Master of Arts in English, Rhetoric
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Master of Arts in English, Specialization in Rhetoric
The Master of Arts in English program provides a comprehensive graduate study program in English, including core courses in literature and a rich array of electives covering the large area of academic study under the umbrella term English. The program is ideal for teachers who desire a content M.A. beyond the credential. It is also excellent preparation for doctoral studies in English, teaching in the two-year college, or other careers requiring a high degree of literacy.
The program’s core requirements include five seminars–theory, research, and three core literature courses: a literary period course, a major author course, and a theme course. Students have the opportunity to select their course content from a variety of available topics. For example, for the major author seminar, we offer courses in Chaucer, Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, The Brontes, Edgar Allan Poe, Whitman, T.S. Eliot, and Steinbeck, Hemingway, and James Baldwin, among others. Students are allowed four elective courses. Those wanting a deeper study of English or American literature can select additional seminars in literary periods, major authors, or themes as their electives.
Courses in creative writing, rhetoric, and film studies are also offered as electives for students with interests in those areas. Special topics courses occasionally are offered for credit. Consult the course schedule or your academic advisor for information.
Students wanting one of the optional specializations in either Rhetoric or Gothic Studies should refer to the catalog description of those specializations.
The curriculum covers major approaches to literature, including theoretical, historical, comparative, thematic, multicultural, and genre studies. The program provides students with the critical vocabulary, tools, and research ability to produce scholarship of professional quality and to participate in the ongoing scholarly discussions of issues in the field of English. In their capstone project, students write a scholarly paper to the standards of a scholarly journal of their choice, and a number of our graduates have succeeded in publishing their capstone projects.
Foundation Courses
For the Master of Arts in English with a specialization in Rhetoric, you must complete six foundation courses and four specialization courses.Variable-topic courses can be taken for credit more than once, with different content, to fulfill degree requirements.
Course Details
Specialization Requirements (4 courses; 12 semester credit hours)
Course Name
Prepares students for the practical and theoretical challenges of teaching English composition and other writing courses. Topics include process theory, cognitive studies, language and diversity, genre studies, and best practices.
Focuses on the teachings of the major figures of ancient rhetoric, such as the sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian. Students will study the classical texts that form the basis of modern rhetoric studies. The course also surveys major shifts through Medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment rhetoric.
Introduces students to the contemporary study of rhetoric. The course covers major figures such as Kenneth Burke, Lloyd Bitzer, and Stephen Toulmin. The course introduces a wide range of academic interests in contemporary rhetoric; in particular, students will practice reading texts rhetorically through major theories of rhetoric.
Choose ONE of the following:
An intensive study of the conventions, artists, and styles associated with specific genres, as well as the historical circumstances in which each genre appeared. A variable topic chosen by the instructor. This course can be used for graduate-level film genre transfer credit with the approval of academic program directors.
Examines significant representative examples of the genre of science fiction cinema, analyzing them as texts that present different perspectives on themes relating to the human condition.
Focuses on the history, iconography, and mythology of horror films. Students will analyze the major horror sub-genres subject matter, themes, and visual style, from psychological horror to postmodern horror films.
Focuses on the critical analysis of the Hollywood musical through the lens of genre theory, emphasizing how the conventions of the cinematic musical are constructed through narrative and cinematic techniques.
History and aesthetics of animation as a cinematic medium are studied through the analysis of short films and feature-length films. Particular attention is given to the historical development of the medium and how its formal properties enabled different forms of expression to evolve over time.
Study of noir themes, visuals, character types, and plots in classic crime novels and across various media, paying attention to the unique affordances and constraints of each medium.
Learning Outcomes
Students earning the MA in English degree with a Rhetoric specialization will learn to:
- Produce sustained textual analyses and interpretations that are informed by relevant published criticism.
- Evaluate the relevance and validity of different theoretical approaches to the understanding of specific texts.
- Produce rigorous critiques of the scholarly works of others.
- Interrogate and synthesize key theories and practices within composition studies.
- Analyze how language and image are used to produce various effects and meanings across a variety of media forms.
- Produce a work of rhetorical criticism suitable for publication in a scholarly journal.
Program Disclosure
Successful completion and attainment of National University degrees do not lead to automatic or immediate licensure, employment, or certification in any state/country. The University cannot guarantee that any professional organization or business will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any certification, licensure, or related exam for the purpose of professional certification.
Program availability varies by state. Many disciplines, professions, and jobs require disclosure of an individual’s criminal history, and a variety of states require background checks to apply to, or be eligible for, certain certificates, registrations, and licenses. Existence of a criminal history may also subject an individual to denial of an initial application for a certificate, registration, or license and/or result in the revocation or suspension of an existing certificate, registration, or license. Requirements can vary by state, occupation, and/or licensing authority.
NU graduates will be subject to additional requirements on a program, certification/licensure, employment, and state-by-state basis that can include one or more of the following items: internships, practicum experience, additional coursework, exams, tests, drug testing, earning an additional degree, and/or other training/education requirements.
All prospective students are advised to review employment, certification, and/or licensure requirements in their state, and to contact the certification/licensing body of the state and/or country where they intend to obtain certification/licensure to verify that these courses/programs qualify in that state/country, prior to enrolling. Prospective students are also advised to regularly review the state’s/country’s policies and procedures relating to certification/licensure, as those policies are subject to change.
National University degrees do not guarantee employment or salary of any kind. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review desired job positions to review degrees, education, and/or training required to apply for desired positions. Prospective students should monitor these positions as requirements, salary, and other relevant factors can change over time.