English

Graduate Programs

Description

English programs are designed to meet the needs of a particular audience, so each has its own entrance requirements, curriculum, reading list, comprehensive examination format, and thesis or capstone experience requirements. It is important that prospective students discuss which program best meets their needs with the department chair, the department graduate coordinator, or the individual program head. 

Majors

 Program Locations Total Credits
Communication and Composition MS MS - Master of Science
  • Online
 37
Creative Writing MFA MFA - Master of Fine Arts
  • Mankato
 48
English MA English Education MA - Master of Arts
  • Online
 32
English MA Literature and English Studies MA - Master of Arts
  • Mankato
  • Online
 32
Literature and Composition MA MA - Master of Arts
  • Online
 37
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages MA MA - Master of Arts
  • Mankato
  • Online
 33
Technical Communication MS MS - Master of Science
  • Mankato
  • Online
 32

Certificates

 Program Locations Total Credits
English Literature GC
  • Online
 18
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages GC
  • Mankato
  • Online
 18
Teaching Writing GC
  • Online
 18
Technical Communication GC
  • Mankato
  • Online
 20

Policies & Faculty

Policies

See program website for policies. 

Contact Information

230 Armstrong Hall
English Department
College of Arts & Humanities

english.mnsu.edu

Faculty

Chair
  • Geoffrey Herbach, MFA
Graduate Director
  • Richard Robbins, MFA
Faculty

500 Level

Credits: 2-4

Content changes. May be repeated.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Study of literature from the 21st Century, with an emphasis on how these works reflect contemporary concerns.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

The course will begin by discussing major issues in the field of Arab American Studies, the history of immigration and citizenship, the formation of a literary canon, and developments in Arab American writing. Students will learn about the waves of immigration in the 1880s through the 1920s, the literary communities that formed, and their contemporary legacy. The course will enable the students to better comprehend the historical and cultural contexts in which Arab American literature and art has evolved and the diverse perspectives of individual writers and artists.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

Topics in genres such as fantasy and historical fiction and thematic topics such as survival or journeys. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

Selected periods of literary study.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

Content changes. May be repeated.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Topics on themes, issues, and developments in genres of the literatures of the world. Content changes. May be repeated.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

A study of selected novels from a variety of time periods and cultures, including Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

This course surveys the earliest Native American literary works, from oral tradition and songs to contemporary works and authors, with a particular emphasis on tribal and cultural contexts that identify these works as Native American.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

This course surveys the origins and development of Chicana/o and Latina/o literature, from oral narratives, early poetry, and narrative fiction and memoirs, through the Chicano Movement and the emergence of Chicana/o literature and drama. The course also examines contemporary Chicana/o and Latina/o narrative fiction, including issues related to im/migration, the urban experience, Chicana/o and Latina/o subjectivity, and the reappropriation and reinterpretation of myths, legends, and cultural figures in transnational context.Grading Method

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

This course surveys the earliest African American literary works, including slave narratives, poetry, folklore, and oration, through the 20th century movements such as the Jazz age, Harlem Renaissance, and the Black Arts movements of the 1960s, to contemporary works and authors.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Advanced workshop in writing personal essays and literary journalism.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

An advanced course in writing critical essays.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Introduction to writing for the screen.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

Topics in Creative Writing Form and Technique will be a variable-title course that explores special topics relating to the technical mastery of one or more creative genres, or the technical achievement of one or more practitioners. May be repeated with different topics.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Advanced writing course emphasizing major contemporary public issues. Practice in and study of: the logic by which writers construct arguments; the various means that writers use to persuade an audience; the conventions of evidence, claims, and argument in persuasive discourses.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 0-4

Advanced interdisciplinary writing emphasizes critical reading and thinking, argumentative writing, library research, and documentation of sources in an academic setting. Practice and study of selected rhetorics of inquiry employed in academic disciplines preparing students for different systems of writing.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

This course is designed to familiarize students with current theories and practices of writing centers as well as to provide training in working with writers one-on-one. During the course, students will discuss best practices for teaching writing and examine the roles writing centers play in helping students negotiate the terrain of college literacy. The focus of the course will be to prepare students in the history of writing centers, to discuss the current scholarship and theory on best practices in writing centers, and to outline and provide interactive opportunities into the pedagogy of writing center tutoring.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

Selected works of literature for students in grades 5-12 from a variety of countries and cultures.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Motivation and interests of and materials for adolescent readers.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Survey of books suitable for the Middle School classroom, covering a variety of topics and genres.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Introduces students to theories of usability and teaches students various methods to evaluate design for usability including heuristic evaluations, card-sorting, task-based evaluations, and fieldwork.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Students learn how to research and write technical information for multiple cultures, both locally and internationally.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

