Office of the Registrar
School of Graduate Studies (2009/2010)
6.9 English Language and Literature
  • Associate Professor and Interim Head of the Department
  • L.F. Balisch
  • Professor and Graduate Co-ordinator
  • D. Nichol

The degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy are offered in English Language and Literature.

Candidates for the M.A. in English may complete the program as either part-time or full-time students. Candidates for the Ph.D. in English must be in attendance as full-time students for at least three semesters of the program.

6.9.1 Master of Arts

  1. Admission to the M.A. in English is limited and competitive. Applicants should have an Honours B.A. in English (or the equivalent, 60 credit hours in English with an appropriate range of courses) and a strong academic record.

  2. Strong candidates who have come close to achieving Honours equivalency may be admitted on the condition that they complete such undergraduate courses as the Department may deem necessary, in addition to the required graduate courses.

  3. Candidates who have not completed English 4900 or an equivalent course will be required to complete English 5900 which will not count as one of the required courses for the M.A. The course will be graded 'pass' or 'fail'. As in other graduate courses a grade of 65 or above is considered a pass.

6.9.2 Program of Study

  1. Thesis Option

    1. Candidates completing the M.A. with thesis will complete a minimum of 15 credit hours in graduate courses, which will normally include English 7003, and a thesis.

    2. Candidates must submit a thesis proposal which includes a statement of topic, a working title, a plan of research, and a preliminary bibliography. The proposal should be approved by the Supervisor or Supervisors and submitted to the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee for its approval by the end of the candidate’s third semester. The Departmental Graduate Studies Committee shall return the thesis proposal to the candidate no later than one month after receiving it.

    3. Full-time students who choose the thesis option will usually complete their degree in two years.

  2. Non-Thesis Option

    1. Candidates completing the M.A. without thesis will complete a minimum of 24 credit hours in graduate courses, which will normally include English 7003.

    2. Full-time students who choose the non-thesis option will usually complete their degree in one year.

Courses

A selection of the following graduate courses will be offered to meet the requirements of candidates, as far as the resources of the Department will allow.

Notes:

  1. Since it is impossible to list in detail the many topics that may from time to time be offered, the titles below refer only to the major periods and general subject areas in which specific courses may be available. The content and approach in specific courses will vary according to the research interests of students and faculty involved in the course. Students should consult the Department's annual Graduate Student Guide (or the Graduate Co-ordinator) for detailed descriptions of specific course offerings. Normally, no fewer than ten graduate courses are offered in any given academic year.

  2. English 5900 cannot be counted as one of the required graduate courses in any program.

  3. All students will normally take English 7003 - Trends in Contemporary Literary Theory, usually in their first semester.

  4. Students who took graduate courses in English at Memorial University of Newfoundland before 1997 should consult with the Department before selecting further courses.

  • 5900 Bibliography and Research Methods
  • 6403 Etymology (same as Linguistics 6403)
  • 6420 English Dialectology I
  • 6421 English Dialectology II
  • 6999 Master's Essay (for non-thesis students)
  • 7003 Trends in Contemporary Critical Theory
  • 7004 English Phonology and Morphology
  • 7005 The Syntactic Structure of English
  • 7020-25 Special Topics in English
  • 7032 Studies in Old English I
  • 7033 Studies in Old English II
  • 7034 Studies in Middle English I
  • 7035 Studies in Middle English II
  • 7036 Studies in Middle English III
  • 7037 Studies in 16th-Century Literature I
  • 7038 Studies in 16th-Century Literature II
  • 7039 Studies in 16th-Century Literature III
  • 7040 Studies in 16th-Century Literature IV
  • 7041 Studies in 17th-Century British Literature I
  • 7042 Studies in 17th-Century British Literature II
  • 7043 Studies in 17th-Century British Literature III
  • 7044 Studies in 17th-Century British Literature IV
  • 7045 Studies in 18th-Century British Literature I
  • 7046 Studies in 18th-Century British Literature II
  • 7047 Studies in 18th-Century British Literature III
  • 7048 Studies in 18th-Century British Literature IV
  • 7049 Studies in 19th-Century British Literature I
  • 7050 Studies in 19th-Century British Literature II
  • 7051 Studies in 19th-Century British Literature III
  • 7052 Studies in 19th-Century British Literature IV
  • 7053 Studies in 20th-Century British Literature I
  • 7054 Studies in 20th-Century British Literature II
  • 7055 Studies in 20th-Century British Literature III
  • 7056 Studies in 20th-Century British Literature IV
  • 7057 Studies in Pre-19th Century American Literature
  • 7058 Studies in 19th Century American Literature I
  • 7059 Studies in 19th-Century American Literature II
  • 7060 Studies in 19th-Century American Literature III
  • 7061 Studies in 20th-Century American Literature I
  • 7062 Studies in 20th-Century American Literature II
  • 7063 Studies in 20th-Century American Literature III
  • 7064 Studies in 20th-Century American Literature IV
  • 7065 Studies in Pre-19th Century Canadian Literature
  • 7066 Studies in 19th-Century Canadian Literature I
  • 7067 Studies in 19th-Century Canadian Literature II
  • 7068 Studies in 19th-Century Canadian Literature III
  • 7069 Studies in 20th-Century Canadian Literature I
  • 7070 Studies in 20th-Century Canadian Literature II
  • 7071 Studies in 20th-Century Canadian Literature III
  • 7072 Studies in 20th-Century Canadian Literature IV
  • 7073 Studies in Newfoundland Literature I
  • 7074 Studies in Newfoundland Literature II
  • 7075 Studies in Newfoundland Literature III
  • 7076 Studies in Anglo-Irish Literature I
  • 7077 Studies in Anglo-Irish Literature II
  • 7078 Studies in Modern Drama
  • 7079 Studies in Post-Colonial Literature I
  • 7080 Studies in Post-Colonial Literature II
  • 7081 Studies in Post-Colonial Literature III
  • 7082 Studies in Critical Theory I
  • 7083 Studies in Critical Theory II
  • 7084 Studies in Critical Theory III
  • 7085 Special Readings in English I
  • 7086 Special Readings in English II
  • 7087 Special Readings in English III