English

• Department Information
• M.A. in English (Literature and Composition Program)
• Other Degree Requirements
• M.A. in English: TESOL Option
• Graduate Courses

Department Information

Department of English
College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Office: Music College and Business Building, Rm 2579
Phone: (510) 885-3151
Website: http://csueastbay.edu/english/
 
Professors Emeriti
Kathleen Margaret Lant, Ph.D. University of Oregon
Marilyn N. Silva , Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Professors
Diedre L. Badejo, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Eileen A. Barrett, Ph.D. Boston College
Debra Barrett-Graves, Ph.D. University of Kentucky
Dennis M. Chester (Chair), Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle
Jacqueline Doyle, Ph.D. Cornell University
Susan A. Gubernat, M.F.A. University of Iowa
Stephen D. Gutierrez, M.F.A. Cornell University
E. J. Murphy, Ph.D. University of Illinois
Ke Zou, Ph.D. University of Southern California

Associate Professors
Eve M. Lynch, Ph.D. University of California, Davis
Sarah E. Nielsen, Ph.D. University of California, Davis
Margaret Tomlinson-Rustick, Ph.D. Washington State University

Graduate Coordinators: Debra Barrett-Graves, Eve Lynch

Graduate TESOL Coordinator: Sarah E. Nielsen

Director of Creative Writing: Stephen D. Gutierrez

Composition Coordinator: Margaret Tomlinson-Rustick

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M.A. in English (Literature, Composition, Creative Writing)

Program Description

The university offers the Master of Arts degree in English. Although there is no separate degree offered in Creative Writing, it is possible to satisfy the thesis option for the M.A. in English by work in fiction, poetry, or drama. The student seeking a degree must observe the general university requirements stated elsewhere in this catalog as well as the specific departmental requirements stated here. (Note: The M.A. TESOL Program is described below.)

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with an M.A. in English from Cal State East Bay will:

1. be able to analyze and interpret various kinds of texts in clear and cogent prose;
2. be able to discuss several theoretical perspectives about literature or about applied linguistics (e.g., pedagogy, second language learning);
3. demonstrate facility with conducting research in traditional/nontraditional ways, including library research, the Internet, and data collection and analysis;
4. demonstrate the ability to learn independently.

Students completing the M.A. degree in English will demonstrate in-depth knowledge of two areas including British/American literature, and literature or composition theory or creative writing; those in the TESOL option will demonstrate in-depth knowledge of adult ESL pedagogy and the linguistic underpinnings of this enterprise.

Admission

To apply for admission to the Master of Arts program in English, the student must fill out the proper forms obtained from and returned to the Admissions Office. (Contact the Graduate Coordinator for details on additional materials to be sent directly to the English Department.)  The Admissions Office will then send the application to the English Department where it will be accepted or rejected. Also see admission requirements for the TESOL Option.

To be admitted to the M.A. program in English, the student must:

1. hold the B.A. degree from an accredited college or university, with a major in English, and
2. have an undergraduate GPA in English courses of at least 3.0. If the student cannot comply with these requirements, he or she may petition the department by letter for special consideration.

Upon admittance to the graduate program in English, the student should immediately arrange through the English Department Office to consult a graduate adviser on selecting courses and satisfying the department's M.A. Foreign Language Requirement (see "Foreign Language Requirement" in the "Degree Requirements" section).

All students except those who are "Classified or Conditionally Classified Graduate" students in English must have the written permission of an English graduate adviser to enroll in a graduate course in English.

"Classified Graduate" Status and Advancement to Candidacy

The student is normally admitted to the program in English as a "Conditionally Classified Graduate" student. One condition to his or her being a "Classified Graduate" is that (s)he pass ENGL 6001 with a grade of "A" or "B". Another is that the student must satisfy the University Writing Skills Requirement. There may be other conditions to his or her "Classified Graduate" status if (s)he has been admitted to the program with deficiencies; the student should consult with a graduate adviser to determine whether this is the case. After all conditions have been met, the student will be granted "Classified Graduate" status as a graduate student in English. To Advance to Candidacy for the M.A. in English, the student must satisfy the department's M.A. Foreign Language Requirement and complete 20 quarter-units of graduate coursework (including ENGL 6001) acceptable for the M.A. Also see admission requirements for the TESOL Option. For information on meeting the University Writing Skills Requirement, see the Testing Office website at www.csueastbay.edu/testing or call 510.885.3661.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete, with a grade point average of 3.0 or better, 48 quarter-units of credit approved by a graduate adviser. At least 32 of these units must be in 6000-level courses (excluding 6900, 6909, and 6910) and must include English 6001 (4 units); an additional FOUR 6000-level literature courses (one in American literature, one in British literature, two in literature before 1900) (16 units); and an additional THREE 6000-level courses in literature, creative writing, composition studies, or linguistics (12 units). The remaining 16 units may include English 6910, University Thesis (a maximum of 4 thesis units may be counted for the degree), English 6900 or 4900, Independent Study (a maximum of 4 independent study units may be counted for the degree), and 4000-level and/or 6000-level courses. (English 6909, Department Thesis, may NOT be used for the regular M.A. degree in English. It is the thesis specifically required in the M.A. TESOL degree option.)