This course is designed to introduce students to technical project management. This introduction is achieved through participation in a simulated project management experience. Assignments include standard documentation associated with project management and reflective writing.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Analysis and training focused on concepts and practices of visual design as they relate to technical and professional communication.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Topics in theory and practice of technical communication. Hands-on course which implements the theories discussed. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Overview of publishing and typography, conventions of desktop publishing, and hardware and software application tools for desktop publishing. Students need not have prior experience with DTP, but some word processing and microcomputer experience will be helpful. Course will meet in both PC and Macintosh labs.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Editing the content, organization, format, style, and mechanics of documents; managing the production cycle of documents, and discovering and learning microcomputer and software applications for technical editing tasks.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Creating both on-line and hard copy documentation for products, with emphasis on computer software and hardware documentation for users. Attention also to policies and procedures as written for a range of uses, e.g. employee handbooks, manufacturing processes, and usability testing.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

The development of English from its origins as a dialect of Proto-Indo-European to its current form, with consideration of its social history as well as its formal development.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Introduction to theory and best practices of teaching second language listening and speaking to a variety of English learners in multiple contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

This course addresses the skills required for technical communication within the context of health and medicine. Students will discuss typical audiences, purposes, and genres of health and medical communication. Students will adapt complex health and medical information for audiences with varying levels of knowledge, demonstrating awareness of audience analysis, visual design, plain language, and ethics.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Introduction to theory and best practices of teaching second language grammar and vocabulary to a variety of English learners in multiple contexts - specifically focusing on content based teaching practices.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Introduction to theories and classroom practices that have shaped second language teaching and learning. Topics of study focus on prominent second language learning/acquisition theories, individual and sociocultural factors in language learning, technology-based resources that enhance language learning, as well as practical issues and applications of theory in a wide range of instructional contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Introduction to theory and best practices of teaching second language reading and writing to a variety of English learners in multiple contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Exploration of state and federal legislation affecting ESL programs, current models of ESL program delivery, and Minnesota State Standards and standardized testing. Additionally, the course develops the ability to understand related students, families, and programs in context.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Topics in learning and teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language. May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-4

Topics in literary study. May be repeated with change of topic.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-6

Specialized workshops in topics such as computer-assisted writing, teaching the writing of poetry in the secondary school, or discipline specific writing.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Specialized, in-depth study of topics such as Holocaust literature, environmental literature, or regional literature. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

600 Level

Credits: 3

Studies in selected authors in British, American, Multicultural, or World Literature. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study of works of Shakespeare, including comedies, histories, tragedies, tragic-comedies, and some shorter poetic works, including sonnets.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

The course focuses on the major writers, genres and periods in British literature with an emphasis on historical and critical trends in order to provide an analytical framework that will support subsequent work. Must be taken during the student's first year in the program.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

The course focuses on the major writers, genres and periods in American literature with an emphasis on historical and critical trends in order to provide an analytical framework that will support subsequent work. Must be taken during the student's first year in the program.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Studies in topics/periods in British Literature to 1800. Emphasizes close readings of primary works, analysis of pertinent secondary works, detailed class discussion, and analytical writing. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Studies in topics/periods in British Literature after 1800. Emphasizes close readings of primary works, analyzing pertinent secondary works, detailed class discussion, and analytical writing. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Analysis of topics/periods in American Literature before 1865. Emphasizes close reading of primary works, analysis of pertinent secondary works, detailed class discussion, and analytical writing. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Analysis of topics/periods in modern and contemporary American Literature, i.e. fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Emphasizes close reading of primary works, analysis of pertinent secondary works, detailed class discussion, and analytical writing. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study of selected works about gender and gendered experiences up through the present with attention to gender and sexuality within cultural contexts. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Studies in selected authors, topics, or periods of American multicultural literatures, particularly those of Native American, African American, Chicano/Latino American, and Asian American groups. Emphasizes close readings of primary works, analyzing secondary sources, and analytical writing. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Continued workshop in composition pedagogy for first-year teaching assistants.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study of current second language writing theories and practices in connection to first-year teaching assistants' teaching of basic writing and composition for multilingual writers.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study of current theories and practices in TESOL in connection to students' placement in a university-level ESL classroom.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Introduction to the major theories of the nature of composition and their pedagogical application.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study of research paradigms and methods common in the field of TESOL/Applied Linguistics and preparation to plan and implement a research project.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course aims to develop students¿ understanding of the interdisciplinary field of second language (L2) writing and, more specifically, the unique characteristics and instructional needs of L2 writers across multiple contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Exploration of second language literacy as a situated social practice. Current second language literacy theories and practices are studied and applied to a variety of second language reading and writing instructional contexts.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-3

Topics in a broad range of English studies. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Exploration of major theories of second language acquisition through supporting research and pedagogical applications.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Examination of a special topic or topics in the field of TESOL/Applied Linguistics. Course may be repeated.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Studies in selected national literature or in topics/periods of world literature. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study of the underpinnings of creative nonfiction.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study of the underpinnings of fiction.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study of the technical underpinnings of poetry.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Workshop in writing personal essays and literary journalism.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Workshop in fiction writing.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Workshop in poetry writing.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course is a creative writing workshop for English or non-English graduate students who are not currently admitted to the MFA program.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study and analysis of selected works in fiction and nonfiction since 1945.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Study and analysis of poetry since 1945.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course familiarizes students with various approaches and strategies to the teaching of creative writing. Discussions of classroom practices and pedagogical theories as well as teaching demonstrations prepare students to plan and develop an introductory-level creative writing course.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

