ENGLISH 2009/2010
The Department of English offers a PhD in English with concentrations in creative writing, literary studies, and rhetoric & theory, as well as an MA with concentration in literary studies.*
Our major areas for dissertation research include creative writing; modern and contemporary British; American; American multicultural literature and Anglophone literatures; genre studies; and literary theory and rhetoric. We also offer course work in traditional literary fields, cultural studies, ethnic literatures and gender studies.
Our faculty publish widely and seek to translate their learning into shared experiences by working closely with students in and out of the classroom.
Because of our relatively small faculty, the department has the flexibility to allow students to tailor their degrees to their specific talents and interests. We do so with a distinctive curriculum that offers not only typical graduate seminars but also writing workshops, individually designed tutorials and colloquia devoted to teaching and professional development. Such a curriculum encourages students to cross genre boundaries in their writing, to relate theory to practice and to work creatively with scholarly projects.
* Note: The Department of English Web site offers the most current information on courses, requirements, faculty and student news. Go to http://du.edu/ahss/schools/english/index.html for more information.
Department of English
Sturm Hall
2000 E. Asbury Ave.
Denver, CO 80208
303-871-2266
www.du.edu/english
Sturm Hall
2000 E. Asbury Ave.
Denver, CO 80208
303-871-2266
www.du.edu/english
Scholarship and Financial Aid
Teaching fellowships are three-year awards to entering doctoral students. These fellowships include a stipend and full tuition waiver. Other awards include the Doctoral Fellowship, a grant to an exceptional PhD candidate; the Colorado Grant, a grant to a PhD candidate who is a resident of the state of Colorado; and The Evan Frankel Dissertation Fellowship, a stipend for a fourth-year doctoral student to work full time on completion of a dissertation.
Note: All students receiving financial aid or awards of any sort must file a FAFSA with the Office of Financial Aid before the award can be made. All teaching assistantships and fellowships require full-time attendance; the Colorado Fellowship requires a minimum registration of 9 hours per quarter. Also, all assistantships and fellowships require that students remain in good standing and meet all major requirements on schedule.
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Master of Arts in English
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Course Requirements:
45 hours of course credit, up to 9 hours of which may be taken in graduate tutorials and/or cognate courses outside the department.
A minimum of 36 classroom hours (9 courses).
All course work for the MA should be taken at the University of Denver, but, in rare exceptions, a maximum of 10 credit hours taken elsewhere may count for the requirements if approved by the director of graduate studies.
While students have no specific course requirements beyond the 36-hour minimum within the Department of English and the 9 hours of tutorials or cognate courses, they are advised to work closely with an advisor to determine a balance between coverage and focus. They may take both 3000- and 4000-level courses in literary studies.
Non-Course Requirements:
Advancement to candidacy.
A thesis of between 10,000 and 15,000 words. The thesis for an MA in literary studies is a critical or scholarly essay. The thesis advisor must approve a prospectus for the thesis.
Oral examination. The defense takes the form of a discussion on the content, context and implications of the work.
Tool (reading knowledge of one language) proficiency may be established by completing one of the following:
• Passing a standard reading examination accredited by the department.
• Passing, with a grade of B or better, a 3000-level literature course in the language.
• Successful completion of the Bibliography and Research Methods class in the English department.
• Selection and successful completion of a cognate course in another department that will augment specific skills. This course must be approved by the graduate committee.
• Successful completion of Old English, followed by a 2-hour Beowulf tutorial, followed by an intermediate Old English tutorial. (This option will no longer require a petition to the graduate committee.)
• Successful completion of a graduate translation class (students must secure approval of instructor). The language requirements must be completed 1 quarter before graduation.
Courses must be completed within three years of enrollment (excluding ENGL 4995).
Application Requirements and Deadlines
| Program | Degrees Offered | Number of Credits | Full Time/Part Time | Tests Required—Min. Scores |
| Literary Studies | MA | 45 Hours | FT/PT |
Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) in both the General Exam and the Advanced Literature subject test TOEFL 570/88 (pBT/iBT) IELTS 6.5 |
Additional Requirements:
A bachelor of arts showing satisfactory preparation, grades and potential for advanced study
Current CV or Resume
An academic essay
Statement of intent
Three letters of recommendation from college instructors
Official transcripts
International applicants must submit TOEFL scores in addition to GRE scores
Areas of Concentration:
Literary Studies
Application Deadlines:
February 1
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
For complete international applicant information, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies Web site. International applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a complete admission packet at least six weeks prior to the program’s application deadline.
GRADUATE RECORD EXAM (GRE)
Applicants must request that Educational Testing Services forward results to the University of Denver, Office of Graduate Admission. The institution code for the University of Denver is R4842. For information concerning GRE registration, please visit www.gre.org or contact:
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
609-771-7670
Applicants should take both the General GRE and the Advanced Subject Test well in advance. Please allow at least 14 business days for your general test scores and six weeks for your subject test scores to be received. Several departments and schools will not process applications until scores have been received. Entrance exam scores older than five years from the date of the application may not be acceptable for admission.
APPLICATION FEES
There is a $60 nonrefundable application fee, which covers the cost of processing application materials. The application fee may be paid online with a credit card at the time of application submission. Otherwise, the application fee may be paid on a bank draft or personal check drawn on a U.S. bank and submitted by mail to the address listed below. Applications will not be considered for admission until this fee is paid. No waivers or deferrals are allowed with the exception of McNair and CORE scholars. A letter of verification needs to be sent to verify participation in the scholar programs.
TRANSCRIPTS
Applicants are required to submit one official transcript from each post-secondary institution they have attended, or are presently attending, where two quarter hours (or one semester hour) or more were completed. This includes transcripts for credit earned as transfer work, study abroad and college credit earned in high school.
An official transcript must include the original signature of the registrar and/or the seal of the issuing institution, and must be enclosed in an envelope with the stamp or signature of the registrar across the sealed flap. Proof of a bachelor's and master's degree (if applicable) is required from a regionally accredited college or university.
