, (3) the teaching of writing and literature, and (4) linguistics. The department also offers a terminal degree, the M.F.A. in Creative Writing (48 credits), with concentrations in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. In addition, the department offers a certificate in the teaching of English as a second language (TESL, 18 credits) and courses as part of the Ph.D. in Education.

English, M.A.

Applicants may submit scores on the GRE when they believe those scores will lead to a clearer presentation of their qualifications. Those with undergraduate majors in disciplines other than English are encouraged to apply, but may be required to make up deficiencies before entering the program.

Degree Requirements

Students must successfully complete 30 credits in graduate English courses. With the approval of the department, up to six graduate credits in courses in related disciplines may be substituted for six credits in English. One of the tracks described below must be completed.

General Requirements

1. 1. ENGL 701 (normally in the first semester of study).
2. 2. Nine credits in literature courses. For the track in the teaching of writing and literature only, ENGL 610 may be used to fulfill three credits of the literature requirement.
3. 3. Foreign language proficiency demonstrated by course work equivalent to George Mason's foreign language 202 or 209, or by passing a translation test administered by the English Department.

Track in Literature

1. General requirements (above).
2. Six credits in critical theory, including at least one of the following courses: ENGL 514, 551, 675, 676, 705. The other three credits may be in any graduate course in which theoretical issues form a major strand.
3. Six credits in a core program organized by period, genre, theme, or some other principle approved by the student's advisor and the director of graduate studies in English before the student commences the second course. In the second course of the core program, the candidate must write an M.A. paper—a substantial paper on a topic agreed upon with the course instructor and with the advisor at the beginning of the semester. Upon completion of the core program, the student writes an 8- to 10-page statement with the bibliography, explicitly linking the work of the two courses and situating this work within the chosen field. The student submits this statement and the papers from both courses to the advisor and the director of graduate studies for review along with the graduation application. The M.A. papers must receive a grade of B or better, and they, along with the statement, are filed with the English Department.
4. Three credits of electives.
5. Optional: six credits of thesis may be substituted for the core program.

Concentration in Cultural Studies

Students planning to apply to the Ph.D. in Cultural Studies program should pursue the literature track of the M.A. in English and make the following modifications to the above requirements:

1. Three of the six credits in critical theory in ENGL 676.
2. Nine credits in a core program designed around designated cultural studies courses. ENGL 676 also may be used as one of these courses.
3. Three credits in CULT 802.

Track in Professional Writing and Editing

1. General requirements (above)
2. Three credits in nonfiction writing
3. Nine credits in professional courses (e.g., editing, technical writing, scientific writing, internship in writing or editing, or Northern Virginia Writing Project)
4. Three credits of electives in writing or literature
5. Three credits of thesis

Track in the Teaching of Writing and Literature

1. General requirements (above).
2. Six credits in writing/publishing courses.
3. Three credits in linguistics.
4. Three credits in the teaching of writing and three credits in the teaching of literature.
5. Three credits in composition theory: either ENGL 697 or an appropriate section of ENGL 611.
6. Three credits of electives from literature or writing. Alternatively, a thesis may be arranged through the student's advisor and the director of graduate studies in English.

Track in Linguistics

The linguistics track of the English M.A. combines courses in linguistics with courses in some related area of language study, such as teaching English as a second language, bilingual education, or foreign language teaching. The course of study is designed to prepare students for teaching in one of these fields or for doctoral work. The certificate in teaching English as a second language can be earned concurrently. Students pursuing the linguistics track must successfully complete 30 graduate credits, distributed as follows, and demonstrate foreign language proficiency (see above).

1. Eighteen credits in the following core courses: LING 690, 691, 692, 785, 786, 787.
2. Twelve credits of graduate electives, chosen in consultation with an advisor, which reflect one or more areas of language study. The electives can be in such areas as linguistics, the teaching of reading or writing, literary criticism, bilingual education, or a foreign language, and may include six credits of thesis.

