English

ENGLISH

Chair: Jay Fox
Graduate Coordinator: Jesse Crisler
3110 JKHB
Provo, UT 84602-6280
(801) 378-8673

THE PROGRAM OF STUDIES

The English Department, as a part of the College of Humanities, offers graduate study devoted to the development of reading, writing, and thinking abilities derived from studying and producing literary and other texts in English. Students study these works in aesthetic, historical, religious, and other contexts, including the theoretical contexts the faculty bring to the courses they teach. This program makes intensive use of the library and its resources.

The English MA program enables students to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes that have application in contemporary society and that are in harmony with the principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

The program may appeal to students who plan to enter such careers as teaching, editing, and writing; to those who seek an advanced liberal arts degree for preparation in library science or public service; to those who plan to go on for a doctorate in English or a related area; and to those who wish to continue studies for personal satisfaction.

One degree is offered through the Department of English: English—MA.

Each year there are approximately 100 students in the English MA program. The average duration for the degree is two years.

English—MA

The MA degree in English offers course work beyond the bachelor's degree in seven areas of emphasis: American Literature, Creative Writing, English Literature (Beginning to 1800), English Literature (1800 to Present), Language, Other Literature (Folklore and Ethnic), or Rhetoric.

Admission and Entry.

• Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, February 1 (U.S. and international).
• Application requirements: application, including writing sample.
• Entrance examination: GRE advanced literature subject test is optional.
• Prerequisite: undergraduate major or its equivalent, one course in literary criticism (Engl 351 or 352 or equivalent), one course in the history of the English language (Engl 324 or equivalent), and reading knowledge of one foreign language.

Requirements for Degree.

• Credit hours: 31 minimum, consisting of 25 course work hours plus 6 thesis hours (Engl 699R).
• Core requirement (10 hours): Engl 600 (1); Engl 610 or, with approval, a rhetoric section of Engl 521R (3); Engl 620 or, with approval, Engl 527, 528, 529, 624, or 626 (3); Engl 630 or, with approval, Engl 650R (3).
• Emphasis: 9 hours of course work in an approved area of emphasis beyond the core that will support 6 hours' work on thesis. The emphasis must constitute a coherent body of study in an area the faculty can support. Areas of emphasis are American Literature, Creative Writing, English Literature (Beginning to 1800), English Literature (1800 to Present), Folklore and Ethnic Literature, Language, Rhetoric. Courses within an emphasis are proposed by the student and approved through appropriate departmental process.
• Electives: 6 hours of approved study outside the core and area of emphasis.
• Limitation on individual readings courses: no more than 3 hours of individual readings (Engl 590R) may be applied to the minimum 25 hours of course work.
• Thesis: 6 hours of 699R on a topic demanding research and analysis; or, for those with creative writing as their approved emphasis, a substantial creative work.
• Examination: examination on thesis, related course work in emphasis, and an approved reading list related to emphasis.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Financial assistance is available for this program through the English Department and other agencies in the university. However, the English Department does not offer its own scholarships.

Admitted students are encouraged to apply for instructorships, teaching and research assistantships, editing internships, and other awards that are provided as a financial and learning resource. The university makes some money available each year for tuition awards and handles federal student loans.

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The Department of English utilizes the Humanities Research Center. This center is especially active in the production of teaching and research materials, particularly those that are computer related.

The Center for the Study of Christian Values in Literature was established in 1980 to affirm the importance of religious and moral values in the creation and study of imaginative literature. It provides both a focus for activity and an encouragement to teachers, writers, scholars, and readers who believe in a value-centered literary tradition.

The Reading-Writing Center is available to assist students and faculty in improving their reading and writing skills. Graduate students benefit particularly from critical evaluations of drafts of seminar papers and theses, and those with advanced reading and writing skills may serve as interns in the center.

Faculty research interests are included in the faculty section following the course descriptions.

For a more detailed description of the graduate program requirements, send for a copy of the department's bulletin.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Class Schedule

500R. Eminent American Writers. (1-3)

Different writers each semester.

510R. Eminent English Writers. (1-3)

Different writers each semester.

515R. Advanced Scholarly Writing. (3)

Workshop for potential graduate students, graduate students, and professionals in all disciplines in preparing the thesis, dissertation, book chapter, and article.