Applications will not be forwarded to the department for review until official transcripts have been received.
All credentials submitted become property of the University of Denver and cannot be copied or returned to the student or any person(s).
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Three (3) letters of recommendation that speak to the applicant’s scholarly and/or creative work are required.
Letter of recommendation requests are sent to your recommender via email within one business day of the submission of your online application. You will be asked to provide names and email addresses of individuals who will be writing your recommendations.
Please ensure you have accurate email addresses for your recommenders prior to submitting your application. We suggest you let your recommender know the recommendation request will be coming from the University of Denver in advance. This will allow him/her to send a letter electronically and meet the application deadline if applicable. Instructions for an evaluation form will be included in the email for those departments with such requirements.
ESSAY
An academic essay or selection of creative works.
The Essay/Personal Statement can be uploaded and attached to your online application before submission.
MAILING ADDRESS
Mail transcripts and any additional items to:
University of Denver
Office of Graduate Studies
Mary Reed Building, Room 5
2199 S. University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80208-4802
Doctorate in Creative Writing Program Requirements and Deadlines
| Program | Degrees Offered | Number of Credits | Full Time/Part Time | Tests Required—Min. Scores |
| Creative Writing, Literary Studies, or Rhetoric and Theory | PhD | 90 Hours | FT |
Satisfactory scores on the GRE in both the General and Subject Test TOEFL 570/88 (pBT/iBT) IELST 6.5 |
Additional Requirements:
A master of arts or master of fine arts showing satisfactory preparation, grades and potential for advanced study
Current CV or Resume
An academic essay
Statement of intent
Official transcripts
Applicants for the creative writing program must also submit representative samples of creative work
Three letters of recommendation from college instructors
International applicants must submit TOEFL scores in addition to GRE scores
Areas of Concentration:
Creative Writing
Literary Studies
Rhetoric and Theory
Application Deadlines:
February 1
Prerequisite courses/degrees:
MA or MFA degree
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
For complete international applicant information, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies Web site. International applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a complete admission packet at least six weeks prior to the program’s application deadline.
GRADUATE RECORD EXAM (GRE)
Applicants must request that Educational Testing Services forward results to the University of Denver, Office of Graduate Admission. The institution code for the University of Denver is R4842. For information concerning GRE registration, please visit www.gre.org or contact:
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
609-771-7670
Applicants should take both the General GRE and the Advanced Subject Test well in advance. Please allow at least 14 business days for your general test scores and six weeks for your subject test scores to be received. Several departments and schools will not process applications until scores have been received. Entrance exam scores older than five years from the date of the application may not be acceptable for admission.
APPLICATION FEES
APPLICATION FEES
There is a $60 nonrefundable application fee, which covers the cost of processing application materials. The application fee may be paid online with a credit card at the time of application submission. Otherwise, the application fee may be paid on a bank draft or personal check drawn on a U.S. bank and submitted by mail to the address listed below. Applications will not be considered for admission until this fee is paid. No waivers or deferrals are allowed with the exception of McNair and CORE scholars. A letter of verification needs to be sent to verify participation in the scholar programs.
TRANSCRIPTS
TRANSCRIPTS
Applicants are required to submit one official transcript from each post-secondary institution they have attended, or are presently attending, where two quarter hours (or one semester hour) or more were completed. This includes transcripts for credit earned as transfer work, study abroad and college credit earned in high school.
An official transcript must include the original signature of the registrar and/or the seal of the issuing institution, and must be enclosed in an envelope with the stamp or signature of the registrar across the sealed flap. Proof of a bachelor's and master's degree (if applicable) is required from a regionally accredited college or university.
Applications will not be forwarded to the department for review until official transcripts have been received.
All credentials submitted become property of the University of Denver and cannot be copied or returned to the student or any person(s).
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Three (3) letters of recommendation that speak to the applicant’s scholarly and/or creative work are required.
Letter of recommendation requests are sent to your recommender via email within one business day of the submission of your online application. You will be asked to provide names and email addresses of individuals who will be writing your recommendations.
Please ensure you have accurate email addresses for your recommenders prior to submitting your application. We suggest you let your recommender know the recommendation request will be coming from the University of Denver in advance. This will allow him/her to send a letter electronically and meet the application deadline if applicable. Instructions for an evaluation form will be included in the email for those departments with such requirements.
ESSAY
ESSAY
An academic essay or selection of creative works. The Essay/Personal Statement can be uploaded and attached to your online application before submission.
MAILING ADDRESS
MAILING ADDRESS
Mail transcripts and any additional items to:
University of Denver
Office of Graduate Studies
Mary Reed Building, Room 5
2199 S. University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80208-4802
Doctorate in Creative Writing Degree Requirements
Course Requirements:
90 graduate-level quarter hours.
60 hours of course work must be in formal classes, excluding ENGL 5995 and 5991, non-ENGL courses and tutorials.
5 courses distributed over three groups of major literary periods: Old English/medieval and Renaissance; 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and contemporary; and rhetoric and theory. Students must take at least one course in one period and at least two courses in the other two periods.
Graduate tutorials:
• ENGL 4100
• ENGL 4000 Graduate Colloquium
Graduate teaching seminars:
• ENGL 4830 Seminar in Teaching
• ENGL 4831 Seminar in Teaching
• ENGL 4832 Seminar in Teaching
4 writing workshops:
• 3 in the genre of specialization and 1 in another genre.
• ENGL 3017 Travel Writing—Fiction & Fact
• ENGL 3025 The Art of Reviewing
• ENGL 3037 Literary Translation
• ENGL 4001, 4002, 4003 Seminar Creative Writing—Poetry
• ENGL 4011, 4012, 4013 Seminar Creative Writing—Fiction
• ENGL 4000 Seminar Creative Writing—Nonfiction
• ENGL 4000 Seminar Creative Writing—Mixed Genres
• ENGL 4017 Travel Writing
• ENGL 4025 The Art of Reviewing
• ENGL 4650 Literary Translation
Non-Course Requirements:
Preliminary advancement to candidacy.
Advancement to candidacy.
