During the first two years, Ph.D. students in Composition Studies will complete 10 courses (40 credits) beyond the M.A. degree, including at least four graduate seminars (900-level courses) offered by the English Department.
Core requirements in Composition Studies include: Practicum in the Teaching of Composition (910) and Research Methods in Composition (918).
Students are required to be enrolled in at least 6 credits a semester; two courses (8 credits) per semester are usual. Many Ph.D. students take courses during the summer session. Ph.D. students may take up to two independ studies (8 credits) to fulfill the course requirement. Teaching Assistantship provides a waiver of tuition for summer courses as well as academic courses taken during the year.
With permission of an advisor, students may take an appropriate graduate course in another department. Where appropriate, students will also complete a Teaching Mentorship.
Courses Offered
English 810: Teaching Writing
English 827: Issues in Second Language Writing
English 910: Practicum in the Teaching of Composition
English 912: Historical and Theoretical Studies in Rhetoric
English 913: Theory and Practice of Composition
English 914: Special Topics in Composition and Rhetoric
English 916: History of Composition
English 917: Seminar on Teaching Composition
English 918: Research Methods in Composition
English 919: Teaching the Writing ProcessSpecial topics courses have included: Critical Theory and Composition; Cultural Studies and Composition; Gender and Writing; Second Language Writing; Montaigne and the Essay Tradition; Performance Theory and the Teaching of Composition; the Personal Essay; the New Literacy; and Writing Center History, Theory and Practice; Writing Across the Curriculum.
English 996: Reading and Research
Formal coursework is only part of a student's preparation for the doctoral exam and subsequent teaching. In order to develop the general and specialized knowledge necessary for the program students must read a great deal on their own or with only informal guidance.
English 996, Reading and Research, is an ungraded, variable-credit course designed to meet this need. Students normally register for English 996 after completing their formal course work and before advancing to doctoral candidacy (doctoral candidates register for English 999, Doctoral Research). However, after completing four courses in the program, students wishing to prepare for their exams or pursue independent reading may register for English 996 in addition to one regular course.
English 996 does not count toward the course requirement, but it does satisfy the stipulation that a Teaching Assistant must be enrolled for 5 or more credits while on an assistantship.
