Twin Cities campus

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Twin Cities Campus

English M.A.

English Language & Literature
College of Liberal Arts
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Department of English Language and Literature, Lind Hall, 207 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-625-3882; fax: 612-624-8228).
Email: gradeng@umn.edu
Website: https://cla.umn.edu/english
  • Program Type: Master's
  • Requirements for this program are current for Fall 2023
  • Length of program in credits: 30
  • This program does not require summer semesters for timely completion.
  • Degree: Master of Arts
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the General Information section of this website for requirements that apply to all major fields.
Over the past 20 years, the field of English studies has changed dramatically from a discipline concerned with studying the literary works produced by English speakers in Britain and the United States to encompass writings in English from around the globe. The concerns of literary scholars have broadened to include not only textual analyses but also cultural, social, political, and economic contexts. The field of literature itself now encompasses not only the traditional genres of poetry, prose (fiction and belles-lettres), and drama, but also extra-literary discourses: popular culture, film, television, legal documents, conduct books, and manifestos. The Department of English has been in the forefront of interdisciplinary projects, thanks to the efforts of a faculty committed to research in American studies, medieval studies, feminist studies, film studies, and cultural studies. At the same time, the department maintains the core concerns of the discipline—the traditional study of the literatures and languages in English—as well as develops writers for the present and future through the master of fine arts in creative writing degree. The department is engaged in two simultaneous projects: to preserve the core curriculum and to re-imagine its future shape. The department offers a master of arts in English language and literature. The MA offers training in the areas of literary history, literary theory and interpretation, language, linguistics, rhetoric, and composition. Students in the MA can develop specific concentrations through consultation with the director of graduate studies. Course requirements for the MA program are broadly defined, allowing the student to shape a personal program of study. The English program encourages and supports interdisciplinary work.
Program Delivery
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Prerequisites for Admission
The preferred undergraduate GPA for admittance to the program is 3.50.
Other requirements to be completed before admission:
A minimum of four courses in English, three of which must be at the upper-division level, is required for degree program admission. The courses should be widely distributed.
Special Application Requirements:
Required admission materials include three letters of recommendation; a short essay explaining scholarly, professional, and personal goals and reason(s) for choosing the University of Minnesota; and a writing sample, such as a course paper. Candidates for all degrees are admitted fall semester only; all materials must be received by December 1st.
International applicants must submit score(s) from one of the following tests:
  • TOEFL
    • Internet Based - Total Score: 105
  • IELTS
    • Total Score: 7.5
  • MELAB
    • Final score: 88
Key to test abbreviations (TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB).
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the General Information section of this website.
Program Requirements
Plan B: Plan B requires 24 major credits and 6 credits outside the major. The final exam is oral. A capstone project is required.
Capstone Project:The Plan B project is made up of three Plan B papers. Each is a tightly argued essay of about 5,000 words, usually a reworking of a paper done originally for a course.
This program may be completed with a minor.
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
Language Requirement: A reading knowledge of one language.
A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required for students to remain in good standing.
Required Course (3 credits)
Take the following course:
ENGL 5001 - Ph.D. Colloquium: Introduction to Literary Theory and Literary Studies in the Modern University (3.0 cr)
Major Electives (21 credits)
Select two areas of emphasis to be defined in consultation with the director of graduate studies. One emphasis must comprise at least 12 credits and the other at least 9 credits, chosen in consultation with the advisor and director of graduate studies.