A dissertation of publishable quality that makes a significant contribution to its field. This will take the form of an extended scholarly and critical work (usually between 150 and 250 pages) OR a creative work (fiction or poetry). The creative dissertation must include a critical preface that situates the dissertation in its literary context.
Oral examination. When the dissertation is completed, it must be defended by the candidate. The defense must take place by April 30. No dissertation defenses will be held during the summer quarter. The candidate is therefore advised to set the defense date as far in advance as possible. The defense takes the form of a discussion with the committee concerning the content, context and implications of the work. The dissertation committee consists of the director, two other readers from the English department and an outside chair.
Tool (reading knowledge of one language) proficiency may be established by completing one of the following:
• Passing a standard reading examination accredited by the department.
• Passing, with a grade of B or better, a 3000-level literature course in the language.
• Successful completion of the Bibliography and Research Methods class in the English department.
• Selection and successful completion of a cognate course in another department that will augment specific skills. This course must be approved by the graduate committee.
• Successful completion of Old English, followed by a 2-hour Beowulf tutorial, followed by an intermediate Old English tutorial. (This option will no longer require a petition to the graduate committee.)
• Successful completion of a graduate translation class (students must secure approval of instructor). The language requirements must be completed 1 quarter before graduation.
Prospectus review. By the end of the winter quarter of the third year, students must submit a Dissertation Area Proposal to the director of graduate studies. This proposal is a brief description of the proposed area of the dissertation; it must be signed by at least two dissertation committee members. Before the end of the third quarter of the third year of study, all students should complete the prospectus review. This is an oral discussion based on the written dissertation prospectus and conducted by the director of graduate studies and a committee consisting of the first two readers of the dissertation. The prospectus should be approximately 2,500–3,000 words and should be presented to the exam committee well in advance of the exam. For creative writing students, the prospectus should discuss the theoretical and generic origins of the project, its methodology and artistic goals.
Written comprehensive exam. At the beginning of the third year of study, and after 60 hours of completed course work, all students will take a written comprehensive exam covering four areas of study: 1) an author or major figure; 2) a genre; 3) a period; and 4) a second period or special topic. All choices must be approved by examiners and the graduate director. Students will prepare a reading list for each area in consultation with examiners. All lists must be signed by both examiners and on file with the graduate director by March 30 or the student will not be allowed to take the exam the following fall.
Program Requirements and Deadlines
| Program | Degrees Offered | Number of Credits | Full Time/Part Time | Tests Required—Min. Scores |
| Creative Writing, Literary Studies, and Rhetoric and Theory | PhD | 90 Hours | FT/PT |
Satisfactory scores on the GRE in both the General and Subject Test TOEFL 570/88 (pBT/iBT) IELT 6.5 |
Additional Requirements:
A master of arts or master of fine arts showing satisfactory preparation, grades and potential for advanced study
Current CV or Resume
An academic essay
Statement of intent
Official transcripts
Applicants for the creative writing program must also submit representative samples of creative work
Three letters of recommendation from college instructors
International applicants must submit TOEFL scores in addition to GRE scores
Areas of Concentration:
Creative Writing
Literary Studies
Rhetoric and Theory
Application Deadlines:
February 1
Prerequisite courses/degrees:
MA or MFA degree
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
For complete international applicant information, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies Web site. International applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a complete admission packet at least six weeks prior to the program’s application deadline.
GRADUATE RECORD EXAM (GRE)
Applicants must request that Educational Testing Services forward results to the University of Denver, Office of Graduate Admission. The institution code for the University of Denver is R4842. For information concerning GRE registration, please visit www.gre.org or contact:
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
609-771-7670
Applicants should take both the General GRE and the Advanced Subject Test well in advance. Please allow at least 14 business days for your general test scores and six weeks for your subject test scores to be received. Several departments and schools will not process applications until scores have been received. Entrance exam scores older than five years from the date of the application may not be acceptable for admission.
APPLICATION FEES
APPLICATION FEES
There is a $60 nonrefundable application fee, which covers the cost of processing application materials. The application fee may be paid online with a credit card at the time of application submission. Otherwise, the application fee may be paid on a bank draft or personal check drawn on a U.S. bank and submitted by mail to the address listed below. Applications will not be considered for admission until this fee is paid. No waivers or deferrals are allowed with the exception of McNair and CORE scholars. A letter of verification needs to be sent to verify participation in the scholar programs.
TRANSCRIPTS
TRANSCRIPTS
Applicants are required to submit one official transcript from each post-secondary institution they have attended, or are presently attending, where two quarter hours (or one semester hour) or more were completed. This includes transcripts for credit earned as transfer work, study abroad and college credit earned in high school.
An official transcript must include the original signature of the registrar and/or the seal of the issuing institution, and must be enclosed in an envelope with the stamp or signature of the registrar across the sealed flap. Proof of a bachelor's and master's degree (if applicable) is required from a regionally accredited college or university.
Applications will not be forwarded to the department for review until official transcripts have been received.
All credentials submitted become property of the University of Denver and cannot be copied or returned to the student or any person(s).
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Three (3) letters of recommendation that speak to the applicant’s scholarly and/or creative work are required.
Letter of recommendation requests are sent to your recommender via email within one business day of the submission of your online application. You will be asked to provide names and email addresses of individuals who will be writing your recommendations.
Please ensure you have accurate email addresses for your recommenders prior to submitting your application. We suggest you let your recommender know the recommendation request will be coming from the University of Denver in advance. This will allow him/her to send a letter electronically and meet the application deadline if applicable. Instructions for an evaluation form will be included in the email for those departments with such requirements.
ESSAY
ESSAY
An academic essay or selection of creative works. The Essay/Personal Statement can be uploaded and attached to your online application before submission.
MAILING ADDRESS
MAILING ADDRESS
Mail transcripts and any additional items to:
University of Denver
Office of Graduate Studies
Mary Reed Building, Room 5
2199 S. University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80208-4802
Doctorate in Literary Studies
Course Requirements
90 graduate-level quarter hours.
