Students who are in the Teaching of Writing and Literature concentration should follow the advising sheet below.
To download this advising sheet click on the link below.
Teaching of Writing and Literature Advising Sheet 07-08:
The core of this program are two courses focusing on teaching: English 610, Proseminar in Teaching the Reading of Literature, and English 615, Proseminar in Composition Instruction. Students also take a course in research methods, two courses in literature, two courses in writing, a course in linguistics, a course in composition theory, and one elective. The Program offers practicing educators the opportunity to renew knowledge and envision new paths as instructors; students new to the field will benefit from the array of perspectives afforded by it breadth. As with all of the MA in English programs, students must demonstrate intermediate proficiency in a foreign language, outlined below.Planning Your Course of Studies
You must complete 30 credit hours of course work in this program. Course work must be distributed according to the areas below; several courses qualify in more than one area.
Teaching Writing (3 credit hours required)
_____615. Proseminar in Composition Instruction
_____695. Northern Virginia Writing Project Inservice Program (offered only
to full time teachers through
school district contracts)
_____699. Workshop in English (through the NVWP Summer Institute, open to
full- time teachers on
invitation basis)
Teaching Literature (3 credit hours required)
_____610. Proseminar in Teaching the Reading of Literature
_____695. Northern Virginia Writing Project Inservice Program (offered only to full- time teachers through school district contracts)
Research (3 credit hours required)
_____701. Literary Scholarship
Literature (6 credit hours required)
_____ _____ Consult the University catalog and the English Department Course
Description book each term to see which courses in literature are offered. Also consult the print copy of the University catalog for a complete listing of English courses.
Writing (6 credit hours required)
_____505. Computer-Assisted Publications Writing and Design
_____564. Form of Poetry (manuscript required to receive permission of instructor)
_____565. Forms of Nonfiction
_____566. Form of Fiction (manuscript required to receive permission of instructor)
_____611. Studies in Rhetoric (depending upon the topic)
_____612. Cultures of Professional Writing
_____613. Technical and Scientific Writing (prerequisite: 565, or permission of instructor)
_____616. Nonfiction Writing Workshop (prerequiste: 565; manuscript required to receive permission of instructor)
_____617. Poetry Writing Workshop (prerequisite: 564; manuscript required to receive permission of instructor)
_____618. Fiction Writing Workshop (prerequisite: 566; manuscript required to receive permission of instructor)
_____619. Special Topics in Writing (manuscript required to receive permission of instructor)
_____699. Northern Virginia Writing Project Summer Institute (3 credits only)
Linguistics (3 credit hours required)
_____520. Descriptive Linguistics
The following courses also satisfy this requirement, but they have prerequisites, as noted in parentheses:
_____507. Internship in Applied Linguistics (521 or EDCI 519)
_____521. Applied Linguistics (520)
_____522. Modern English Grammar (520)
_____EDCI 519. Teaching BiLing/ESL
_____581. Psycholinguistics (one course in LING or permission of instructor)
Composition Theory
_____697. Theory of Composition (prerequisite: 615, 295, or 699 NVWPSI)
Electives (3 credit hours required)
Consult the University catalog and the English Department Course Description book each term to see which courses you might take as electives. Also consult the print version of the catalog for a complete listing of English courses. Of particular interest to students in this program are the following: 503, Theory and Practice of Editing; 504, Internship in Writing or Editing; 611, Studies in Rhetoric; 614, Internship in the Teaching of Writing; 696, NVWP Teacher-Researcher Seminar (prerequisites: 615, 695, or NVWP Summer Institute); 798, Directed Reading and Research; 799, Thesis.
Language Requirement (intermediate proficiency in a foreign language)
Intermediate proficiency corresponds to GMU's coursework through the 202 or 209 level. Generally speaking, this level represents 4 consecutive semesters in a given language (e.g. French 101, 102, 201, and 202). You may satisfy this requirement in three ways:
- Confirm that your undergraduate (or continuing education) transcript includes courses corresponding to this level of proficiency.
- If your language proficiency is in a Romance language or German, you can take a proficiency exam administered by the English Department. Contact the English Department Graduate Coordinator, Danielle Deulen , to schedule the exam. If your proficiency is in another language, contact a local university where this language is taught and arrange to sit for an exam.
- Take courses at George Mason or elsewhere through the intermediate level. Make sure that the intermediate level elsewhere corresponds to that of George Mason.
Please contact your advisor soon after enrolling to determine how you will meet the language proficiency requirement. Once you have made this decision, contact the English Department Graduate Programs Manager at englgrad@gmu.edu, so that we may conduct the necessary paperwork.
Transfer of Credit Policies
Up to 12 credit hours of graduate credit earned prior to admission to a master's program may be eligible to be transferred into the program and applied to the degree. This applies to credit earned in GMU's Nondegree program, as well as accredited colleges and universities outside of George Mason. To learn more about the policies governing transfer of credit, please click on Credit Transfer Policies.