516. Advanced Technical Writing. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 316 or instructor's consent.

Advanced concepts, including literature of technical writing, liaison with technical staff, communication networks, rhetoric of graphics, and teaching and freelancing technical writing.

518R. Advanced Creative Writing. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 318R, 319R, or instructor's consent.

Writing fiction, poetry, drama, and the essay; individual consideration of manuscripts; professional orientation. May be repeated for credit with departmental approval.

520R. Studies in Theme and Form. (1-3)

Topics vary: literature and film, myth and archetype, science fiction, etc.

521R. Studies in Language and Rhetoric. (1-3)

Prerequisite: Engl 324.

Topics vary with instructor.

527. Early Modern English. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 223, 324.

English language from about 1500 to 1800, with special emphasis on the language of Shakespeare and the King James Bible.

528. Varieties of English. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 223, 324.

Regional and social variation in English, especially standard and nonstandard national and world Englishes, including English-based pidgins and creoles.

529. Structure of Modern English. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 328, Ling 325, or instructor's consent.

English syntax through modern grammars; theories underlying those grammars.

590R. Individual Readings in English. (1-3)

Prerequisite: graduate coordinator's consent.

Language and/or literature beyond what is offered in the curriculum. May not be substituted for another catalog course.

599R. Cooperative Education. (1-9)

Prerequisite: department chair's consent.

On-the-job training.

600. Introduction to Graduate Studies. (1)

Trends in postgraduate curricula, ideology, pedagogy, and professional publication in language and literature.

610. Rhetoric and Composition. (3)

Theory and methods of teaching rhetoric and composition; emphasis on rhetoric's relationship to the study of literature and language. (Required of all graduate student instructors.)

612. History of Rhetoric. (3)

Major texts, thinkers, and movements of the Western rhetorical tradition from classical antiquity to the present.

614. Theory of Rhetoric and Composition. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 610.

Rhetorical theory and its relationship to current issues in rhetoric and composition.

616. Research in Rhetoric and Composition. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 610.

Research methods in rhetoric and composition; evaluation of assumptions, strengths, and limitations of each method; identification of student research topics.

620. Language and Literature. (3)

Literature from a language perspective; applying linguistic constructs to literary language; examining literary style; linguistic analysis of unfamiliar texts.

624. Old English. (3)

Old English grammar and vocabulary; traditional syntactical patterns in various types of Old English prose and poetry.

625. Beowulf. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 624.

Close reading of the poem in the original, emphasizing literary and cultural values.

626. Middle English. (3)

Detailed study of the principal dialects as illustrated in the literature of the period.

630. Theoretical Discourse. (3)

Modes of criticism: how to analyze assumptions, methods, and interpretations; how theory relates to practice; how to manage conflict among theories.

631. Studies in the English Novel. (3)

Analysis of literary values and techniques in selected novels.

635. Studies in the American Novel. (3)

Various approaches to the novel.

641. Studies in Drama. (3)

Intensive study of drama.

650R. Studies in Literary Criticism. (3)

Modern critical theory and practice applied to specific literary works.

655. Women's Textual Studies. (3)

Ways feminist critical insights affect the study of language, literature, and culture.

658R. Ethnic, Regional, and Other Literatures in English. (3)

Emphasis varies with instructor.

661. Studies in Early American Literature. (3)

Texts from times of the English settlement through the early 1800s.

662. Studies in Early Nineteenth-
Century American Literature. (3)

Texts from the early 1800s through midcentury, with special attention to romanticism in America.

664. Studies in Late Nineteenth-
Century American Literature. (3)

Texts from the middle through the end of the nineteenth century, with special attention to realism in America.

665. Studies in Early Twentieth-Century American Literature. (3)

Texts, trends, and writers from 1900 to midcentury.

666. Studies in Late Twentieth-Century American Literature. (3)

Texts, trends, and writers from the end of World War II to the present.

667. Studies in Folklore. (3)

Prerequisite: Engl 391 or instructor's consent.

Directed study in folklore and folkways, including Mormon heritage and tradition. Collecting, analyzing, and editing.

669R. Teaching English in the Secondary Schools. (2)

Prerequisite: Engl 377 or instructor's consent.

Literature, writing, language, and reading materials appropriate to English courses; effective use of these materials.