ENGL 5020 - Studies in Narrative (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5040 - Theories of Film (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5090 - Readings in Special Subjects (1.0-4.0 cr)
ENGL 5110 - Medieval Literatures and Cultures: Intro to Medieval Studies (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5121 - Readings in Early Modern Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5140 - Readings in 18th Century Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5150 - Readings in 19th-Century Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5170 - Readings in 20th-Century Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5300 - Readings in American Minority Literature (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5501 - Origins of Cultural Studies (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5510 - Readings in Criticism and Theory (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5593 - The African-American Novel (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5701 - Great River Review (4.0 cr)
ENGL 5790 - Topics in Rhetoric, Composition, and Language (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5805 - Writing for Publication (3.0 cr)
ENGL 5992 - Directed Readings, Study, or Research (1.0-3.0 cr)
ENGL 8090 - Seminar in Special Subjects (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8110 - Seminar: Medieval Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8120 - Seminar in Early Modern Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8140 - Seminar in 18th Century Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8150 - Seminar in Shakespeare (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8170 - Seminar in 19th-Century British Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8180 - Seminar in 20th-Century British Literature and Culture (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8190 - Seminar in 20th-Century Anglophone Literatures and Cultures (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8200 - Seminar in American Literature (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8290 - Topics, Figures, and Themes in American Literature (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8300 - Seminar in American Minority Literature (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8400 - Seminar in Post-Colonial Literature, Culture, and Theory (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8510 - Studies in Criticism and Theory (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8520 - Seminar: Cultural Theory and Practice (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8530 - Seminar in Feminist Criticism (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8600 - Seminar in Language, Rhetoric, Literacy, and Composition (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8610 - Seminar in Language and Discourse Studies (3.0 cr)
ENGL 8992 - Directed Reading in Language, Literature, Culture, Rhetoric, Composition, or Creative Writing (1.0-9.0 cr)
Outside Coursework (6 credits)
Select 6 credits outside the major from the following, in consultation with the director of graduate studies:
AFRO 5866 - The Civil Rights and Black Power Movement, 1954-1984 (3.0 cr)
AMIN 5402 - American Indians and the Cinema [AH, DSJ] (3.0 cr)
CI 5404 - Multicultural Literature for Children and Adolescents (3.0 cr)
CI 8400 - Special Topics in Children's and Young Adult Literature (1.0-6.0 cr)
GER 5xxx
GWSS 8260 - Seminar: Race, Representation and Resistance (3.0 cr)
GWSS 8270 - Seminar: Theories of Body (3.0 cr)
HIST 5xxx
SCAN 5xxx
TH 5xxx
 
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ENGL 5001 - Ph.D. Colloquium: Introduction to Literary Theory and Literary Studies in the Modern University
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Where and what is literary study vis-a-vis the history of the discipline, of the humanities, and of the university--all in the context of a graduate education. Literary theory focusing on key theoretical works that address the discipline, the humanities, and the university. Prerequisite: English grad student
ENGL 5020 - Studies in Narrative
Credits: 3.0 [max 6.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Examine issues related to reading and understanding narrative in a variety of interpretive contexts. Topics may include "The 19th-century English (American, Anglophone) Novel," "Introduction to Narrative," or "Techniques of the Novel." Topics specified in the Class Schedule.
ENGL 5040 - Theories of Film
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Advanced topics regarding film in a variety of interpretive contexts, from the range and historic development of American, English, and Anglophone film (e.g., "Fascism and Film," "Queer Cinemas"). Topics and viewing times announced in Class Schedule. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
ENGL 5090 - Readings in Special Subjects
Credits: 1.0 -4.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
General background preparation for advanced study. Diverse selection of literatures written in English, usually bridging national cultures and time periods. Readings specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 5110 - Medieval Literatures and Cultures: Intro to Medieval Studies
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Course Equivalencies: EngL 3110/EngL 5110
Typically offered: Every Spring
Major and representative works of the Middle Ages. Topics specified in the Class Schedule.
ENGL 5121 - Readings in Early Modern Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Topical readings in early modern poetry, prose, fiction, and drama. Attention to relevant scholarship or criticism. Preparation for work in other courses or seminars. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
ENGL 5140 - Readings in 18th Century Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
Literature written in English, 1660-1798. Topics may include British literature of Reformation and 18th century, 18-century American literature, a genre (e.g., 18th-century novel). prereq: Grad student or instr consent
ENGL 5150 - Readings in 19th-Century Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer
Topics may include British Romantic or Victorian literatures, American literature, important writers from a particular literary school, a genre (e.g., the novel). Readings.
