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Graduate Program Student/Faculty Potluck dinner, Saturday, 2/7/09, 6
PM - ?? Cook up your favorite dish and join fellow graduate students
and faculty at Dr. Schwartz's house for and evening of good food and fellowship.
Families / Significant Others welcome. Details distributed via email.
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Evenings with the Profs: mark your calendars and take advantage
of the winter and spring schedule of EVENINGS WITH THE PROFS" presentations.
Come hear faculty members talk about their areas of specialty -- a great
way to review for the M.A. Exam, or to get a context for works on the M.A.
Exam Reading List which you are reading on your own! Here is the
line-up for winter quarter (spring quarter TBA):
-- M 2/9/09 Composition with Dr. Helmbrecht, 8 PM in 22-312.
-- T 2/10/09: British Renaissance Lyrics with Dr. Stegner, 8:30
pm at Blue (downtown).
-- T 2/17/09: American Transcendentalism with Dr. Kann, 8:00
PM in 22-312.
-- M 2/23/09: Modern American Poetry with Dr. Clark, 8 PM in
22-312.
-- T 2/24/09: British Victorians with Dr. Marchbanks, 8 PM in
22-312.
-- M 3/2/09: More Renaissance Lyrics (Crashaw) with Dr. Stegner,
8:30 PM downstairs at Creekside Brewery (on Broad near the Mission)
-- T 3/3/09: Linguistics, 8:30 PM upstairs at Mothers (downtown).
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Interested in continuing on to a Ph.D. program in either literature or
Rhetoric and Composition? Keep an eye out for the announcement of
an Informational Workshop for PhD-bound students (similar to the
one held last spring). This workshop is intended for students planning
to apply for Ph.D. programs, whether next fall or at some future date.
Please plan to attend if you are interested in some practical guidance
and advice from our recent PhDs and successful PhD applicants on topics
such as:
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investigating doctoral programs;
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deciding where to apply;
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the GRE Subject test;
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requesting letters of recommendation;
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effective self-presentation in the (extremely important) personal statement;
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selecting and polishing an appropriate writing sample.
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Registration for Spring Quarter, 2009 will begin on Friday, February
13. For your specific registration date and time, see the Registration
Rotation Chart. Registration reminders:
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The normal full-time load for a graduate student is 8 units of 500-level
classes (plus as applicable a limited number of lower division classes,
e.g. foreign language classes or coursework required for a certificate
program).
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Graduate students taking 8 units of graduate (500-level) courseworks should
ideally take one literature seminar (511 or 512) in combination with one
non-literature seminar (502 or 505).
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Second year students who need ENGL 502 or ENGL 505 winter quarter in order
to take their M.A. exam on schedule in S09 or F09 will have seats reserved
for them, provided that they respond to Dr. Schwartz's email by the
indicated deadline. Likewise, 1st-year graduate students interested
in serving as T.A.s in their second year will have a seat reserved for
them in ENGL 505, Composition Theory, provided that they respond to
Dr. Schwartz's email by the indicated deadline.
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Foreign languages classes fill up quickly, so please use your priority
registration time to register for seats in any foreign language classes
needed to meet the Foreign Language Requirement.
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All graduate students are encouraged to arrange an advisement meeting with
Dr. Schwartz prior to registering.
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Students registering for conditional coursework MUST meet with Dr. Schwartz
to discuss their options prior to registering.
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A 400-level class which a graduate student wishes to include as an elective
on the Formal Study Plan must be pre-approved by Dr. Schwartz.
NOTE: Because graduate students are limited to two 400-level electives,
these classes are not typically taken during the first year in the program.
Also, students requesting a 400-level elective should normally plan to
enroll in the usual two 500-level graduate seminars the same quarter, unless
500-level classes are full or they have already taken them.
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500-level literature classes and any 400-level literature electives should
be chosen to fill in gaps in your knowledge of the works and authors on
the M.A.
Exam Reading List.
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Spring quarter classes meeting M/W will begin on M, 3/30/09.
Due to a university holiday, classes meeting T/Th will begin on Th 4/2/09.
