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Master of Arts in English Field of Specialization Text/ Community/ Discourse Dean Rosemary Drage Hale Faculty of Humanities Associate Dean Jane Koustas Faculty of Humanities Graduate Faculty Professors Martin Danahay (English Language and Literature), Marilyn J. Rose (English Language & Literature), Elizabeth Sauer (English Language and Literature) Associate Professors James Allard (English Language and Literature), Neta Gordon (English Language and Literature), John Lye (English Language and Literature), Mathew Martin (English Language and Literature), Barbara K. Seeber (English Language and Literature), Angus Somerville (English Language and Literature), Susan Spearey (English Language and Literature) Assistant Professors Robert Alexander (English Language and Literature), Gregory Betts (English Language and Literature), Catherine Chaput (English Language and Literature), Tim Conley (English Language and Literature), Adam Dickinson, (English Language and Literature), Ann Howey (English Language and Literature), Leah Knight, (English Language and Literature), Angela Mills (English Language and Literature), Jaclyn Rea (English Language and Literature) Sherryl Vint (English Language and Literature) Graduate Program Director Barbara Seeber Administrative Assistant Janet Sackfie 905-688-5550, extension 3469 GLN 157 |
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The MA in English has a Field of "Text/Community/Discourse." As mutually informing concepts, "text," "community," and "discourse" suggest the power of texts to reflect and to shape both communities of origin and communities of reception. The Program also focuses critical attention on the kinds of negotiation both material and theoretical attending the production, performance and reception of texts. Literary and textual problems acquire richer significance when viewed in relation to the ways in which texts, both literary and non-literary, are produced and used in the often conflicting discourses that constitute the culture of a community. While the program offers both a thesis option and a major essay option, students are strongly encouraged to pursue the major essay option. Both options are designed to normally be completed in three terms or one year. |
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Successful completion of an Honours Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in English Literature, with a minimum overall average of B+. Applications with a co-major in English and a related discipline will be considered, although such students may be required to take additional qualifying undergraduate courses. Exceptions for students with unique circumstances will be considered. The Graduate Admissions Committee will review all applications and recommend admission for a limited number of suitable candidates. Individuals interested in part-time study should consult with the Graduate Program Director. |
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All students are required to take the two core courses, ENGL 5P00 and ENGL 5P01. Major Research Paper students must take four additional ENGL courses selected from the variable topics offerings; Thesis students take two such additional ENGL courses. With the permission of the Graduate Program Director a student may take a course from one of the other MA programs in the university or a reading course/tutorial (ENGL 5P02) in place of a course from the variable topics list. Research Paper students will with the guidance of the Graduate Program Director arrange for a supervisor and a second reader and shall choose a topic in consultation with the supervisor, the second reader and the Graduate Program Director. A Thesis student will, with the permission of the Graduate Program Director, arrange for a thesis supervisor; the student and the supervisor will, with a supervisory committee appointed by the Graduate Program Director, choose a thesis topic. |
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Note: not all courses are offered in every session. Students must consult with the Graduate Program Director regarding course offerings and course selection and must have their course selections approved by the Graduate Program Director each term. Refer to the Timetable for scheduling information: http://www.brocku.ca/registrar/guides/grad/timetable/terms.php Major Research Paper A research project on a selected topic involving independent work and original research and thought. MA Thesis An extended research project involving the preparation and defence of a thesis which shall demonstrate capacity for independent work and original research and thought. Theoretical Foundations Survey and critical analysis of a broad range of theories bearing on the relation of literary texts to cultural formations. Graduate Seminar in Research and Professional Development Topics such as the nature and requirements of academic work, research methodologies, research resources, the nature and requirements of the graduate thesis and research paper, the development of the research proposal, focused discussion of research and design strategies for the work proposed, the development of and adherence to a schedule, preparation of conference proposals and public presentations. Graduate Tutorial Research course with directed study and regular meetings with a faculty member, covering topics not offered in a designated course. Requires permission of the Graduate Program Director. Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Culture English literature, literary culture, and discourses on community from the 14th century to the late 17th century. 2008-2009: Christopher Marlowe, Trauma, Traged Examination of Marlowe's plays in the context of early modern communal traumas. Emphasis on the tension between tragic and traumatic discourses in the plays' reworkings of cultural rupture and dislocation. Theorists such as Cathy Caruth, Dominick LaCapra, Kelly Oliver and Kirby Farrell. The Long Eighteenth Century Literature and Culture Studies in literature and culture from the Restoration of Charles II to the ascension of Victoria, 1660-1837. Nineteenth Century British and American Literature and Culture Literature and literary culture in relation to the political, social and intellectual movements of the 19th century. May include transatlantic or nationally located studies. 2008-2009: Victorian London: Monster City An examination of the relationship between the production and reception of texts and images in Late-Victorian London, with special focus on the "urban Gothic." Emphasis on the relationship between literature and culture in the representation of urban environmentsusing the work of urban geographer David Harvey. Twentieth Century Literature and Culture Literature and cultural identity, location and change in established and developing literatures in the 20th century. 2008-2009: Samuel Beckett: Meditations and Mediations Considerations of how Beckett's varied oeuvre prompt equally various questions about interpretation, performance, and adaptation. An evaluation of how Beckett has been and continues to be reinvented by and within literary theory, the stage, film, and other arts. Canadian Literature and Culture Studies in Canadian literature with an emphasis on texts and their relation to intersecting notions of community. Contemporary Literature and Culture The role of literature in the creation and maintenance of located and imagined communities in the contemporary world. 2008-2009: Textualising "Post-Conflict Histories" An examination of artistic responses that bear witness to contemporary histories of mass violence from a "post-conflict" perspective, focusing on South Africa and Rwanda as case studies. Emphasis on exploring how texts and discourses challenge or reproduce conditions of conflict, and destabilize or re-invoke inherited categories of belonging as they address legacies of sustained historical conflict. Special Topics in Literature and Culture Literature, culture and community in areas such as genre studies, specialized theoretical studies and comparative historical studies. Rhetoric and Discourse Studies Study of rhetoric, genre, discourse and language. Topics may include rhetorical instatiations of textual communities, ideologies of language as they operate in conceptualizations of nation and self, and discourse analytic methods for examining texts and their contexts. |
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2008-2009 Graduate Calendar
Last updated: July 14, 2008 @ 09:09AM