60 hours of course work must be in formal classes, excluding ENGL 5995, non-ENGL courses and tutorials.
10 hours maximum for tutorial courses.
5 courses distributed over three periods: before 1700; 1700–1900; and after 1900. Students must take at least 1 course in one period and at least 2 courses in the other two periods.
Before 1700:
• ENGL 4125 Old English
• ENGL 4130 Advanced Studies in Medieval Lit
• ENGL 4150 Special Topics in Medieval Lit
• ENGL 4200 Special Topics in Early Modern Lit
• ENGL 4212 Genesis of the Novel
• ENGL 4213 Advanced Studies in Early Modern Lit
• ENGL 4220 Seminar: Studies in Shakespeare
• ENGL 4240 Shakespeare Festival Seminar
1700–1900:
• ENGL 4300 Advanced Studies 18th Century Lit
• ENGL 4321 Special Topics 18th Century Lit
• ENGL 4424 Special Topics 19th Century Lit
• ENGL 4522 Advanced Studies 19th Century Lit
• ENGL 4700 Antebellum American Lit
• ENGL 4720 Advanced Studies: Post-Bellum Lit
• ENGL 4730 American Romanticism
• ENGL 4731 Seminar: Genesis American Self
• ENGL 4732 Special Topic Antebellum American Lit
• ENGL 4735 Seminar: James and Wharton
After 1900:
• ENGL 4600 Advanced Studies 20th Century Lit
• ENGL 4621 Advanced Studies 20th Century Lit
• ENGL 4650 Special Topics 20th Century Lit
• ENGL 4736 African-American Literature and Criticism
Graduate colloquium (winter quarter of second year).
Graduate teaching seminars for first-year teaching assistants.
Non-Course Requirements:
Preliminary advancement to candidacy.
Advancement to candidacy.
A dissertation of publishable quality that makes a significant contribution to its field. This will take the form of EITHER an extended scholarly and critical work (usually between 150 and 250 pages) OR a body of creative work (usually between 150 and 250 pages) that includes a critical/scholarly apparatus that places the dissertation within a context of research and professional development.
Oral examination. When the dissertation is completed, it must be defended by the candidate. The defense must take place no later than April 30. No dissertation defenses will be held during the summer quarter. The candidate is therefore advised to set the defense date as far in advance as possible. The defense takes the form of a discussion with the committee concerning the content, context and implications of the work. The dissertation committee consists of the director, two other readers from the English department and an outside chair.
Tool (reading knowledge of one language) proficiency may be established by completing one of the following:
• Passing a standard reading examination accredited by the department.
• Passing, with a grade of B or better, a 3000-level literature course in the language.
• Successful completion of the Bibliography and Research Methods class in the English department.
• Selection and successful completion of a cognate course in another department that will augment specific skills. This course must be approved by the graduate committee.
• Successful completion of Old English, followed by a 2-hour Beowulf tutorial, followed by an intermediate Old English tutorial. (This option will no longer require a petition to the graduate committee.)
• Successful completion of a graduate translation class (students must secure approval of instructor). The language requirements must be completed 1 quarter before graduation.
Prospectus review. By the end of the winter quarter of the third year, students must submit a Dissertation Area Proposal to the director of graduate studies. This proposal is a brief description of the proposed area of the dissertation; it must be signed by at least two dissertation committee members. Before the end of the third quarter of the third year of study, all students should schedule the prospectus review. This is an oral discussion based on the written dissertation prospectus and conducted by the director of graduate studies and a committee consisting of the first two readers of the dissertation. The prospectus should be approximately 2,500–3,000 words and should be presented to the exam committee well in advance of the exam. For literature and rhetoric/theory students, the prospectus should outline the relevant scholarship and describe an original thesis for the proposed work. It should also include a working bibliography for the project.
Written comprehensive exam. At the beginning of the third year of study, and after 60 hours of completed course work, all students will take a written comprehensive exam covering four areas of study: 1) an author or major figure; 2) a genre; 3) a period; and 4) a second period or special topic. All choices must be approved by examiners and the graduate director. Students will prepare a reading list for each area in consultation with examiners. All lists must be signed by both examiners and on file with the graduate director by March 30 or the student will not be allowed to take the exam the following fall.
Program Requirements and Deadlines
| Program | Degrees Offered | Number of Credits | Full Time/Part Time | Tests Required—Min. Scores |
| Creative Writing, Literary Studies, and Rhetoric and Theory | PhD | 90 Hours | FT/PT |
Satisfactory scores on the GRE in both the General and Subject Test TOEFL 570/88 (pBT/iBT) IELTS 6.5 |
Additional Requirements:
A master of arts or master of fine arts showing satisfactory preparation, grades and potential for advanced study
Current CV or Resume
An academic essay
Statement of intent
Official transcripts
Applicants for the creative writing program must also submit representative samples of creative work
Three letters of recommendation from college instructors
International applicants must submit TOEFL scores in addition to GRE scores
Areas of Concentration:
Creative Writing
Literary Studies
Rhetoric and Theory
Application Deadlines:
February 1
Prerequisite courses/degrees:
MA or MFA degree
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
For complete international applicant information, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies Web site. International applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a complete admission packet at least six weeks prior to the program’s application deadline.
GRADUATE RECORD EXAM (GRE)
Applicants must request that Educational Testing Services forward results to the University of Denver, Office of Graduate Admission. The institution code for the University of Denver is R4842. For information concerning GRE registration, please visit www.gre.org or contact:
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
609-771-7670
Applicants should take both the General GRE and the Advanced Subject Test well in advance. Please allow at least 14 business days for your general test scores and six weeks for your subject test scores to be received. Several departments and schools will not process applications until scores have been received. Entrance exam scores older than five years from the date of the application may not be acceptable for admission.
APPLICATION FEES
APPLICATION FEES
There is a $60 nonrefundable application fee, which covers the cost of processing application materials. The application fee may be paid online with a credit card at the time of application submission. Otherwise, the application fee may be paid on a bank draft or personal check drawn on a U.S. bank and submitted by mail to the address listed below. Applications will not be considered for admission until this fee is paid. No waivers or deferrals are allowed with the exception of McNair and CORE scholars. A letter of verification needs to be sent to verify participation in the scholar programs.