671. Studies in English Medieval Literature. (3)

Close reading in the original of a principal work, such as Troilus and Cryseyde, Piers Plowman, or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, emphasizing its relation to other literature, culture, and history of the period.

672. Studies in English Renaissance Literature. (3)

Individual authors, styles, influences, and trends in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English literature.

673. Studies in English Classicism. (3)

Selected writers from 1660 to 1780.

674. Studies in English Romanticism. (3)

Selected writers and trends from 1780 to 1832.

675. Studies in Victorian Literature. (3)

Literary genres, values, and techniques in representative works from 1832 to 1890.

676. Studies in Modern British Literature. (3)

Selected authors and works from 1890 to 1950.

680. Studies in Contemporary Literature. (3)

Specific trends in literature and criticism since midcentury.

682. Studies in Shakespearean Scholarship and Criticism. (3)

699R. Master's Thesis. (Arr.)

FACULTY 

BALLANTYNE, VERDON W., Associate Professor. MA, Brigham Young University, 1964. American Literature; Technical Writing.

BALTES, PAUL J., Assistant Professor. PhD, Purdue University, 1995. Linguistics; Rhetoric and Composition; Humor Studies.

BEECHER, MAUREEN URSENBACH, Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1973. Mormon Literature; Biography and Autobiography.

BENNION, JOHN S., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Houston, 1989. Creative Writing; British Novel; Mormon Literature.

BEST, BRIAN S., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1971. Nineteenth- Century British Literature; G. B. Shaw; Bible as Literature.

BEST, LORNA N., Associate Professor. MA, Brigham Young University, 1962. British Literature; Shakespeare.

BLANCH, MAE, Professor. PhD, University of Colorado, 1966. British, American, and European Novel.

BOSWELL, GRANT M., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Southern California, 1985. Rhetorical Theory and History; Composition Theory.

BURTON, GIDEON O., Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Southern California, 1994. History of Rhetoric; Renaissance Literature; Mormon Criticism and Literature.

CHAPMAN, DON E., Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Toronto, 1995. Old English Language and Literature; History of the English Language; Medieval Literature.

CHRISTIANSEN, NANCY L., Assistant Professor. PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, 1994. History and Theory of Rhetoric; Sixteenth-Century English Literature.

CLARK, GREGORY, Professor. PhD, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1985. Rhetorical Theory and Criticism; Early American Literature.

COWLES, DAVID L., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Chicago, 1985. Victorian Literature; English Novel; Literary Theory and Criticism.

CRACROFT, RICHARD H., Professor. PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1969. Nineteenth-Century American Literature; Literature of the American West.

CRISLER, JESSE S., Professor. PhD, University of South Carolina, 1973. Nineteenth-Century American Literature; Naturalism; Adolescent Literature.

CRONIN, GLORIA L., Professor. PhD, Brigham Young University, 1980. Twentieth-Century American Literature; Jewish American Literature; Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Women's Literature.

CROWE, CHRISTOPHER E., Associate Professor. EdD, Arizona State University, 1986. English Education; Adolescent Literature.

DUERDEN, RICHARD Y., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Chicago, 1989. Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century English Literature; Literary Theory.

EGGINGTON, WILLIAM G., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Southern California, 1985. Varieties of English; Contrastive Rhetoric; Language Policy.

ENGLAND, EUGENE, Professor. PhD, Stanford University, 1974. Nineteenth-Century American Literature; Literature of the Latter-day Saints; Shakespeare.

FOX, JAY, Professor. PhD, Purdue University, 1971. Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century British Literature; Literature and Film.

GEARY, EDWARD A., Professor. PhD, Stanford University, 1971. Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth- Century British and American Literature; Nature Writing.

HANSEN, KRISTINE, Associate Professor. PhD, University of Texas, Austin, 1987. Rhetoric; Composition Theory.

HARRIS, CLAUDIA W., Associate Professor. PhD, Emory University, 1990. Irish Literature; Modern and Contemporary Drama; Contemporary British Literature.

HATCH, GARY L., Assistant Professor. PhD, Arizona State University, 1992. History and Theory of Rhetoric; Eighteenth-Century English Literature.

HOWE, SUSAN, Associate Professor. PhD, University of Denver, 1989. Creative Writing; Contemporary American Poetry and Drama.

HUNSAKER, O. GLADE, Associate Professor. PhD, University of Illinois, 1970. Seventeenth-Century British Literature; Milton; Shakespeare.

