Literature, MA
Students must complete 9 courses to complete their Master of Arts in Literature degree. Students must complete one core course LIT 410-0 Introduction to Graduate Studies in Literary and Cultural Analysis or LIT 410-DL Introduction to Graduate Studies in Literary and Cultural Analysis, seven elective courses and a capstone project. Students can take elective courses that cover such topics as comparative literary studies, English, French and Italian, Slavic languages and literatures, and theatre. There are five specializations: American Literature, British Literature, Comparative and World Literature, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Film, Literature and Visual Culture.
Curriculum
Core Courses (2 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| LIT 410-0/410-DL | Introduction to Graduate Studies in Literary and Cultural Analysis |
| LIT 590-0 | Thesis Research |
Specialization Courses (4 units)
Students who wish to lend more structure to their MALit experience can elect to complete a specialization. A specialization may be especially beneficial to educators, students who are thinking of going on to a PhD program, or anyone who wants to focus their literary study more precisely. Students complete four thematically linked courses for a specialization. There are five specializations: American Literature, British Literature, Comparative and World Literature, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Film, Literature and Visual Culture.
Elective Courses (3 units)
Three graduate-level courses in Literature. Students may take courses in the areas of American Literature, British Literature, Comparative and World Literature, Film, Literature and Visual Culture, Interdisciplinary Studies, or other areas approved by the SPS Graduate Office. *
About the Thesis
Students sign up for the final course in the program during the term in which they start their master's thesis. The capstone project for the MALit program is an essay of 45 to 60 double-spaced pages written under the supervision of an approved faculty member. The project presents an opportunity to research and explore a topic thoroughly. Students often elect to expand a seminar paper from a previous course. With the approval of the program director, students may create an interdisciplinary final project rather than a traditional thesis.