TRANSCRIPTS
TRANSCRIPTS
Applicants are required to submit one official transcript from each post-secondary institution they have attended, or are presently attending, where two quarter hours (or one semester hour) or more were completed. This includes transcripts for credit earned as transfer work, study abroad and college credit earned in high school.
An official transcript must include the original signature of the registrar and/or the seal of the issuing institution, and must be enclosed in an envelope with the stamp or signature of the registrar across the sealed flap. Proof of a bachelor's and master's degree (if applicable) is required from a regionally accredited college or university.
Applications will not be forwarded to the department for review until official transcripts have been received.
All credentials submitted become property of the University of Denver and cannot be copied or returned to the student or any person(s).
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Three (3) letters of recommendation that speak to the applicant’s scholarly and/or creative work are required.
Letter of recommendation requests are sent to your recommender via email within one business day of the submission of your online application. You will be asked to provide names and email addresses of individuals who will be writing your recommendations.
Please ensure you have accurate email addresses for your recommenders prior to submitting your application. We suggest you let your recommender know the recommendation request will be coming from the University of Denver in advance. This will allow him/her to send a letter electronically and meet the application deadline if applicable. Instructions for an evaluation form will be included in the email for those departments with such requirements.
ESSAY
ESSAY
An academic essay or selection of creative works. The Essay/Personal Statement can be uploaded and attached to your online application before submission.
MAILING ADDRESS
MAILING ADDRESS
Mail transcripts and any additional items to:
University of Denver
Office of Graduate Studies
Mary Reed Building, Room 5
2199 S. University Blvd.
Denver, CO 80208-4802
Doctorate in Rhetoric and Theory Degree Requirements
Course Requirements:
90 hours of course work.
60 hours of course work must be in formal classes, excluding ENGL 5995, non-ENGL courses and tutorials.
10 hours maximum for tutorial courses.
5 courses distributed over three periods: before 1700; 1700–1900; and after 1900. Students must take at least 1 course in one period and at least 2 courses in the other two periods.
Before 1700:
• ENGL 4125 Old English
• ENGL 4130 Advanced Studies in Medieval Lit
• ENGL 4150 Special Topics in Medieval Lit
• ENGL 4200 Special Topics in Early Modern Lit
• ENGL 4212 Genesis of the Novel
• ENGL 4213 Advanced Studies in Early Modern Lit
• ENGL 4220 Seminar Studies in Shakespeare
• ENGL 4240 Shakespeare Festival Seminar
1700–1900:
• ENGL 4300 Advanced Studies 18th Century Lit
• ENGL 4321 Special Topics 18th Century Lit
• ENGL 4424 Special Topics 19th Century Lit
• ENGL 4522 Advanced Studies 19th Century Lit
• ENGL 4700 Antebellum American Lit
• ENGL 4720 Advanced Studies: Post-Bellum Lit
• ENGL 4730 American Romanticism
• ENGL 4731 Seminar: Genesis American Self
• ENGL 4732 Special Topic Antebellum American Lit
• ENGL 4735 Seminar James and Wharton
After 1900:
• ENGL 4600 Advanced Studies 20th Century Lit
• ENGL 4621 Advanced Studies 20th Century Lit
• ENGL 4650 Special Topics 20th Century Lit
• ENGL 4736 African-American Literature and Criticism
4 rhetoric and theory courses:
• ENGL 3815 Studies in Rhetoric
• ENGL 3817 History of Rhetoric
• ENGL 3818 Composition Theory
• ENGL 3820 Lit Criticism: Plato–19th Century
• ENGL 3821 Lit Criticism: 19th Century–Present
• ENGL 3822 Lit Criticism: 20th Century
• ENGL 3823 Interpretation Theory
• ENGL 3825 Cultural Criticism
• ENGL 4600 Adv Studies 20th Century
• ENGL 4621 Adv Studies 20th Century
• ENGL 4650 Special Topics 20th Century
Graduate teaching seminars:
• ENGL 4830 Seminar in Teaching
• ENGL 4831 Seminar in Teaching
• ENGL 4832 Seminar in Teaching
Other requirements:
• ENGL 4000 Graduate Colloquium
• ENGL 4100 Graduate Tutorial
Non-Course Requirements:
Preliminary advancement to candidacy.
Advancement to candidacy.
A dissertation of publishable quality that makes a significant contribution to its field. This will take the form of EITHER an extended scholarly and critical work (usually between 150 and 250 pages) OR a body of creative work (usually between 150 and 250 pages) that includes a critical/scholarly apparatus that places the dissertation within a context of research and professional development.
Oral examination. When the dissertation is completed, it must be defended by the candidate. The defense must take place before May 1 for a June graduation. No dissertation defenses will be held during the summer quarter. The candidate is therefore advised to set the defense date as far in advance as possible. The defense takes the form of a discussion with the committee concerning the content, context and implications of the work. The dissertation committee consists of the director, two other readers from the English department and an outside chair.
Tool (reading knowledge of one language) proficiency may be established by completing one of the following:
• Passing a standard reading examination accredited by the department.
• Passing, with a grade of B or better, a 3000-level literature course in the language.
• Successful completion of the Bibliography and Research Methods class in the English department.
• Selection and successful completion of a cognate course in another department that will augment specific skills. This course must be approved by the graduate committee.
• Successful completion of Old English, followed by a 2-hour Beowulf tutorial, followed by an intermediate Old English tutorial. (This option will no longer require a petition to the graduate committee.)
• Successful completion of a graduate translation class (students must secure approval of instructor). The language requirements must be completed 1 quarter before graduation.