Topics relating to creative writing. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course introduces students to research methods and critical writing strategies for masters¿ level work. It also focuses on professional development and the creation of documents such as CVs, conference proposals, and annotated bibliographies. The course is required for all students in the following programs: MA Literature & English Studies, MA English Education, MA Literature and Composition, GC English Literature. Students are encouraged to take this course in the first semester, if possible.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course examines the teaching of literature across collegiate levels and is designed for English graduate students. It is both practical and theoretical, examining topics such as: the purposes for teaching literature and teaching critical thinking; pedagogical approaches for teaching literature; and designing syllabi, lesson plans, and assignments. We will explore these topics through a variety of texts and perspectives. Assignments will include creating syllabi and lesson plans, reviewing scholarship on a particular topic related to the teaching of literature, and a conference paper on some aspect of the teaching of literature.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course will examine current instructional practices used to teach writing in academic settings. This course can be repeated for credits as the topic changes each time it is offered.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course will introduce methods of inquiry-based research for investigating writing practices and pedagogy; this research could be conducted in classrooms for the purpose of improving teaching practices, students' learning, and/or institutional curricular design and practices.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course will explore the theoretical and practical implications of integrating literature into the composition classroom.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Argumentation is the study of how people justify their acts, beliefs, attitudes, and values, and influence the thought and actions of others, by providing good reasons for the claims they make. This subfield includes both descriptive study (what do people consider to be good reasons and what are they doing when they offer what they take to be justifications?) and normative investigation (under what circumstances should claims be considered justified?). This course addresses argumentation in general and argumentation in specific contexts such as law, business, science, religion, and public affairs, as well as the teaching of argumentation.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-3

Topics of interest to the teacher or professional working in the field of children's and young adult literature. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 2-3

Topics such as writing assessment, teaching poetry, and teaching writing in the secondary schools. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course, to be taken in the first year of MS coursework, addresses technical communication as both an academic and professional field. The course surveys history, foundational scholarship, research questions, and research methods in the academic field of technical communication. Students will explore the relationships between the scholarship and the practice of technical communication.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

This course addresses the planning and execution of content through methodological approaches to data analysis and content development. This course surveys the planning, creation, and management of content within editorial development, experience design, and systems design. Students will explore the methods of content strategy to compile, extract, and develop meaningful content that uses multimodal tools for visualization.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

Individual study in writing. (Creative writing majors may take up to 3 credits total.)

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Advanced study of theories of literature and its production and use.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Exploration of the business of creative writing and the tools for writing and research in the field.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

The course addresses the use of research to answer questions and solve problems in the technical communication workplace. The course addresses research methods commonly used by technical communicators, such as interviewing, surveys, usability testing, and secondary research.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

Topics relating to rhetorical theory in the workplace, including examination of how workplace cultures shape writing assumptions and approaches. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Technical communication course designed specifically for STEM industry professionals or students in PSM programs; emphasis on development of technical communication skills and expertise needed for business- and industry-specific documents and presentations for internal or external audiences.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Examination of instructional design principles and models, including research in theory and practice of instructional design for technical communicators in academic and industry settings.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Focused study on a topic not covered in regularly scheduled courses.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Analysis of fiction and literary nonfiction that treats technical and scientific themes.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Rhetorical theory applied to technical documents, including an examination of how workplace cultures shape writing assumptions and approaches.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

Theory and practice in the development and production of proposals, focusing on the researching, writing, and management of proposals by technical communicators.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

User experience is a more holistic, contextualized approach to understanding an individuals encounter with technologies, systems, and documents. The course addresses theory, research findings, case studies, and methods for conducting user experience research.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Survey of language tests and other forms of related assessment that measure various second language abilities.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Literary and non-literary translation.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

This course will involve the preparation of a portfolio in consultation with instructor.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Examination of the social factors and conventions that inform language choices, how sociolinguistic and pragmatic norms differ among social, cultural, and language groups, and how language learners acquire these norms.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

Advanced studies in language, literature, film, or theory.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-2

Independent capstone experience, focusing on secondary research sources; paper may have other guidelines specific to the program option.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

In this course, taken in the last year of MS coursework, students demonstrate their mastery of technical communication by creating a professional portfolio of advanced technical communication materials.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Independent capstone experience, guidelines of which are determined by the requirements of a particular program option.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-6

On-site field experience, the nature of which is determined by the specific needs of the student's program option.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-4

Independent capstone experience, guidelines of which are determined by the requirements of a particular program option.

Prerequisites: none