English

Ellensburg
Language and Literature Building, room 423

509-963-1546
Fax: 509-963-1561
www.cwu.edu/~english
See the English department Web site for additional information on undergraduate and graduate education and career opportunities in English.

Faculty and Staff
Chair
George Drake, PhD

Professors
Laila Abdalla, PhD, English Medieval and Renaissance literature
Liahna Armstrong, PhD, American literature, popular culture, film
Patsy Callaghan, DA, rhetoric, world literature, English education
Toni Culjak, PhD, American, world and multicultural literature, film
Bobby Cummings, PhD, rhetoric, English education, computer composition
Loretta Gray, PhD, applied linguistics, composition, TESOL
Charles Xingzhong Li, PhD, linguistics, TESOL, linguistic approaches to literature
Terry Martin, PhD, English education, women’s literature
Steven Olson, PhD, American literature, film
Paulus Pimomo, PhD, British literature, post colonial studies
Joseph Powell, MFA, creative writing, modern poetry
Sura Rath, PhD, literary theory, literature of the South
Gerald J. Stacy, PhD, English Renaissance literature
Christine A. Sutphin, PhD, Victorian literature, English novel, women’s literature

Associate Professors
George Drake, PhD, British literature, English novel
Christopher Schedler, PhD, American and multicultural literature
Katharine Whitcomb, MFA, creative writing

Assistant Professors
Virginia Mack, PhD, general education, Irish literature
Lisa Norris, MFA, creative writing

Emeritus Professors
Philip B. Garrison, MA, non-fiction, poetry writing, world, and Chicano literature
Mark W. Halperin, MFA, poetry writing, folk literature, modern poetry
John L. Vifian, PhD 18th-century literature, English novel

Senior Lecturer
Lila Harper, PhD

Staff
Theresa Stevens, secretary supervisor
Jo Richards, office assistant II

Department Information
The English department offers two options for the master of arts degree: master of arts, English (literature) and master of arts, English (TESOL - teaching English to speakers of other languages).
English Literature, MA

Master of Arts English (Literature)
The MA in English (literature) offers a rigorous, individualized program of advanced study of literature in English. Students choose from an array of courses and select a thesis/project, or exam option. Although allowed flexibility in their course of study, students are required to complete courses in British, American, and world literatures, as well as literary and critical theory. Students enter the program to further their understanding of literature, to strengthen their teaching qualifications, to broaden their writing experiences, or to prepare for doctoral work.

Admission Requirements
In addition to the university regulations concerning admission to graduate degree programs, students applying to the MA in English (literature) program must also submit a writing sample of 5-10 pages directly to the English department. The writing sample must include the student’s name, birth date and student ID number for identification. The GRE general test is also required for applicants to the MA in English (literature) program.

General Requirements of the Program
Students will complete a thesis/project or comprehensive examination. Students in each option take a minimum of 45 credits. At least 30 credits must be at the graduate level in English. Up to 12 credits may be taken in approved courses at the 400 level in English. Up to 10 credits may be taken in approved courses offered outside the English Department.

Thesis/Project Option
Students who choose the thesis/project option may complete a research thesis or a creative writing project. Students completing a creative writing project must take two 400-level creative writing courses, at least one in the genre of their proposed creative writing project. To prepare for and complete their thesis/project, students must take English 588 and 6 credits English 700 with the chair of their thesis/project committee. In all cases, students will create, in conjunction with a three-member faculty thesis/project committee, an analytical introduction, and a reading list for their thesis/project that includes both texts central to their thesis/project and texts that contextualize their thesis/project within their chosen field of study. After completing their thesis/project, students must pass an oral exam administered by the committee over the thesis/project introduction and reading list.

Exam Option
Students who choose the exam option create, in conjunction with a three-member faculty exam committee, an individualized reading list of the material covered in that student’s coursework, and must pass a comprehensive written examination developed by the committee over that material. To prepare for and complete this exam, they will take four credits of English 596, Individual Study, with the chair of their exam committee.

English: TESOL, MA
Master of Arts English
(TESOL–Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
The MA in English (TESOL) is an intensive program that can be completed in four quarters. The program is designed to foster the awareness, understanding, and skills necessary for the effective teaching of English to speakers of other languages. Through study in language, pedagogy, and culture, it prepares educators to work with adult language learners in the United States and abroad. Graduates are qualified to work in colleges and universities, private institutes, and programs and schools in the United States and abroad that provide instruction in English.

Admission Requirements: Pre or corequisites to completion of the program include an upper-division linguistics course and intermediate to high proficiency in a second language. International students whose first language is not English automatically meet this proficiency prerequisite. Applicants can be admitted to the program without this background, but they will be required to gain it while enrolled in the program. Students who do not have the prerequisites or who have assistantships are strongly advised to complete the program over a two-year period due to the challenging workload.
The language proficiency requirement may be met in one of three ways:

Thirty quarter credits of college courses in a foreign language with a minimum 3.0 GPA in those courses
Intermediate to high score on the Diagnostic ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview
Intermediate to high score on the Diagnostic ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test

Applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a minimum TOEFL score of 570 paper-based (230 computer-based/88 Internet-based; those with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. university may opt for a satisfactory TOEFL or GRE score. If the applicant’s native language is English, scores for the GRE general test are required.

All applicants for assistantships must submit a writing sample of 5-10 pages directly to the English department. The writing sample must include the student’s name, birth date, and student ID number for identification.
General Requirements of the Program: The program consists of 45 credits, as outlined below, and offers both a thesis and an exam option.

Thesis or Exam Option: The thesis option requires candidates to write a thesis, and pass a one-hour oral examination over the thesis. In order to choose the thesis option, students must have a GPA of 3.75 or higher in the program. If the exam option is chosen, students must pass a comprehensive written examination and take an additional approved elective. In order to prepare for the exam, students will register for two credits of ENG 596.

English

Programs