English (ENGL)
Graduate Studies
570-577-1553
www.bucknell.edu/English
Professors: Greg Clingham, Ph.D. Cambridge. Carmen Gillespie, Ph.D. Emory. Saundra Morris, Ph.D. Cornell. Harriet Pollack, Ph.D.,Virginia, John Rickard (Chair), Ph.D. North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Harold Schweizer, Ph.D. Zurich.
Associate Professors: Paula C. Buck, Ph.D. Ohio. Christopher Camuto, Ph.D. Virginia. Glynis Carr, Ph.D. Ohio State. Michael Drexler, Ph.D. Brown. Eric S. Faden, Ph.D. Florida, Shara McCallum, Ph.D. SUNY Binghamton, Ghislaine McDayter, Ph.D. Duke. Jean Peterson, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, Meenakshi Ponnuswami, Ph.D. Illinois. Alfred Siewers, Ph.D. Illinois. Virginia Zimmerman, Ph.D. Virginia.
Assistant Professors: Alexandra M. Block, Ph.D. Wisconsin. Mara de Gennaro, Ph.D. Columbia. James Peterson, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania. Robert Rosenberg, M.F.A Iowa. G.C. Waldrep, Ph.D. Duke, M.F.A. Iowa.
The Program
The graduate program in English offers the student a structure consisting of eight courses in English or six courses in English and two in other disciplines with adviser’s approval, and a thesis.
The M.A. in English is designed for A) those who plan to pursue a Ph.D. or M.F.A. and B) those who plan to teach in high school or community colleges and C) those who desire to advance in related careers or programs of study.
Admission Requirements
An undergraduate English major is strongly recommended. Writing sample and general GRE test results are required. We encourage personal interviews.
Degree Requirements
- eight courses, including Seminar in Literary/Critical Theory (ENGL 600) and the thesis workshop or a seminar in creative writing. Two of the eight courses may be taken outside the department with permission of the adviser;
- a master’s thesis proposal;
- a master’s thesis and an oral examination;
- intermediate reading proficiency in a foreign language to be determined by testing or by four courses in a foreign language, two of which must be university courses at the intermediate level.
Graduate students in English may not enroll in more than two independent study (ENGL 619) courses without special written permission from the Graduate Committee and should propose independent study only if the material they wish to cover is not available in regularly offered seminars.
Courses
Students are required to have the permission of the instructor to enroll in all English 600-level courses. The sequence of courses normally taken by master’s degree candidates consists of:
First Year: Seminar in Literary/Critical Theory (ENGL 600; Fall) Three electives from among 600-level English courses or 400-level Capstones. Students might also consider, with adviser’s approval, courses, for example, in language in translation, the social sciences, or the humanities.
Second Year: Fall: ENGL 678 — Thesis Workshop OR seminar in creative writing for those writing creative theses. A thesis proposal, developed with the approval of the adviser, and submitted by to the departmental Graduate Committee by October 15. One elective (see First Year) Spring: One elective Thesis (ENGL 680)
Thesis/Exam
A thesis (typically 60-80 pages, including notes and bibliography; critical, creative, or theoretical) is required. The oral examination will be conducted by the thesis adviser, and at least two other members of the faculty (in English or another appropriate department).
Setting
The English department encourages collegial relationships between professors and graduate students, as well as among graduate students themselves. Bucknell is home to the Stadler Center for Poetry, Bucknell University Press, and the journals West Branch and Aperçus. Coursework is further enhanced by an excellent library, computer facilities, a writing center, and a rich offering of literary and critical publications. Seminars require active participation; student reports, oral and written; and a substantial paper.
Courses Offered
600. Seminar in Literary Theory and Criticism (I; 3,0)
Introduction to graduate study, including literary and critical theory, research, and other elements of literary scholarship.
601. Seminar in American Literature Topics (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Advanced topics, such as Cross-Cultural Encounters, The American Novel, Gender and American Poetics, and Beat Generations.
602. Seminar in Selected American Writers (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Study of the works of one or more major American writers.
605. Seminar in Early American Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Special topics or selected authors.
607. Seminar in 19th-century American Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Special topics or selected authors.
610. Seminar in Modern American Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Special topics or selected authors.
611. Seminar in Contemporary American Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Special topics or selected authors.
619. Individual Projects (I and II; R)
Individual, special projects supervised by instructor.
621. Seminar in African American Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Study of selected thematic, aesthetic, and ideological issues in Black American writing.
623. Seminar in Women’s Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Advanced topics investigating relationships among gender, writing, and reading.
626. Seminar in Irish Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0 )
Advanced topics in Irish literature, including Irish Women Writers, Nationalism and Literature, and Contemporary Irish Writing.
627. Seminar in Caribbean Studies (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Study of selected thematic, aesthetic, and ideological issues in Caribbean writing.
640. Seminar in Early English Literature to 1485 (I or II; R; 3, 0)
The language and literature of Anglo-Saxon or medieval England.
650. Seminar in Renaissance Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Special topics. Student reports, oral and written.
658. Seminar in Shakespeare (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Special topics. Student reports, oral and written.
660. Seminar in Restoration and 18th-century Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Studies in canonical and marginalized texts, cultural and philosophical formations, and the continuing historical and theoretical relevance of the period.
670. Seminar in 19th-century English Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Examination of a wide range of poetry and prose by selected authors with emphasis given to the literature’s historical and cultural groundings.
678. Thesis Workshop (I; 3, 0)
A colloquium on the writing of a scholarly thesis.
680. Thesis (I or II)
681. Seminar in 20th-century British Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
In-depth study of selected modern authors (such as Yeats, Joyce, H.D., Lawrence, Woolf) and of the literary tendencies of the period.
682. Seminar in Contemporary British Literature (I or II; R; 3, 0)
A selective study of the most recent developments in prose or poetry.
691. Seminar in Poetry (I or II; R; 3, 0)
A study of poetry as a genre and an analysis of the work of selected poets.
692. Seminar in the Novel (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Special topics. Student reports, oral and written.
693. Seminar in Contemporary Drama (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Special topics. Studies in dramatic literature, theater, and performance.
697. Seminar in Special Topics (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Topics such as comparative literature, literature and the arts, queer theory, or satire.
698. Seminar in Literary/Critical Theory (I or II; 3, 0)
The study of Continental and American critical positions or schools from Modernism through Post-Structuralism.
Creative Writing ENGL 608 may be repeated for credit. Individual projects in writing (e.g., a novel or a collection of verse) may be taken under the rubric of ENGL 619.
603. Seminar in Writing Creative Nonfiction (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Advanced workshop in the writing of creative nonfiction.
608. Seminar in Writing Poetry (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Advanced workshop in writing poetry.
609. Seminar in Writing Fiction (I or II; R; 3, 0)
Advanced workshop in writing fiction.
Courses in Film Studies
632. Film and Technology (I or II; 3, 0)
Traces technology’s impact on film form and content. Topics include early cinema, sound technology, widescreen, and computer-generated images. Weekly screenings.
636. Film Genres and Auteurs (I or II; 3, 0)
Examination of a particular genre (film noir, Hong Kong action movies, Westerns, etc.), director, cinematographer, screenwriter, or producer. Weekly screenings.
637. Film Theory (I or II; 3, 0)
Survey of approaches to film analysis and critique, ranging from realist/formalist debates to psychoanalytic, feminist, and semiotics approaches. Weekly screenings.
639. Special Topics in Film Studies (I or II; 3, 0)
Examination of specialized topic in film studies. Weekly screenings.