The university thesis, English 6910, is optional. Students may petition to take 1-4 units to write a thesis or equivalent work in fiction, poetry, drama, or non-fiction prose. (Note: Students who wish to submit a thesis for the degree must register for at least one unit of English 6910.) Students who elect to submit a thesis must comply with the thesis instructions of the Department of English as well as those in the University Thesis Writing Guide available online at: www.csueastbay.edu/thesiswritingguide. Thesis proposals must be approved by two regular members of the English faculty, one as 'director' and one as 'second reader', before a thesis can be undertaken. Faculty members are not obliged to accept thesis proposals or to direct theses.

For those who elect to submit an approved thesis, ONE exit examination in a historical period of British and/or American literature or in composition studies is required. For those who do not elect to submit an approved thesis, TWO exit examinations in the areas named above are required. Students should consult a graduate adviser for details.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of a foreign language. Students should consult a graduate adviser for details. (American Sign Language may be used for the foreign language requirement, in which case, a year of college-level coursework is required.)

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Other Degree Requirements

In addition to departmental requirements, every student must also satisfy the university requirements for graduation which are described in the Graduate Degree Information chapter of this catalog. These requirements include the 32-unit residence requirement, the five-year rule on currency of subject matter, the minimum number of units of 6000-level courses, the 3.00 grade point average, and the University Writing Skills Requirement (UWSR). For information on meeting the University Writing Skills Requirement, see the Testing Office website at http://www.csueastbay.edu/testing or call 510.885.3661.

Applying for Graduation

A student must apply formally to graduate with a master's degree, by submitting a "Candidate for Degree" card during the Add period for the quarter before the one in which (s)he expects to graduate. Also during the quarter before the one in which the student expects to graduate, (s)he must ask the department's Graduate Coordinator to send a "Major Check" sheet to the Graduate Evaluations Office.

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M.A. in English: TESOL Option

Admission

To be admitted to the M.A. in English with a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) Option, students must hold a relevant baccalaureate degree (English, Linguistics, Speech Communication are obvious examples), with a 3.0 overall GPA, and have completed the following prerequisite courses (40 units) or their equivalents

• ENGL 3005 Study of Language (4)
• ENGL 3010 Modern English Grammar (4)
• ENGL 3015 Introduction to Phonology (4)
  or SPPA 3855 Phonetics (4)
• ENGL 3020 Advanced Expository Writing (4)
• ENGL 3040 Linguistic History of the English Language (4)
• ENGL 4040 Language in the U.S.A. (4)
• COMM 4830 Intercultural Communication (4)
• ANTH 3800 Language and Culture (4) or HDEV 4520 Language Acquisition and the Symbolic Function (4)
• Two courses in modern British or American literature (8)

Required Courses (45 units)

• ENGL 6501 and 6502 Theory and Practice of Teaching ESL I and II (8)
• ENGL 6503 Second-Language Acquisition (4)
• ENGL 6504 Morphology and Lexical Semantics (4)
• ENGL 6506 Sociolinguistics (4)
• ENGL 6507 Testing and Evaluation for Teaching ESL (4)
• ENGL 6508 Supervised Tutoring/Teaching (8)
• ENGL 6509 Computer Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (4)
• ENGL 6750 Theory and Practice of Composition (4)
• ENGL 6909 Departmental Thesis (5)

"Classified Graduate" Status and Advancement to Candidacy

Students are normally admitted to the master's program in English as "Conditionally Classified Graduate" students. Once the students have completed any outstanding prerequisite courses and have passed the Writing Skills Test, they may apply for "Classified Graduate" status. In order to advance to candidacy, students must have completed 24 units of graduate-level coursework with grades of "B" and higher.

Applying for Graduation

Students must apply formally to graduate with a master's degree by submitting a "Candidate for Degree" card during the Add/Drop period for the quarter before the one in which they expect to graduate. They must ask the English Department's Graduate Coordinator to send a "Major Check" sheet to the Graduate Evaluations Office.

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Graduate Courses

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