Prospectus review. By the end of the winter quarter of the third year, students must submit a Dissertation Area Proposal to the director of graduate studies. This proposal is a brief description of the proposed area of the dissertation; it must be signed by at least two dissertation committee members. Before the end of the second quarter of the third year of study, all students should schedule the prospectus review. This is an oral discussion based on the written dissertation prospectus and conducted by the director of graduate studies and a committee consisting of the first two readers of the dissertation. The prospectus should be approximately 2,500–3,000 words and should be presented to the review committee well in advance of the exam. For literature and rhetoric/theory students, the prospectus should outline the relevant scholarship and describe an original thesis for the proposed work. It should also include a working bibliography for the project.
Written comprehensive exam. At the beginning of the third year of study, and after 60 hours of completed course work, all students will take a written comprehensive exam covering four areas of study: 1) an author or major figure; 2) a genre; 3) a period; and 4) a second period or special topic. All choices must be approved by examiners and the graduate director. Students will prepare a reading list for each area in consultation with examiners. All lists must be signed by both examiners and on file with the graduate director by March 30 or the student will not be allowed to take the exam the following fall.
Course Descriptions
ENGL 4011 Creative Writing Fiction
While careful examination/discussion of your work will be at the center of our weekly deliberations, we will also be exploring a variety of writings that (hopefully) bust paradigms, interrupt orders, rewrite histories and just generally upset the apple cart of standard received notions of the literary status quo. Writers we will look at to fuel our conversation and inspire our own writing efforts will include Kirstin Allio, Ann Quin, Roberto Bola and Patrik Ouredník. Workshop participants will be asked to make presentations on their current writing interests and obsessions.
ENGL 4017 Travel Writing
This course will study particularly Egypt, the uneasy relations between anthropology field writing and travel writing, and the idea at the heart of much travel writing, travel through history. In Don DeLillo’s novel, The Names, a character says, “in modern travel there are no artists—only critics.” We will ask of contemporary travel writing whether this is true—does it only react to its material or does it try to find connections between disparate places, as if they were texts? We will also look at the question of poetry—not actual poetry, but the glitter, rather than the gold, of poetic language in travel prose. Most important, we will look at the notion that most travel writing is fiction, either a large fabrication or series of small fibs. I don’t believe any attempt to recall events of a trip (or a divorce or a car accident) can faithfully render the events. We are all fiction-makers—memory and consciousness condense and reorganize the past. This does not make the narratives we’ll read any less valuable or intriguing.
ENGL 4125 Old English
English 4125 provides an introduction to the Old English language and to literary works written in England before 1066 CE. Because Old English literature is, in the words of Stanley B. Greenfield, “to all effects in a foreign language,” students will be asked to read aloud and translate in class. There will be weekly quizzes, a midterm and a final exam to test knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, and a short paper involving both translation and interpretation. Students who take not only Old English but also the Beowulf tutorial in the spring and an exit exam can satisfy one component of the language requirement.
ENGL 4220 Seminar—Studies in Shakespeare
This course will focus on Shakespeare’s development from his apprenticeship to the height of his tragic period, focusing on parallel themes in his comedies and tragedies. The plays we will focus on include Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Measure for Measure and King Lear.
ENGL 4732 Early American Aesthetics
This course is an extension of an earlier course called Puritan Poetics. This time I want to extend the reading into the 18th and 19th centuries in search of different expressions of how American culture deals with aesthetic questions. So, from the Puritan suspicion of representation, we will move through such things as Anne Bradstreet’s “doctrine of weaned affections”; Cotton Mather’s curious meditations on the body during the witchcraft trials; Jonathan Edwards’ sense of spiritual experience (“sweetness”); the emergence of the sublime in Jefferson’s Notes; and 19th century ideas like the picturesque, the sentimental, democratic idealism, etc.
ENGL 4001 The Self, The World, The Poem
How do we mediate between an inside and outside life? Does the “contemporary moment,” does “public space” matter? How can the lyric bring in the current world and its materials in a direct way? Is that political? How do we include the political or contemporary without soapboxing? Does the poem distinguish between knowledge and information? Can or does the lyric/self torque the world to its own ends?
ENGL 4150 Love Visions in Early Chaucer
In his early poems, Chaucer is concerned to create a world of illusion, using the genres of dream-vision and romance. In the poems, he explores themes of interest to people of all eras: the nature and transitoriness of earthly love, the mutability of the sub-lunar world, the importance of fame and reputation, and the fact that men and women must learn to cope with loss, betrayal and death.
ENGL 4200 Re-Visionary Poetics: Milton, Blake & Co.
Anglo-American poetry, poetics and prose shaped by the works and legacies of Milton and Blake. Transhistorical (17th through 20th centuries) in scope; tropological in orientation. Primary emphasis: Milton, Blake and poetic theory. Secondary concerns: Wordsworth, Eliot, Susan Howe, Eva Figes, Peter Ackroyd, Paul West, Ronald Johnson and other poets, novelists and critics writing within and against this line of tradition.
ENGL 4650 The Practice of Translation
This is a workshop based on the idea that “translation” equals “transformation.” How do the choices one makes in vocabulary, style, conceptual approach, when one writes anything at all, “translate one’s thoughts into words,” affect the results? How does one know that the literature in a translation one reads is an accurate reflection of the original? These and other questions will be analyzed and, through our own production, put to the test. This production will take the form of a semester-long translation project. Relevant theoretical texts will be discussed on a weekly basis.
ENGL 4650 Modern & Postmodern Poetics and Historiography
From Eliot’s “historical sense” to Howe’s “collision or collusion with history,” this course examines the many ways in which twentieth-century American poets have written within and against the grain of history. While some of our concerns will address questions of theory and methodology—that is, poetics from Mallarmé to Perloff, and historiography from Nietzsche to de Certeau—the primary matter for this class will be poetry. Major works will include: Crane’s The Bridge, H.D.’s Helen in Egypt, Williams’s Paterson, Olson’s Maximus Poem, Johnson’s Ark, Swensen’s Such Rich Hour, and Howe’s Souls of the Labadie Tract. Alongside those primary works, we will also consider selected poems by a variety of writers, including: Wylie, Rukeyser, Pound, Lowell, Moore, Bishop, Hayden, Clampitt, and Hejinian.