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4 PM on Thursday, April 9 is the drop/add/audit deadline
for spring quarter classes. It is also your last chance to change
a class from Graded to Credit/No Credit. Please note that classes
which are part of your 48-unit M.A. curriculum (i.e. which will be listed
on your Formal Study Plan) or which you are taking as Conditional Coursework
must be taken for a grade. Additionally, please note that to
receive credit in a class taken Credit/No Credit, a graduate student must
earn a grade of B or better.
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Students planning to take the Translation Exam in Spring, 2009
should fill out the appropriate paperwork located in the kiosk at the entrance
of the English Department. This form must be submitted to the Graduate
Coordinator by the end of week two of the quarter, i.e., no later
than Friday, April 10, 2009. Please submit this important
paperwork to me in person or leave it in my mailbox in the main English
office -- do NOT put it under my door or leave it tacked to my bulletin
board.
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Students planning to take the M.A. Exam in Spring, 2009 should fill
out the appropriate paperwork located in the kiosk at the entrance of the
English Department. This form must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator
along with a copy of your Summary of Remaining Degree Requirements (generated
by the Office of Academic Records after your Request for Graduation Evaluaion)
by the end of week two of the quarter, i.e., no later than Friday,
April 10, 2009. Please submit this important paperwork to me in person
or leave it in my mailbox in the main English office -- do NOT put it under
my door or leave it tacked to my bulletin board.
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First-time Test Takers planning to take the Comprehensive M.A. Exam in
Spring or Fall, 2009, please note: if you plan to take the M.A. Exam
for the first time in Spring, 2009, you should already have met
with Dr. Schwartz to complete your Formal
Study Plan and Advancement
to Candidacy forms and submitted a Request
for Graduation Evaluation to the Office of Academic Recrod.
First-time Test Takers planning to take the M.A. Exam in Fall, 2009
should meet with Dr. Schwartz to complete this important paperwork as
soon as possible after registering for Spring, 2009 classes.
This will help ensure that you have received the required "Summary of Remaining
Degree Requirements" (generated by the Office of Academic Records in response
to your Request for Graduation Evaluation) in time to take the M.A. Exam
in the fall. Also: if you have previously filed your Formal
Study Plan but there has been a change in your program of study, please
see Dr. Schwartz ASAP to file an Amendment
to Formal Study Plan.
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Don't forget that FUNDING is again available to defray the expenses
of Graduate Students presenting a paper at an academic conference.
For full details, see the announcement email sent out 10/2/08. If
you have already presented a conference paper or will be presenting one
this winter or spring, please let Dr.
Schwartz know ASAP.
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The Spring M.A. Comprehensive Exam will take place on Friday, May
16 and Saturday, May 17 (location TBA). Please plan to arrive 10
min. in advance of the scheduled exam time. Bring a large-format
Exam Book for each section of the exam you will be taking. Because
the exam is graded anonymously, please do NOT write your name on the exam
book; you will be given an identifying number to write on your exam materials.
The approximate schedule for the exam follows:
F 5/15:
9:00-10:15 AM: British Literature (followed by 15 min. break)
10:30-11:45 AM: American Literature (followed by 30 min. lunch)
12:15-1:30 PM: Crossover Literature
S 5/16:
9:00-10:15 AM: Linguistics (followed by 15 min. break)
10:30-11:45 AM: Composition (followed by 30 min. lunch)
12:15-1:30 PM: "Emphasis" option (linguistics, composition or close
reading of a literary text)
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Spring Commencement ceremonies will take place on Sunday, June 14,
2009.
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Registration for Summer, 2009 classes will begin on (TBA).
No 500-level classes are offered during the summer quarter.
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Registration for Fall, 2009 classes will begin on (TBA).
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The Fall, 2009 Comprehensive M.A. Exam will likely take place
on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, 2009 in 10-241.
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Welcome
to
the website of the M.A. Program in English
at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. We
offer a comprehensive, literature-based graduate program culminating in
a Master's
Exam (there is no thesis option). The curriculum
comprises required coursework in British and American literature, literary
theory, linguistics, and composition theory, with opportunities for elective
work in all of these areas as well as in creative writing, technical communication,
and English Education. Our goal is to assist you in your growth as a scholar,
writer and teacher. Recent graduates are pursuing careers in fields
such as community college and secondary school teaching, editing, and writing.
Others have entered Ph.D. programs in literature and in Composition and
Rhetoric.
Graduate
Handbook (under revision; email Dr. Schwartz
for a current program overview)