http://www.newpaltz.edu/english/

Contact: 845-257-2720

Advanced study in English can be a passport to any number of careers where employers value communication and research skills, proficiency with digital technologies, and the ability to think critically to solve complex programs. Our English alumni work in publishing, journalism, education, marketing, law, and politics, among other fields.

The English department offers the following graduate degrees:

MA English

Work with Dedicated Faculty

Students in our MA English program value the close mentorship they receive from our faculty, the camaraderie of the graduate student community, and the passionate discussion and thought they find in intimate graduate seminars—all of our courses enroll 15 or fewer students. The program offers specializations in Creative Writing and Literature.

MA English/MAT English Education 

Broaden Your Teaching Career 

This dual master’s degree program prepares students with a pedagogical foundation in adolescence education while also offering a thorough grounding in literary history and theory in preparation for careers in secondary or community college teaching and other professional opportunities. Students must already be enrolled in MA English or MAT Adolescence Education programs before applying to the MA/MAT program. 

BA/MA English 

Join a Select Cohort 

A community of BA/MA English students who are passionate about learning, prepared for an advanced curriculum, and seeking to work alongside peers who are similarly engaged. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA in undergraduate English courses to qualify.

ENG501. Introduction to Old English. 3 Credits.

Old English as a language and readings in the original.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG504. English Literature of the Sixteenth Century. 3 Credits.

Selected prose and poetry of the English Renaissance, including works of such figures as Spenser, Sidney, Wyatt, Surrey, Nashe, Green, and Dekker.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG505. Shakespeare. 3 Credits.

An introductory survey of Shakespeare's works, with emphasis upon historical, cultural, and critical problems.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG506. English Drama through the Jacobean Period. 3 Credits.

Medieval drama and later playwrights such as Kyd, Marlowe, Jonson, Webster, Chapman, Beaumont, and Fletcher.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG507. English Literature of the Seventeenth Century. 3 Credits.

Leading English writers of poetry and prose in the seventeenth century, excluding Milton. Metaphysical and Cavalier poets and such prose authors as Browne, Burton, Bunyan, and Pepys.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG508. Milton. 3 Credits.

Milton's major poetical works and selected minor poems and prose works in relation to his time and seventeenth-century thought.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG515. Modern Theories of Writing Annual/Fall. 3 Credits.

A general introduction to developments in writing theory and instruction including such topics as the composing process, cognition and writing, invention and revision strategies, discourse theory, alternative approaches to teaching grammar and style. (Especially suitable for students planning to teach.)

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG522. Modernity and Modernism in Britain. 3 Credits.

British novelists and poets of the first half of the twentieth century: Conrad, Joyce, Forster, Woolf, Lawrence, Yeats, Eliot, Graves, and others.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG524. Virginia Woolf. 3 Credits.

Virginia Woolf produced innovative, influential work in many genres: stories, novels, non-fiction, criticism, biography. We explore these and use her Diary to document her life as a writer.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG525. Postmodern Literature. 3 Credits.

Investigation of the emerging themes in prose and poetry since World War II.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG526. Twenty-First Century Literature. 3 Credits.

A study of primary American and British literature since the late 1990’s with attention to continuities with twentieth-century literature and innovations in for, genre, and theme.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG536. American Fiction in the Twentieth Century to 1945 Annual/Fall. 3 Credits.

Study of important American novelists, 1900-1945, including the work of major novelists such as Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Warren.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG537. American Poetry in the Twentieth Century to 1945. 3 Credits.

Reading of the principal American poets at home and abroad in the period up to 1945: Eliot, Frost, Cummings, Pound, and Auden, among others.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG541. Seminar in Creative Writing. 3 Credits.

Seminar in Creative Writing. Workshop in the techniques of writing fiction, poetry, or drama for proficient writers who wish to be published. Not applicable to the MS or MA degrees.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG542. Workshop in Fiction and Memoir. 3 Credits.

A graduate workshop where students share and critique original works of fiction and memoir in a constructive environment dedicated to the writing process. Students examine works by contemporary and classic authors and analyze vital craft techniques.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
  • Must be enrolled in the following field(s) of study (major, minor or concentration): English (204)
May be repeated for credit

ENG543. Workshop in Poetry. 3 Credits.

