M.A. in English at Butler University
General Information
The Master of Arts program in English at Butler University
consists of course work and individual studies in English and
American as well as European and World Literatures. Additional
topics for study include Minority Literatures, Gender Studies,
Colonial and Post-colonial literatures as well as Literary Theory
and Post-Modernism. In some cases courses may also be taken for
graduate credit in Composition, Rhetoric and Creative Writing. The
program is flexible enough to accommodate a wide array of academic
interests and career goals. The learning environment is highly
interactive due to small class sizes and close relationship among
faculty and students. A variety of special events and programs
further enrich literary studies at Butler, including the
University's Visiting Writers Series, The Writers Studio,
workshops, lectures and presentations.
The Department offers two programs leading to the M.A.
degree:
- a 30-hour degree which consists of 24 semester hours of course
work, plus EN710 (Research Problems: 3 hours) and EN711 (Thesis: 3
hours);
- a 36-hour degree which consists of 36 semester hours of course
work.
Both programs require the
following:
EN385 Studies in Literary
Criticism- (students should plan to take EN 385 as early as
possible in their program);
Course-work in the seminar
format - for the "thesis" program, a minimum of six hours
(two courses); for the "non thesis" program, a minimum of nine
hours (3 courses);
An overall average of at least
"B" for all courses attempted for graduate credit;
A comprehensive exam - a
minimum grade of "B" on the exam is required to complete the
program; this is ordinarily taken during the last 6 hours of the
students' program. It is given twice a year in mid-November and
mid-April.
Graduate students take classes along with undergraduates, but
instructors demand greater scope and sophistication from them as
well as additional work, both written and oral. In some cases
graduate students may be called upon to assist the instructor in
various capacities.
Admission Requirements
Candidates for the degree of Master of Arts in English are
expected:
- to have completed 30 hours of
undergraduate credit in English (beyond the Freshman
level);
- to have a minimum G.P.A. of
3.00 and
- an academic record that demonstrates the ability to pursue
graduate studies. As a condition of admission, some students may be
required to take various courses in consideration of gaps or
weaknesses in their background.
In addition to the application requirements of the Graduate
Studies Office, the Department requires the following:
A 350-word Statement of
Purpose containing the candidate's assessment of his/her
scholastic background, current and future educational/career
objectives;
A sample critical essay
(7-12 pages) and/or two
letters of recommendation.
All application materials should be sent to:
Graduate Admissions Office
Butler University
4600 Sunset Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Deadlines for application: Feb.
15 (Fall admission) and Sept. 15 (Spring admission). Late
applications will be considered, depending on the availability of
space in our program.
Transfer Credit
Students must file "A Request for the Transfer of Graduate
Credit" form to have graduate course work taken elsewhere accepted
at Butler for our degree. The form may be obtained from the Office
of Records & Registration. Only courses with grades of "A" or
"B" taken at regionally accredited colleges will be considered for
transfer and only the hours will be transferred to the Butler
transcript; grades do not transfer. Students pursuing the 24 hour
thesis track may transfer 9 hours; 36 hour, non-thesis students may
transfer 12 hours. The Exam will not include material covered in
courses transferred from another university for graduate credit nor
courses to be counted toward a minor.
Courses Offered for the M.A. in English
EN300: Advanced Grammar
EN301: Topics in Advanced Composition
EN319: History of the English Language
EN321/421; 322/422: World Literature 1 and 2
EN341/441: Lit. of the Am. Renaissance
EN342/442: Modern American Literature
EN361/461: Medieval Literature
EN362/462: Renaissance Literature
EN363/463: Shakespeare
EN364/464: Seventeenth-Century Literature
EN365/465: Eighteenth-Century Lit.
EN366/466: Romanticism
EN367/467: Victorian Literature
EN381/481: Studies in Major Authors
EN382/482: Studies in Poetry
EN383/483: Studies in Fiction
EN384/484: Studies in Drama
EN385/485: Literary Criticism
EN386/486 Studies in Rhetoric
EN493: Special Topics
EN495/96: Independent Studies
EN710/711: Research/Thesis
Teaching Faculty and Field Specializations
Daniel Barden, Assistant
Professor (M.F.A., Columbia University) Creative Writing, Poetry,
Screenwriting, Playwriting, Fiction and Personal Essay
Joseph Rocky Colavito,
Professor (Ph.D., University of Arizona) Composition Theory,
Writing Pedagogy, the History and Theory of Rhetoric, Popular
Culture
Hilene Flanzbaum, Allegra
Stewart Professor (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania), 20th-Century
American, especially Poetry, Creative Writing, Holocaust and Ethnic
Studies
Chris Forhan, Assistant
Professor (M.F.A., University of Virginia) Creative Writing and
Modern and Contemporary Poetry
Lee Garver, Assistant
Professor (Ph.D., University of Chicago) 20th Century British
Literature, Modernism and the Historical Avant-Garde, Film
Jason Goldsmith, Assistant
Professor (Ph.D., University of Virginia) Romanticism, 19th-Century
British Literature and Culture, Literary Theory
Marshall W. Gregory, Harry
Ice Professor (Ph.D., University of Chicago) Victorian Literature,
Literary Theory, Pedagogy Theory and Practice, Liberal Education
Theory and Practice
Andrew Levy, Edna Cooper
Professor (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) American Literature,
American Studies, non-Fiction Writing
Susan Neville, Demia
Butler Professor (M.F.A., Bowling Green University) Fiction and
Creative non-Fiction Writing
Carol Reeves, Professor
(Ph.D., Texas Christian University) Rhetoric and Writing Theory,
Satire and Humor
Ania Spyra, Assistant
Professor (Ph.D., University of Iowa) Transnational and
Postcolonial Literatures and Theory, World Literature, Comparative
Literature
William P. Walsh ,
Professor (Ph.D., University of California, Riverside) Shakespeare,
Renaissance Literature, Restoration Drama
William Watts, Associate
Professor (Ph.D., Boston University) Chaucer, Medieval Literature
and History of the English Language
For more information, please contact:
Lee Garver, Director of Graduate Studies
Department of English Language and Literature
Butler University
4600 Sunset Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(317) 940-9859
lgarver@butler.edu