ENGL 4701/4702 Poetic Meter and Poetic Form
This is a course in poetic meter and poetic form. We examine the organized and regulated patterns of metrical verse beginning with the quantitative, classical line, the alliterative, accentual line of old English (and later accentual poetry), the syllabic line and, of course, the accentual syllabic line that dominates English poetry from Wyatt and Surrey into the 19th and much of the 20th century. Identifying these lines will necessarily require an examination of the foot—iambic, trochaic, anapestic, dactylic, spondaic, pyrrhic and so on—as the basic unit of metrical verse, and the various techniques of scansion prosodists have quarreled about for centuries. From these fundamentals we will move to other considerations: relative stress as a technique of scansion, metrical variations on the established norm and how they often contribute to meaning, abstract patterns of meter and their relationship (sometimes tense but telling) to actual speech rhythms, and how other poetic techniques of ordering, such as rhyme, caesural pauses, line breaks and stanza forms, may be said to be “projections and magnifications of the kind of formalizing repetition meter embodies.” Because prosodic study is inexact and theoretical interpretations abound, we will be looking at not only graphic, but also alternative methods of scansion, and at arguments intended to “rethink” meter, abolishing the foot in favor of the syntactical unit as a way of reading traditional metrical verse, for example, or giving the pentameter the heave altogether in favor of free verse or “the variable foot,” or closing the circle by exhuming from some free verse the old three- or four-stress pattern said to be reasserting itself from our beginnings.
ENGL 4732 American Indian Nonfiction
This course focuses on three critical time periods and three critical moments in American Indian literary history with the purpose of analyzing the ways in which writing has functioned within American Indian intellectual, cultural and political discourse. The course begins in the early 19th century with an examination of writings by Elias Boudinot (Cherokee), William Apess (Pequot) and the Haudenosaunee Constitution. We then examine two different written versions of the vision of Oglala Lakota holy man Black Elk. Finally, we end the course by reading a memoir published in 2005 by Peter Razor (Ojibwa) recounting his experiences growing up in a state orphanage, and engaging Winona LaDuke’s (Anishinaabe) survey of Native American political and environmental battles entitled All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life. Other critical and nonfiction texts and readings will be spread throughout the course, and include works by Robert Warrior, Brian Dippie, Thomas King, Taiaiake Alfred, Philip Deloria and Vine Deloria, Jr. A consideration of Paolo Freire’s conception of “literacy” and “critical literacy” as political acts will set the critical tone for the course, and we consider the potential application of these terms in understanding American Indian experiences with writing. This course is designed to be challenging and useful, introducing students to both the current debates in American Indian literary studies and to American Indian cultural, political and literary history.
ENGL 4000 Modernism in Theory and Practice
Early 20th-century authors are well known for their efforts to “stretch the illusion” to test their chosen genres to their theoretical and practical limits. The aim of this course will be to explore the work of three significant artist-theorists: Henry James, T.S. Eliot and Bertolt Brecht. This will, one hopes, open up a world of early artistic experiment conducted in “peoples’ theater,” little magazines, critical polemic, etc.
ENGL 4001 Creative Writing Seminar: Collaborations, Soundscapes, Pictures, Points of (No?) Return
In this workshop, we will play at the pleasures of collaborations: with audioscapes, places, “found” texts, “facts” and our own works. Some things we might essay: investigative poetics projects; translations of the world’s rich and constant visuals and aurals; erasures; ekphrastic exercises; multi-handed poems and more.
ENGL 4011 Fiction
In this creative writing workshop, we will allow ourselves to be haunted by the questions: Why write fiction, and what, in fact, is fiction? From what sense of necessity does our work erupt? We will explore our identities as writers, locate our tricks, filters and crutches, and seek to embody our work in more authentic—and therefore more powerful—ways. By positioning our work at the intersection where such meditations/questions cross with issues of craft, we will explore in depth the elements of fiction, including the poetics of syntax and the energetics of technique (point of view, time, repetition, silence, artifice, constraint, etc.). In juxtaposing philosophical texts with contemporary texts, film images and sound recordings, we will relieve ourselves of the need for “inspiration” and allow our craft to be informed by the art of seeing what originates from proximity.
This is a workshop less interested in polishing or affirming existing pieces, and more interested in staying close to the strange, wonderful and bloody pulse of fiction itself through poignant experimentation. We will create textual artifacts that can inform existing bodies of work, while also becoming pieces in and of themselves.
ENGL 4200 Special Topic—Poetics and Historiography (Classical to Early Modern)
In “An Apology for Poetry” (1595)—often cited as a text that epitomizes English Renaissance poetics—Sir Philip Sidney elevates poetry above philosophy and history, arguing that “the poet only bringeth his own stuff, and doth not learn a conceit out of a matter, but maketh matter for a conceit.” Which theories of poetry and history (from England and the Continent) have the greatest influence upon Sidney? Which challenge Sidney’s model? And how do English dramatists and poets (women and men) work within and against that dynamic context of power relations among competing fields/forms of discourse and knowledge from Plato (ca. 427–347 BCE) to Katherine Philips (1631–1664)? This class will investigate a major topic in the early modern era: the relationship between poetics and historiography. Beginning with Plato and Aristotle, students will study the works (both canonical and non-canonical) of Continental and English philosophers, poets and historians from the 13th through the 17th century. The course will also involve examinations of recent scholarship, theory and criticism in the field. Students are requested to be prepared to discuss the following texts at the first meeting: Plato’s Republic, Book X (ca. 373 BCE); and Aristotle’s Poetics (ca. 330 BCE).
ENGL 4213 Advanced Studies-Early Modern Literature
Using Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus as a touchstone, we explore the development of Jacobean tragedy as a rhetorical response to the cultural and sociopolitical crises of early 17th century England. Testing modern critical assumptions about these plays, we will explore just how “postmodern” these tragedies are in temperament. How did the skepticism of the time shape dramatic character as an element of class and gender inquiry? As incipient forms of modern mimesis, representatives of early modern literature, how do they invite “postmodern” readings? Why do female figures arise as central to the inquiry?