ENGL 5170 - Readings in 20th-Century Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
British, Irish, or American literatures, or topics involving literatures of two nations. Focuses either on a few important writers from a particular literary school or on a genre (e.g., drama). Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 5300 - Readings in American Minority Literature
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Course Equivalencies: EngL 3300/EngL 3300H/EngL 5300
Typically offered: Every Fall
Contextual readings of 19th-/20th-century American minority writers. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 5501 - Origins of Cultural Studies
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: CL 5401/CSDS 5401/CSCL 5401/En
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Intellectual map of the creation of cultural studies as a unique approach to studying social meanings. Key figures and concepts, including nineteenth- and early twentieth century precursors.
ENGL 5510 - Readings in Criticism and Theory
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
Major works of classical criticism in the English critical tradition from Renaissance to 1920. Leading theories of criticism from 1920 to present. Theories of fiction, narratology. Feminist criticisms. Marxist criticisms. Psychoanalytic criticisms. Theories of postmodernism.
ENGL 5593 - The African-American Novel
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: Afro 3593/Afro 5593/EngL 3593/
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Contextual readings of 19th-/20th-century black novelists, including Chesnutt, Hurston, Wright, Baldwin, Petry, Morrison, and Reed.
ENGL 5701 - Great River Review
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: EngL 4701/ 5701/EngW 5701
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Students will be assigned roles, both editorial and managerial, to assist in production of The Great River Review journal. They will explore and present on the history of the small magazine in American literature and meet with Twin Cities publishing professionals.
ENGL 5790 - Topics in Rhetoric, Composition, and Language
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Topics specified in Class Schedule. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
ENGL 5805 - Writing for Publication
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
Conference presentations, book reviews, revision of seminar papers for journal publication, and preparation of a scholarly monograph. Style, goals, and politics of journal and university press editors/readers. Electronic publication. Professional concerns. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
ENGL 5992 - Directed Readings, Study, or Research
Credits: 1.0 -3.0 [max 45.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall, Spring & Summer
TBD Prereq-Grad student or instr consent.
ENGL 8090 - Seminar in Special Subjects
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Sample topics: literature of World War II, writings of the Holocaust, literature of English Civil War, advanced versification.
ENGL 8110 - Seminar: Medieval Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Sample topics: Chaucer; "Piers Plowman"; Middle English literature, 1300-1475; medieval literary theory; literature/class in 14th-century; texts/heresies in late Middle Ages.
ENGL 8120 - Seminar in Early Modern Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
British writers/topics, from Reformation to French Revolution. In first half of period (which divides at 1640), a typical topic is Spenser and epic tradition; in second half, women historians before Wollstonecraft.
ENGL 8140 - Seminar in 18th Century Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Advanced study of literature written in English, 1660-1798. Topics may include British literature of Reformation and 18th century, 18th-century American literature, a genre (e.g., 18th-century novel). prereq: Grad student or instr consent
ENGL 8150 - Seminar in Shakespeare
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Perspectives/works vary with offering and instructor. Recent topics include Global Shakespeare, Shakespearian Comedy, Shakespeare and Performance.
