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Thinking About an Internship,
Independent Study or Thesis?
Both MA programs provide opportunities for students to
pursue independent research and professional applications
for graduate work in English. After consultation with MA
Program Directors, students may choose to substitute an
independent study, an internship, and/or thesis research
for conventional elective courses. When deciding to undertake
one of the following alternative courses, students should
keep in mind that independent work requires extra effort,
time, and self-discipline. Consult with your MA Program
Director as you decide whether one of the following options
is for you.
Internships (ENG 509 or MWR
509).
For many MA students, internships can serve as ideal alternative
courses and can even lead to full-time positions. Current
internships introduce students to careers in community college
teaching; publishing, writing and editing; translation;
and other humanities-based professions. Please note that
students must have completed at least six courses in their
programs before pursuing an internship. Community college
teaching requires students to be nearly finished with their
degrees. Note, too, depending on the nature of the work,
internships usually require successful completion of relevant
course work. For example, a student wishing to do an internship
in publishing should have completed several of the following
classes: ENG "490 Writing for Magazines," ENG
497 "Writing the Literature of Fact," ENG 496
"Editing," and/or relevant 409 "Topics"
courses. For the internship in community college teaching,
you will need requisite classes in "Teaching Writing,"
"Teaching Literature," and the like. If you interested
in taking an internship, you should contact your program
director at least one quarter before you plan to do the
internship.
Prospective interns should also keep in mind that because
internships require ten to fifteen hours of work per week
at the job site during the internship period, those people
with full-time jobs or other responsibilities during normal
business hours will likely have only limited internship
opportunities. You can get a list of internship opportunities
from the internship directors (Professor Goffman for the
community college teaching internships, or Professor Anton
for all other interships), but you must first consult with
your program director about your eligibility before you
speak to the internship directors.
Independent Study (ENG 500
or MWR 500).
The Independent Study fulfills elective credit in both Master's
programs. This option allows students to undertake intensive
and advanced study of a topic, which culminates in a major
research paper or project. The Independent Study should
not be used to fill requirements in the MA programs except
in special circumstances to be approved by the Program Directors.
Instead, students should pursue an Independent Study to
focus more intensively on an idea or a skill previously
developed in their regular coursework. Some recent MA in
English Independent Study topics include women and courtly
love in medieval English romances, psychoanalytic theory,
and gender and power in selected Shakespeare plays. An Independent
Study may also serve as a gateway to the writing of an MA
Thesis: as preparation for taking Thesis Research (ENG 501
or MWR 501) students may generate, in consultation with
a faculty advisor, an extensive annotated bibliography and
prospectus for a thesis. Students interested in undertaking
an Independent Study must first discuss their plans with
an MA Program Director and with the prospective supervising
professor, under whose general areas of expertise the intended
topic falls. Approval of an Independent Study requires completion
of a short proposal detailing the scope and objectives of
proposed research and describing the written work that the
study will produce.
Thesis Research (ENG 501 or
MWR 501).
Thesis Research involves research and writing of a substantial
(40-50 pp.), original contribution to a particular area
of scholarly inquiry. The thesis option is intended for
those students who, near the end of their coursework, possess
particular expertise in an area of literary, rhetorical,
or composition-related study or in a creative writing project,
and who demonstrate exceptional ability at independent research
and writing. Ideally, a thesis will develop from a research
paper or project completed for a graduate course. Students
must assemble a Thesis Committee comprising one faculty
director and one second reader.
Thesis projects typically take two or more academic terms
to complete, and students in the MA programs may substitute
four credit hours of Thesis Research for one elective. Further
work on the thesis may be supported by taking "Candidacy
Continuation" (ENG 502), which involves only a nominal
registration fee and allows students to continue using the
library and other university resources. Note that students
electing to count thesis hours toward their MA degrees must
complete the thesis in order to graduate. Writing a thesis
does not exempt a student from taking the MA Exam. To discuss
this option, see your Program Director.
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Dr. Craig Sirles,
MAW Program Director
Dr. Lesley Kordecki,
MAE Program Director
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