JOHSTONEAUX, RAPHAEL, Associate Professor. PhD, George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University, 1980. Modern American Literature; English Education.

JORGENSEN, B. W., Associate Professor. PhD, Cornell University, 1978. Creative Writing; Nineteenth- Century American Literature; Contemporary American Fiction.

LAMBERT, NEAL E., Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1966. American Literature 1620-1860.

LARSEN, LANCE E., Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Houston, 1993. Creative Writing; American Literature.

LAWRENCE, A. KEITH, Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Southern California, 1987. Early American Literature; Asian- American Literature.

LUNDQUIST, SUZANNE E., Associate Professor. DA, University of Michigan, 1985. Native American Sacred Texts and Modern Novels; Third World Literature.

MUHLESTEIN, DANIEL K., Assistant Professor. PhD, Rice University, 1992. Literary Theory; English Romantic Literature.

MURPHY, JOHN J., Professor. MA, St. John's University, 1961. Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century American Literature; Willa Cather.

NELSON, JOYCE, Associate Professor. MS, Florida State University, 1971. English Education; Critical Reading.

NORRIS, G. LESLIE, Humanities Professor of Creative Writing. MPhil, Southampton University, England, 1958. Creative Writing; English Romantic Literature.

NORTON, DON E., Assistant Professor. MA, Brigham Young University, 1961. English Language; Usage.

OAKS, DALLIN D., Assistant Professor. PhD, Purdue University, 1990. English Linguistics; Structure of English; Old English Language.

PARRY, CATHERINE CORMAN, Associate Professor. PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, 1985. Medieval English Language and Literature.

PAUL, DANETTE, Assistant Professor. PhD, Pennsylvania State University, 1996. Rhetoric and Composition; Rhetoric of Science.

PAXMAN, DAVID B., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Chicago, 1982. Eighteenth-Century English Literature; Intellectual History.

PEDERSEN, ELRAY L., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Minnesota, 1977. English Education; Teaching of Writing.

PLUMMER, LOUISE R., Assistant Professor. MA, University of Minnesota, 1984. Creative Writing.

SIEGFRIED, BRANDIE R., Assistant Professor. PhD, Brandeis University, 1993. Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-
Century English Literature; Women's Studies; Literary Theory.

SKOUSEN, ROYAL, Professor. PhD, University of Illinois, 1972. Linguistics; Textual Criticism.

SMITH, MARION K., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Texas, 1986. Technical Writing; American Literature; Science Fiction.

SNYDER, PHILLIP A., Associate Professor. PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1988. Twentieth- Century British and American Literature; Autobiography.

SORENSEN, PETER J., Associate Professor. PhD, Washington State University, 1988. English Romantic Literature.

SPENCER, DARRELL K., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1986. Creative Writing; American Novel.

TANNER, JOHN S., Professor. PhD, University of California, Berkeley, 1980. Milton; Seventeenth-Century English Literature.

TANNER, STEPHEN L., Ralph A. Britsch Humanities Professor of English. PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1969. American Literature; Literary Criticism.

TAYLOR, SALLY T., Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1975. Technical Writing; Creative Writing.

THAYER, DOUGLAS H., Professor. MFA, University of Iowa, 1962. Creative Writing.

THOMAS, PAUL R., Associate Professor. DPhil, University of York, England, 1982. Chaucer, Middle English Language and Literature; English Renaissance Literature.

THURSBY, JACQUELINE, Assistant Professor. PhD, Bowling Green State University, 1994. English Education; Folklore.

WAHLQUIST, ELIZABETH, Associate Professor. MA, MLitt, Middlebury College, 1962, 1971. Modern American Literature; Adolescent Literature; Robert Frost.

WALKER, STEVEN C., Professor. PhD, Harvard University, 1973. Victorian Literature; Bible as Literature.

WILSON, WILLIAM A., Humanities Professor of Literature and Folklore. PhD, Indiana University, 1974. Folklore and Mythology; American Studies.

YOUNG, BRUCE W., Associate Professor. PhD, Harvard University, 1983. English Renaissance Literature; Shakespeare.

ZIMMERMAN, BEVERLY B., Assistant Professor. PhD, Brigham Young University, 1994. Technical Communication; Computers and Composition.

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