ENGL 4300 Advanced Studies in 18th Century Literature: Travelers’ Tales and Fables of the East
This course will examine the traffic of narratives between the Orient and Occident in the 18th century. During the period the “mysterious” East was poised between fabulation and “fact,” between trade and fantasy, science and myth. We look at a range of texts—travelers’ tales, prose fictions, plays and poems. Many of the texts can (and should) be downloaded from the 18th century online collection that we (fabulously) have in the library. Inevitably, we will also examine the relevance/irrelevance of Edward Said’s construction of “Orientalism” to the literature and mental maps of this period. If you have not read Orientalism yet, now would be a good time to do so.
ENGL 4424 Special Topic: 19th Century Romantic Poetry/British Romantic Poetry
The course will focus on British Romantic poetry. We trace its roots to 18th century Enlightenment philosophy and 18th century sensibility and examine how these influences converged in the Romantics’ reaction to the political, economic and social upheavals of their time. We examine the differences between the first- and second-generation Romantics. Along with primary works, we will read political tracts, philosophical works and a selection of contemporary criticism. All reasonable critical approaches will be considered in the hope that this course will help you with your own projects and further individual interests. Course requirements include a seminar-length paper and an oral presentation.
ENGL 4736 African-American Autobiography
According to historian V.P. Franklin, “The autobiography has been the most important literary genre in the African-American intellectual tradition.” This course introduces students to the rich tradition of African-American autobiography, exploring the forms and functions of the works and examining them within their historical contexts. We address such concerns as “autophylography,” bearing witness and concepts of selfhood.
ENGL 4830 Seminar in Teaching Writing and Literature
What does it mean to teach college English? What are the rhetorical demands placed on today’s instructors? How do these demands change in response to theoretical shifts in the study of literature and writing? This seminar will introduce students to the professional requirements of today’s English scholars and writers, giving them an objective foundation for considering the pedagogical implications of their graduate studies as they prepare to enter the academic profession.
ENGL 4150 Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales
A study of the tales and the historical and philosophical context within which Chaucer wrote. In addition to reading the tales themselves, we will read a number of critical studies of Chaucer’s work and some medieval documents that provide background available to Chaucer and his first audience.
ENGL 4600 Virginia Woolf and the Victorians
The graduate seminar will examine some of the principal Victorian novelists—Bronte, Dickens and Eliot—through the critical lens of Virginia Woolf’s and her father Leslie Stephen’s essays on these authors. Readings will include Woolf’s and Stephen’s periodical essays on the nature of criticism, the role of the critic and the role of the reader. Texts will include Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Dickens’s David Copperfield, Eliot’s Middlemarch and Woolf’s Night and Day, The Years and Granite and Rainbow. Final projects will focus either comparatively on Woolf and one of the Victorian authors or on Woolf’s role as reviewer/critic and novelist.
ENGL 4000 Colloquium
The second-year graduate colloquium is a mandatory 2-hour course for all second year PhD students in English. It is supervised by the director of graduate studies with guest lectures/discussions by most of the Department of English faculty. The colloquium addresses a variety of topics from year-to-year, including preparation for the profession.
For More Information
The Department of English Web site offers the most current information on courses, requirements, faculty and student news. Go to http://du.edu/ahss/schools/english/index.html for more information.
Faculty
Bensel-Meyers, Linda
associate professor
PhD, University of Oregon
Renaissance literature, especially drama and rhetoric; history of rhetoric and composition
Davis, Clark
professor
PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo
American literature; ethical philosophy
Dobyns, Ann
professor
PhD, University of Oregon
Medieval literature; rhetoric and composition
Gorak, Jan
professor
PhD, University of Southern California
Late 18th- and 20th-century British and American literature; history of literary theory and criticism
Gould, Eric
professor
PhD, University of London (King’s College)
20th century literature in English and in translation; cultural studies
Hesse, Douglas
professor
PhD, University of Iowa
Rhetoric and composition; writing program administration; creative nonfiction
Howard, W. Scott
associate professor
PhD, University of Washington
Renaissance/early modern English literature and culture; poetics and poetry; historiography; small press literatures; history of literary theory and criticism
Hunt, Laird
assistant professor
MFA, The Naropa Institute
Fiction writing; postmodern literature
Kim, Benjamin
assistant professor
PhD, State University of New York at Stony Brook
19th century British, especially Romantic poetry
Kiteley, Brian
professor
MA, City College of New York
Fiction writing; travel writing; postcolonial fiction; historical fiction
McNees, Eleanor
professor
PhD, University of Colorado at Boulder
Victorian; early modern British to 1940; rise of the novel; Woolf Studies
Munns, Jessica
professor
PhD, University of Warwick, UK
Restoration and 18th century literature, especially drama; cultural studies; women’s studies
Nwosu, Maik
assistant professor
PhD, Syracuse University
Africa and postcolonial literatures; oral literature; world literature; cultural studies
Olsen, Alexandra
professor
PhD, University of California at Berkeley
Old English and Middle English literature; grammar; history and structure of English
Ramke, Bin
professor
PhD, Ohio University
Creative writing, poetry; 20th century literature; contemporary poetry; visual arts and literature; issues of science and mathematics in contemporary thought and writing
Rovner, Adam
assistant professor
PhD, Indiana University
Jewish literature (American/Israeli); narrative theory; translation
Saterstrom, Selah
assistant professor
MFA, Goddard College
Creative writing, fiction; philosophy and literature
Sikelianos, Eleni
associate professor
MFA, Naropa University
Creative writing, poetry, translation, creative nonfiction; 20th century and contemporary poetry; modernist women
Teuton, Christopher
assistant professor
PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
American Indian literature; American ethnic literature; American literature
Wilcots, Barbara
associate professor
PhD, University of Denver
20th century American literature, especially African-American, Caribbean and postcolonial literatures
Zaranka, William
associate professor
PhD, University of Denver
Creative writing, poetry; 20th century literature; contemporary poetry