Undergraduate Advisers: Earthman, Gillotte, Lucas—Credential (Single Subject/Secondary); Kohn, Wilson—General Education; Brogan, Gretton, Sommers—Liberal Studies; Doub, Evitt, Krasny, Middlebrook, Renaker, Ritter, Robinson, Stec, Tuma, Weltner, Wolf, Zimmerman—Literature; Jain, Waksler—Language Studies
Graduate Coordinators: Keroes, Lucas—Composition; Porter—English as a Foreign/Second Language; Middlebrook—Literature; Whalley—Linguistics
Associate Professors—Earthman, Evitt, Gillotte, Lyles, Peel, Shih, Voloshin
Assistant Professors—Kwok, Nakayama, Sommers, Stec, Swanson, Waksler, Weinstein-Shr
Lecturers—Altman, Bennett, Boj-sode, Bronstein, Chan, E., Cochrane, Colunga, Conway, Cooper, Costello, Culver, Davies, Deicke, DelPonte, Elliott, V., Flippin, Frisbie, Grant, Gregory, J., Guerin, Holder, Helfman, Jeanmonod, Josephson, Kevech, Kitses, Levine, Levreault, Lindsay, Lowood, Mallet, Martin, Motai, Parent, Patchen, Ramirez, Sammons, Shellenberger, Sours, Starkovich, Taylor, VanDommelen, Williams, Wilson, C.
B.A. in English: Concentration in Language Studies
B.A. in English: Concentration in Literature
Minor in English and American Literature
Minor in English Language Studies
M.A. in English: Concentration in Composition
M.A. in English: Concentration in English as a Foreign/Second Language
M.A. in English: Concentration in Linguistics
M.A. in English: Concentration in Literature
Certificate in Teaching of Composition
Certificate in Teaching Post-Secondary Reading
The M.A. in English with Concentration in Composition addresses the need for professionalization of writing instruction, drawing on recent research into the composing process and into the unique characteristics of written English. The concentration emphasizes theory, research, and practice in the teaching of writing at advanced-secondary, community-college, and college levels. It builds upon a pioneering program designed to train teachers of composition at San Francisco State and provides professional preparation for writing teachers and supervisors, and a rigorous scholarly foundation for students preparing for doctoral work in composition or adult literacy.
The Master of Arts in English with Concentration in English as a Foreign/Second Language is offered as a result of a growing local, national, and international demand for persons prepared to perform various services in English as a foreign or second language. This concentration includes work in literature and foreign languages, with optional electives in education and the social sciences, as well as specialized work at an advanced level in linguistics and language teaching. The concentration provides training for teachers and a suitable background for supervisors and others responsible for the preparation of materials and courses of study in English as a foreign or second language. Completion of the Master of Arts with a concentration in English as a Foreign/Second Language may not fulfill the requirements for teacher credentialing in the State of California; some California credentials may require additional course work and/or examinations.
The M.A. in English with Concentration in Linguistics offers courses and seminars which draw their substance from contemporary linguistic science: general linguistics, English linguistics, stylistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, semantics, and related disciplines. The program provides background for teachers of English at the secondary and community college levels, for other specialists in education, and for those who wish to pursue more advanced studies.
The M.A. in English with Concentration in Literature develops professional skills, ensures breadth of knowledge, and provides opportunities for specialization. Broader relationships are studied in the survey, period, and genre courses; narrower, deeper investigations are undertaken in the seminars. The thesis explores critical possibilities well beyond the range of the seminar paper. It measures the candidate's ability to isolate and thoroughly examine a particular literary problem, theme, or idea. An oral examination is preparation for the thesis.
The Certificate in the Teaching of Composition has been designed as a quick, economical means of attaining proficiency in the teaching of composition at senior high school, community college, college, and adult levels. It is aimed at both experienced and aspirant teachers who wish to study the practice of teaching composition without the theoretical and research background obtained in the M.A. in English: Concentration in Composition.
The Certificate in the Teaching of Post-Secondary Reading enables prospective and already practicing post-secondary teachers to attain proficiency in the teaching of reading at community college, college, and adult levels. New requirements for teaching reading in the community colleges (Assembly Bill 1725) specify that new instructors must possess a master's degree in education with a specialization in reading, or a master's in English or ESL with additional certification in the teaching of reading.
Students completing the M.A. in Composition have typically taken one or two career paths, either going on to doctoral work with a view to teaching at a four-year institution, or entering the community-college job market. At the university level, specialists in composition and rhetoric are in increasing demand as researchers and directors of undergraduate writing programs. Two-year colleges are increasingly recognizing the need for professional training in the teaching of composition and are hiring accordingly.
Many students in M.A. programs other than composition take the certificate as a means of preparing themselves for teaching positions in two-year colleges, recognizing that other degree concentrations in English may not make them sufficiently marketable. In addition a number of two-year college and high school English teachers take the courses to develop their expertise in composition.
