Pass with Distinction: Kim Eisenhut, Daniel Jividen, Craig Skinner

Pass: Asra Ashraf, Heather Bartuch, Amy Bruning, Alexandra Claps, Christine Debush, Kelly Fust, Todd Gingrich, Greta Hill, Lauren Hoernig, Sarah Kauffman, Karen Kusek, Helen Long, Ceci O'Keefe, Lisa Owens, Kim Puchalski, Sylvia Pyrich, Liz Rog, Natalie Rollo, Jill Rossi, Elisa Ryan, Allison Tyndall, Megan VerVynck, June Won

Teaching internships at Robert Morris College: These begin in December 2005 and involve one 10 week quarter of shadowing and assisting an experienced faculty member and one 10 week quarter of teaching an introductory English course. Additional responsibilities include working in the writing center(s), participating in assessment, attending meetings, and sitting in on EDU 311, an educational methods course. You must be near the end of your MA coursework to apply for these positions. (4 Credits)

Teaching Internships at St. Xavier University: These internships will involve one 15 week semester of shadowing an experienced faculty member, attending class sessions, and assisting in the classroom. Specific responsibilities will be negotiated between each mentor/ intern pair. Current courses/areas open: Composition, Introduction to Literary Interpretation, Shakespeare, Survey of Early British Literature. You must be near the end of MA coursework to apply for these internships. Saint Xavier is a comprehensive university on Chicago's far south side, with a growing undergraduate enrollment, many of whom are training to become teachers in secondary schools.

Teaching Apprenticeships: Available in Fall 2005, Winter 2006, and Spring 2006 at various Chicago-area universities and two-year colleges, these are a great way to break into teaching if you lack extensive teaching or tutoring experience. You’ll attend and observe an introductory literature or writing course, receive mentoring from assigned mentors at the host institution and at DePaul, and offer occasional assistance in the classroom. Terms, responsibilities, and requirements to be negotiated. Undertaking an apprenticeship as an Independent Study will require extra reading, writing, and research on the post-secondary teaching of English. You must be nearing the end of your coursework (2-4 Credits).

Writing Center Internships at Truman College: Writing Center Interns will work with students enrolled in Truman College’s Adult Education program, the biggest and most dynamic of its kind in the state of Illinois and one of the biggest in the country. This program enrolls over 30,000 ESL, GED and Adult Basic Education students yearly. Courses in Writing Center pedagogy, ESL, and the teaching of writing or literature strongly recommended. (4 credits)

***************************************************************************

English Department M.A. Thesis Option Guidelines

The Masters programs in English at DePaul University may include the writing of an optional thesis. A thesis should be an original and independent contribution to current scholarship on a particular topic. The length of a thesis may range from 35-50 pages and must include a substantial bibliography. Writing a thesis should not be undertaken lightly; when the project is completed and approved, it will be catalogued and placed in the DePaul University library. It will then become available to scholars worldwide through interlibrary loan.

Graduate students considering writing a thesis should consult their program directors early in their coursework. The Guidelines on Theses and Dissertations for College of Liberal Arts and Science are available online. MA in English students should note that writing a thesis does not exempt a student from taking the MA Exit Exam.

Selecting a topic and a committee:
All substantial research projects begin with extended research, thought, and discussion. The thesis must be planned and written in close consultation with the thesis director. The thesis director must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member with significant experience and expertise in the subject treated by the thesis. The thesis committee must also include a second reader, also a tenured or tenure-track faculty member, whose fields of research and teaching will provide additional resources for the thesis writer and director.

Writing the thesis proposal:
Before writing the thesis, a student must develop and write a thesis proposal. It is often wise to let a thesis proposal develop from a successful research paper originally written for a graduate course. Students should also consider taking a subsequent independent study (ENG 500) under the direction of the proposed thesis director.

The thesis proposal should comprise 6-10 double-spaced pages and must include a working bibliography. It should (a) explain clearly what topic the thesis will engage and why this topic is important, (b) describe briefly the previous scholarly work done on this topic, (c) explain how the thesis will revise or augment this, and (d) present a short, tentative outline indicating its methodologies and scope. Note that the graduate faculty realizes that scholars can't predict precisely the final argument or conclusions of an extended research project at the project’s outset. Rather, thesis committees look for a clear explanation of what the writer expects to achieve.

In deciding which thesis proposals will be approved, thesis committee directors and readers will look carefully at the quality of the writing in the proposal. It should be in every respect professional: clear, well organized, persuasive, and properly documented. Permission to pursue the Thesis Option will be granted only to students who submit strong proposals.

When the committee approves the proposal, the student must fill out the Final Project Approval Form and submit copies to the MA Program Director and to the Graduate Division of the Graduate College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

A student writing a thesis must follow the standard procedures for degree conferral.

Completing the Thesis:
After the proposal has been submitted, its writer may enroll for four credit hours of English 499, “Thesis Hours.” Only four credit hours of ENG 499 will count toward the Master’s Degree. They will count as an elective the student’s graduate program. Note that the thesis must be completed and approved in order for the ENG 499 credits to count toward the Master’s degree.

A student writing a thesis should consult frequently with the director of the thesis committee. The director should offer timely and constructive written and oral commentary as the thesis proceeds, chapter by chapter or section by section. When the thesis director approves a draft of the entire thesis, it should be presented to the second reader.

When the thesis has been approved by a thesis director and second reader, the thesis approval form must be signed and submitted to the Graduate Division of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Theses may be approved either as Standard or With Distinction

Thesis Binding and Degree Conferral:
Once this form has been submitted, a student must submit the thesis for binding. A thesis may be submitted on paper or on diskette along with applicable fees along with this form.

Job Opening:

St.Xavier University is currently looking for Adjunct English Faculty...must have MA degree in hand by June. more info

ITT Technical Institute is currently looking for English Composition Teachers for Online Programs. more info

Reading Tutors Needed! CS&C-Julex Learning is seeking experienced candidates for their Reading Tutor Position. more info

More Jobs: Director of Public and Media Relations at St. Joseph's College in Indiana and Marketing and Communications Intern Position

Ph.D. Programs!

English Graduate Program Michigan State University PhD Program
The PhD program is flexible and responsive to students’ research interests. Students have the freedom to organize a course of study oriented toward completing the degree requirements efficiently and maximizing their professional training. To assist students, the department of English has established several doctoral emphasis areas: Literatures of the Americas, Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Narrative Theory, Postcolonial and Diaspora Studies, and Transatlantic Modernities. More info – www.english.msu.edu

Graduate Study at the University of Tennessee – "We believe that the Ph.D. in English and the Ph.D. with Creative Dissertation offer outstanding training in the many facets of our discipline. In addition to breadth of faculty expertise, we have been cultivating particular areas of strength in Medieval and Renaissance studies, Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture, and Rhetoric and Composition, as well as other nexus points of research. Our nationally recognized faculty work closely with graduate students, providing excellent instruction, mentoring relationships, and research opportunities that develop the intellectual and professional potential of our students.

"Our Website explains more about who we are and how we support our students, financially and intellectually, in all of our M.A. and Ph.D. programs."

Faculty News:

Send Us More Faculty News: Submit citations,works in progress