Creative Writing, M.F.A.

Persons interested in taking individual courses or in applying at a future date to the M.F.A. program are welcome to apply to take classes as Extended Studies students. However, Extended Studies enrollments are with the permission of the instructor only. Regular applicants to the M.F.A. program who are denied admission may not take courses through Extended Studies. Persons interested in taking a course through Extended Studies should submit a brief letter of introduction and a writing sample to the professor at least one week before the start of classes.

Admission Requirements
In addition to fulfilling admission requirements for graduate study, applicants must submit two letters of recommendation, one copy of a 1,000-word analytical writing sample, and a portfolio of original work. The analytical writing sample may be a paper written for an undergraduate class or any other work that gives evidence of advanced writing skills. For those applying to the M.F.A. concentration in fiction, the portfolio should consist of up to 50 pages of fiction; at least two complete short stories are preferred. For those applying to the M.F.A. concentration in poetry, the portfolio should consist of up to 20 pages of poetry. For those applying to the M.F.A. concentration in nonfiction, the portfolio should consist of up to 50 pages of creative nonfiction.

Degree Requirements

Students must successfully complete 48 graduate credits, including the following:

1. Twelve credits in literature.
2. Twelve to 18 credits of writing seminars in one genre, including Form of Poetry, Form of Fiction, or Forms of Nonfiction and at least 3 credits of Advanced Workshop (ENGL 750, 751, or 752).
3. Three to nine credits in other genres.
4. Six credits in thesis. Only with the permission of the thesis committee may thesis credits be taken in the summer term.
5. Up to nine credits of electives chosen in consultation with the writing program faculty.
6. For M.F.A. students in the poetry concentration, at least one credit of ENGL 699.

With the approval of the M.F.A. faculty and the graduate coordinator, the number of credits required for an M.F.A. may be reduced by a maximum of 18 credits on the basis of graduate course work before admission.

Students in poetry must pass a written M.F.A. exam based on the authors they have chosen. The authors are selected in collaboration with the writing faculty any time after the completion of 12 credits of course work and before the completion of 32 credits. The exam must be completed at least one semester before the student registers for the final three hours of thesis.

Students in fiction either must pass an M.F.A. exam or complete an M.F.A. project. Students who elect to take the M.F.A. exam select, after the completion of 18 credits and with the approval of their faculty advisors, both a list of authors and an area of emphasis (e.g., the European novel). Students who elect to complete an M.F.A. project (e.g., edit an anthology) must carry out the project under the direction of a faculty member and may register for ENGL 798 to do this. This ENGL 798 may not be used to fulfill the literature requirement or as thesis preparation. The exam or project must be completed at least one semester before the student registers for the final three hours of thesis.

Students who have not completed the equivalent of George Mason's foreign language 202 or 209 must either do so or demonstrate proficiency by passing a translation test administered by the English Department.

Certificate in the Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESL)

Admission Requirements
Applicants interested in the TESL certificate must be admitted to graduate study or approved for graduate course enrollment through Extended Studies. Students who initially enroll in the certificate program through Extended Studies must apply for admission to the graduate program no later than the second semester of study. At the time formal admission to graduate study is sought, applicants must submit one copy of an analytical writing sample of approximately 1,000 words, a goals statement, and two letters of recommendation.

The certificate may be pursued concurrently with any of several degree programs offered through the Graduate School of Education, the English Department, and the Modern and Classical Languages Department, and part of the work toward the certificate may be applicable toward degrees in those departments.

Students enrolled in another graduate degree program who want to work for the certificate must apply to the English Department for admission into the certificate program.

Certificate Requirements

Certificate candidates must complete the following series of graduate English courses, earning a grade of B or better in each.

1. LING 326/520, 521, 522, 523, and 582 (EDCI 519 or LING 507 may be substituted for LING 521)
2. One elective (a list of approved electives is available from the English Department)