ENGL 8170 - Seminar in 19th-Century British Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Advanced study in 19th-century British literature/culture. Sample topics: Romantic poetry, Victorian poetry, Englishness in Victorian novel, Victorian cultural criticism, text/image in 19th-century British culture. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8180 - Seminar in 20th-Century British Literature and Culture
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Sample topics: modernism, Bloomsbury Group, working-class/immigrant literature. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8190 - Seminar in 20th-Century Anglophone Literatures and Cultures
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Topics in Anglophone literatures of Canada, Africa, the Caribbean, India and Pakistan, and the Pacific. Sample topics: Stuart Hall and Black Britain; Salman Rushdie and cosmopolitan literatures; national literatures and partitioned states. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8200 - Seminar in American Literature
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
American literary history. Sample topics: first American novels, film, contemporary short stories and poetry, American Renaissance, Cold War fiction, history of the book. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8290 - Topics, Figures, and Themes in American Literature
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Sample topics: Dickinson, 19th-century imperialism, Faulkner, San Francisco poets, humor, Chaplin, Hitchcock, and popular culture. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8300 - Seminar in American Minority Literature
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Sample topics: Harlem Renaissance, ethnic autobiographies, Black Arts movement. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8400 - Seminar in Post-Colonial Literature, Culture, and Theory
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Sample topics: Marxism and nationalism; modern India; feminism and decolonization; "the Empire Writes Back"; Islam and the West. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8510 - Studies in Criticism and Theory
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Developments within critical theory that have affected literary criticism, by altering conceptions of its object ("literature") or by challenging conceptions of critical practice. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8520 - Seminar: Cultural Theory and Practice
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Sample topics: semiotics applied to perspective paintings, numbers, and money; analysis of a particular set of cultural practices by applying various theories to them. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8530 - Seminar in Feminist Criticism
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Brief history of feminist criticism, in-depth treatment of contemporary perspectives/issues. Topics specified in Class Schedule.
ENGL 8600 - Seminar in Language, Rhetoric, Literacy, and Composition
Credits: 3.0 [max 9.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Students read/conduct research on theories/literature relevant to cross-disciplinary fields committed to writing and to teaching writing.
ENGL 8610 - Seminar in Language and Discourse Studies
Credits: 3.0 [max 12.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Current theoretical/methodological issues in discourse analysis. Social/psychological determinants of language choice (class, ethnicity, gender) in various English-speaking societies. Application to case studies, review of scholarship.
ENGL 8992 - Directed Reading in Language, Literature, Culture, Rhetoric, Composition, or Creative Writing
Credits: 1.0 -9.0 [max 15.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Directed Reading in Language, Literature, Culture, Rhetoric, Composition, or Creative Writing prereq: instr consent, dept consent
AFRO 5866 - The Civil Rights and Black Power Movement, 1954-1984
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: Afro 3866/Afro 5866/Hist 3856
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
The "second reconstruction." Failure of Reconstruction, abdication of black civil rights in 19th century. Post-1945 assault on white supremacy via courts/state, grass-roots southern movement in 1950s/1960s. Black struggle in north and west, emphasis on Black Power by new organizations/ideologies/leaders. Ascendancy of Reagan, conservative assault on movement.
AMIN 5402 - American Indians and the Cinema (AH, DSJ)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: AmIn 3402/AmIn 5402
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring & Summer
Representations of American Indians in film, historically/contemporarily. What such representations assert about Native experience and cultural viability. What they reflect about particular relationships of power.
CI 5404 - Multicultural Literature for Children and Adolescents
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
Course explores multicultural literature for children and adolescents as a site where difference can be emphasized and appreciated rather than downplayed and muted. We study award-winning works of fiction and arrive at a definition of multicultural literature for the modern classroom.
CI 8400 - Special Topics in Children's and Young Adult Literature
Credits: 1.0 -6.0 [max 6.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Overview of research and issues. Study of original manuscripts and artwork for children's books; research in child and young adult response to literature. Topics vary by offering. prereq: grad course in children's or young adult lit
GWSS 8260 - Seminar: Race, Representation and Resistance
Credits: 3.0 [max 6.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
Race, racialization, racial justice as related to representation/struggles for social/economic justice. Intersectional analysis of power, politics, ideology/identity. Queer of color critique, women of color feminisms, critical sex/body positive approaches. prereq: Grad student
GWSS 8270 - Seminar: Theories of Body
Credits: 3.0 [max 6.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
How body is configured in many social arenas. Legal decisions, public policy, medical research, cultural customs. Examine how attitudes toward male/female bodies influence social myths/discourses about social policy/change.