A graduate poetry workshop considering traditions and trends animating contemporary poetry and consider strategies for constructing their own. Each poet will find a distinctive identity in terms of imagery, language, identity, and subject matter.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May be repeated for credit

ENG544. Seminar in Teaching Creative Writing. 3 Credits.

A seminar on various pedagogical approaches to instruction in creative writing. We’ll discuss issues related to teaching, how to effectively edit and critique the work of students, and ways to lead an effective workshop.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
  • Must be enrolled in the following field(s) of study (major, minor or concentration): English (204)
May not be repeated for credit

ENG545. Editing and Publishing Seminar. 1 Credit.

A seminar on editing and publishing creative writing, discussing professional process, working with writers, macro- and micro-level edits, proofreading, style guides, careers, marketing, and managing a production schedule. Students create original digital and print publications.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts
May not be repeated for credit

ENG551. Academic Writing Seminar for MA Students in English. 1 Credit.

Introduces students to academic writing in English at the graduate level. Students will gain exposure to a variety of genres and perform academic writing with study of nuances of style, organization, citation, evidence, and transitions.

Restrictions:

  • Must be enrolled in the following field(s) of study (major, minor or concentration): BA/MA English (204M)
May not be repeated for credit

ENG552. Advanced Research Methods for MA Students in English. 1 Credit.

An introduction to advanced methods and tools of research in the study of literature.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
  • Must be enrolled in the following field(s) of study (major, minor or concentration): English (204)
May not be repeated for credit

ENG553. Career Seminar for MA Students in English. 1 Credit.

Course provides instruction, workshops, and mentoring to help students identify possible career paths, explore professional opportunities, and prepare effective job search related materials such as resumes, cover letters, and online profiles.

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
  • Must be enrolled in the following field(s) of study (major, minor or concentration): English (204)
May not be repeated for credit

ENG560. Forms of Autobiography. 3 Credits.

An introduction to classic and/or contemporary autobiographies. Discussion of principles of autobiographical writing; forms of the genre; and critical and theoretical perspectives. Topics and readings will vary from year to year.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG572. Studies in Middle English Literature. 3 Credits.

May be repeated for credit.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May be repeated for credit

ENG573. Studies in Sixteenth-Century English Literature. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG574. Studies in Shakespeare. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG575. Studies in Seventeenth-Century English Literature. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG576. Studies in Eighteenth-Century English Literature. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG577. Studies in English Romanticism. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG578. Studies in Victorian Literature. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG579. Studies in Nineteenth-Century American Literature. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG581. Studies in Twentieth-Century American Fiction to 1945. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG583. Studies in Twentieth-Century British Literature. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG585. Studies in Contemporary Criticism and Theory. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG586. Studies in Contemporary Literature. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG588. Studies in Comparative Literature. 3 Credits.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG589. From Gutenberg to Google Books: Studies in Books, Readers, and Culture. 3 Credits.

Critical examination of book publishing, reading, and the cultural effects of this combination from Gutenberg to the present: emphasis on analytic bibliography, book history into the digital age, literacy, and the spread of ideas through publishing.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG590. Thesis in English. 3 Credits.

Writing of a substantial essay under the guidance of a faculty advisor. (Arrangements must be made well in advance of the semester in which the thesis is to be written.)

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG593. English Selected Topic. 12 Credits.

Selected topics courses are regularly scheduled courses that focus on a particular topic of interest. Descriptions are printed in the Schedule of Classes each semester. Selected topics courses may be used as elective credit and may be repeated for credit, provided that the topic of the course changes.

Attributes:

  • Liberal Arts

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May be repeated for credit

ENG594. Fieldwork in English. 1-12 Credits.

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May not be repeated for credit

ENG595. Indep Study English. 1-12 Credits.

Directed study under the guidance of a faculty advisor. (Arrangements must be made well in advance of the semester in which the study is to be undertaken.)

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May be repeated for credit

ENG599. Graduate Comprehensive Exam Registration. 0 Credits.

Non-credit workshop for students who wish to devote the semester immediately following the completion of their coursework to prepare for the comprehensive exam.

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
  • Must be enrolled in the following field(s) of study (major, minor or concentration): English (204)
May not be repeated for credit

ENG799. Continued Registration. 1 Credit.

Restrictions:

  • Must have the following level: Graduate
May be repeated for credit