The Master of Arts with Concentration in English as a Foreign/Second Language prepares students specifically to teach English to non-native speakers of the language. Most graduates of the program become classroom teachers of TEFL/TESL in adult education classes, public schools, intensive language programs, and colleges either in the United States or foreign countries. Others choose jobs in related areas such as program administration, curriculum design, materials writing, and teacher training.
The Master of Arts in Linguistics prepares students for a variety of teaching and research positions in which the emphasis is on the structure of language. Graduates of the program may teach English language or writing, work in the fields of speech production or speech recognition, or go on to further study in linguistics or other disciplines.
While the M.A. in Literature is specifically designed to prepare a student for a career in teaching literature in community colleges or high schools in the U.S. or overseas, it has a far broader application. Any career requiring communication, research or analytic skills, literacy, a careful scholarly approach and a broad understanding of human values may use this program as a base. Those include publishing, editing, media, journalism, technical writing, government service, law, and administrative or research work in business or industry.
The Certificate in the Teaching of Composition prepares students for teaching composition at the advanced secondary, community college, and college levels.
The Certificate in Teaching Post-Secondary Reading enables prospective and already practicing post-seconday teachers to develop their ability to meet specific individual professional needs in the area of basic literacy and reading instruction. This certificate prepares students for teaching positions in the community colleges and community agencies where specialized background and techniques are necessary.
English majors are required to complete a 39-unit program consisting of fifteen (15) units of core requirements and additional requirements in an area of concentration.
English courses normally earn three units of credit. However, some courses which fulfill requirements for the major are variable unit courses and may earn four or five units. For further information on how to apply these additional units to completion of the major, see the elective unit section under each concentration, pick up a Literature Course Classification Guide (available in the English Department), and consult with your adviser.
The basic requirements for the B.A. in English can be met by completing any one of the following areas of concentration. Guidelines for the patterns of additional requirements for each concentration, including the Individual Major, are available in the department office. In addition students must take one critical writing course which includes an introduction to literature; typically this requirement will be met by students taking English 214 to fulfill university requirements. But for students not taking English 214, one of the following must be included on their program: English 418 or English 411 (foreign students only). English 50, 114, 214, 410/414 cannot be counted for credit in the major.
Nine units of work in lower division courses may be accepted for credit in the major upon consent of an adviser.
Courses for this program are listed in alphabetical sequence (see English Language and Literature discipline in the "Announcement of Courses" section).
Core Requirements (Concentrations I, II, and III)
Units One upper division course in Shakespeare 3 ENG 480 Junior Seminar 3 One of the following courses in English literature before 1800: 3 ENG 501 Age of Chaucer ENG 509 Age of Humanism ENG 510 Age of Wit One of the following courses in English/American literature of the 19th century: 3 ENG 514 Age of Romantics ENG 516 Age of Victorians ENG 526 Age of American Renaissance One course in an individual author 3 Concentration (see listings below) 24 Total for major 39Concentration I: Literature (in addition to core requirements)
One course in language with approval of adviser 3 One course in theory or criticism 3 One course in English literature before 1800 (apart from core Shakespeare requirement) 3 Courses selected with approval of adviser 15Concentration II: Language Studies (in addition to core requirements)
Four courses in language 12 ENG 421 Structure of English ENG 422 History of English Language ENG 424 Phonology and Morphology ENG 425 Language in Context Courses selected with approval of adviser 12Concentration III: Individual Major (in addition to core requirements)
Students enrolling in the Individual Major Program will follow a 24-unit course of study worked out in continuous close consultation with an individual program adviser. Each course of study is adapted to the background and interests of the student. The Individual Major is available to students who can define a course of study in a serious and coherent way. Interested students apply with the English Department advising coordinator. 24
Units One of the following courses in lower division literature: 3 ENG 150 The Study of Literature ENG 152 The Novel in English ENG 154 Masterworks of Literature ENG 155 Contemporary Literature ENG 158 American Literature ENG 159 Beginning Shakespeare One of the following courses in Language: 3 ENG 420 Introduction to the Study of Language ENG 421 The Structure of English ENG 422 History of the English Language ENG 424 Phonology and Morphology ENG 425 Language in Context ENG 429 Stylistics One upper division course in Shakespeare 3 One upper division course in pre-1800 literature 3 Three upper division literature courses (electives) 9 Total for minor 21
ENG 421 The Structure of English 3 ENG 424 Phonology and Morphology 3 ENG 425 Language in Context 3 Three units selected from the following: ENG 420, 422, 426, 429, 651 3 Six units in Literature, three of which must be from the following: 6 ENG 150 The Study of Literature ENG 152 The Novel in English ENG 154 Masterworks of Literature ENG 155 Contemporary Literature ENG 158 American Literature ENG 159 Beginning Shakespeare One upper division course in Shakespeare 3 Total 21
last modified June 5, 1995