Text/ Community/ Discourse Dean Carol U. Merriam Faculty of Humanities Associate Dean Elizabeth Vlossak Faculty of Humanities Core Faculty Professors Gregory Betts, Tim Conley, Adam Dickinson, Martin Danahay, Neta Gordon, Ann Howey, Leah Knight, Mathew Martin, Lissa Paul, Elizabeth Sauer, Barbara K. Seeber, Carole Stewart Associate Professors Robert Alexander, James Allard, Lynn Arner, Natalee Caple, Gale Coskan-Johnson, Andrew Pendakis, Susan Spearey Assistant Professor Erin Akerman Graduate Program Director Carole Stewart Graduate Program Assistant Melissa Vanatte 905-688-5550, extension 3884 573A Glenridge GLN A 202 brocku.ca/humanities/english-language-and-literature/ |
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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 Research Paper option, students are strongly encouraged to pursue the Major Research Paper option. Both options are designed to be completed in three terms or one year. |
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Successful completion of four-year Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in English Literature, with a minimum 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 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 5F01. 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. Major 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 that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable timetable for details. Students must ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met. Professional Skills and Development Topics such as the nature of graduate studies, pedagogy, advanced research skills and resources, the development of research and grant proposals, career preparation, and preparation for conference presentations and publishing. 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 Surveys a range of thinkers and theoretical schools structuring the current discipline of English, including critical race theory, psychoanalysis, postcolonial theory, feminist theory, queer theory, British cultural studies, Foucault, and Bourdieu. 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. 2024-2025 Editing and Exhibiting Early English Books Project course coordinated with Archives and Special Collections on editing and exhibiting early books in English. Critical reflection on and training in different modes of engaging creatively with artifacts, contextualizing them responsibly, and representing them and their history afresh. 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. Twentieth Century Literature and Culture Literature and cultural identity, location and change in established and developing literatures in the 20th century. Canadian Literature and Culture Studies in Canadian literature with an emphasis on texts and their relation to intersecting notions of community. 2024-2025 Indigenous Literary (Re)mapping Considers a range of early and contemporary Indigenous texts and artworks to rethink colonial geographies on Turtle Island (North America) through Indigenous knowledges and language revitalization, as well as theoretical frameworks such as Indigenous feminisms, Indigenous literary nationalism, queer theory, and environmental justice. Contemporary Literature and Culture The role of literature in the creation and maintenance of located and imagined communities in the contemporary world. Special Topics in Literature and Culture Literature, culture and community in areas such as genre studies, specialized theoretical studies and comparative historical studies. 2024-2025 Environmental Humanities Explores the growing field of Environmental Humanities. Surveys literature, art, film and other cultural expressions to understand how they reflect and influence perceptions of the environment. 2024-2025 Rewriting Elaine of Astolat Study of adaptations of the Arthurian story of the Lily Maid. Use of adaptation theory, feminist theory, and theories of medievalism to explore medieval, nineteenth-, twentieth-, and twenty-first-century texts and the diverse communities they address. Rhetoric and Discourse Studies Study of rhetoric, genre, discourse and language. Topics may include rhetorical instantiations 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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2024-2025 Graduate Calendar
Last updated: February 23, 2024 @ 01:36PM