Faculty: Professors Kelley (chair), Auerbach, Barry, Begam, Bernard-Donals, Bernstein, Bow, Brandt, Castronovo, Dharwadker, Ford, Friedman, Hill, Keller, Kelley, Kercheval, Levine, Loewenstein, McClintock, Moore, Niles, Nixon, Olaniyan, Pondrom, Schaub, Steele, Wallace, Weinbrot, Witmore, M. Young, R. Young, Zuengler; Associate Professors Bow, Britland, Guyer, Johnson, McKenzie, Mitchell, Ortiz-Robles, Purnell, Raimy, Robertson, Sherrard-Johnson, Teuton, Valenza, Wanner, Yu, Zimmerman; Assistant Professors Cooper, Hussen, Olson, Samuels, Yandell, Zweck
The Department of English offers a Ph.D. in English (with specializations in composition and rhetoric, English language and linguistics, or literary studies); an MFA in creative writing; and a terminal M.A. in English with a specialization in applied English linguistics. Students enrolled in the literary studies Ph.D. program become eligible for an M.A. degree in the literary studies area when they successfully complete the first-stage doctoral requirements. The literary studies program does not offer an M.A. apart from the doctoral program.
The doctoral program in the literary studies area offers a rigorous course of study leading to the completion of a doctoral dissertation in any field of English, American, or Anglophone literature and culture, or in any field of literary theory and criticism. The program prepares students for active careers in research and teaching at the university, and combines a sharp focus on conceptual approaches to literary and cultural works with a commitment to broad coverage of the field of Anglophone literature. Graduate seminars taken during the first phases of the doctoral program serve to prepare students to develop research projects for the dissertation. As they progress toward the Ph.D., students are invited to consider interdisciplinary sub-specialties in fields such as literary theory and criticism, the study of middle modernity, visual studies of culture, eco-criticism, creative writing, and others.
The doctoral program in the composition and rhetoric area prepares students for well-rounded careers as scholar-teachers. It is a multidisciplinary program with a small faculty-to-student ratio, offering study in composition theory and practice, rhetoric, literacy, critical theory, and discourse studies. Opportunities for professional development in teaching, research, and writing program administration are also vital elements of the program.
The doctoral program in English language and linguistics area is intended for students with a solid foundation at the master's level in the English language, applied linguistics, and related fields. Through a program of course work and seminars, doctoral students attain advanced knowledge in the core areas of English syntax and phonology and in the applied areas of second language acquisition, discourse analysis, and language variation and change. On reaching the dissertation stage, students pursue individual research in close cooperation with their faculty advisor. In recent years, students have written dissertations on code-switching, critical pedagogy, interactional competence, conversation analysis, syntactic problems in second language acquisition, classroom discourse, and psycholinguistics. Graduates of the program have taken faculty positions at universities throughout the country.
The MFA program in creative writing provides training for writers through creative writing workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and through a broad choice of electives that may be academic classes or other workshops. The program also provides creative writing pedagogy training and teaching experience.
The M.A. program with a specialization in applied English linguistics provides broad training in applied English linguistics and second language acquisition (SLA). Students who graduate from this program will be well prepared to teach English as a second language, and those who do exceptionally well may apply for admission to the doctoral program in the English language and linguistics area.
Regarding catalog course listings: graduate seminars in English reflect the faculty's current areas of research and therefore change importantly from year to year. Please consult the department website for more detailed information.
Ph.D. students in English must complete a minor in a field or program other than English. (Students in any of the three doctoral programs may also minor in either of the remaining two. For example, literary studies students may minor in composition and rhetoric or linguistics, and so on.) Ph.D. candidates from other programs who wish to pursue a minor in English must secure advance approval of their proposed course of study from the director of graduate studies in English. A minor in English consists of 10-12 credits of graduate work with no grade lower than B. The department offers a minor in English (with concentrations in literature, composition and rhetoric, English language and linguistics) and a minor in creative writing with the approval of the creative writing faculty.
The department requires an applicant to have a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited institution. Applicants typically demonstrate competence in the fields of English literature or language, American studies, or linguistics, but the department also welcomes applications from superior students who have not had the equivalent of an English major. Such students may be asked to supplement the normal program of study by completing a small number of coverage courses. All graduate degree programs in the department except the M.F.A. normally require Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores no more than five years old. All graduate programs in the literary studies area require the GRE literature in English subject test. International students whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
For more information: Department of English, 7195 Helen C. White Hall, 600 North Park Street, Madison, WI 53706; 608-263-3751; english@wisc.edu General Graduate Program Information: www.english.wisc.edu/graduate Composition and Rhetoric: www.english.wisc.edu/graduate/programs/compRhet/index.html Literary Studies: www.english.wisc.edu/graduate/programs/literary_studies/ English Language and Linguistics: www.english.wisc.edu/graduate-programs-ell.htm Creative Writing: creativewriting.wisc.edu/masters.html.
