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2020-2022 Graduate School Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
English (PhD), Program Information
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 Return to: Graduate Programs
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Program Faculty
Department Chair (Interim)
J.A. White, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Program Coordinator
Julie Cary Conger, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Holmes Hall 213
Phone: 443-885-1742
Email: Julie.Conger@morgan.edu
Program Faculty
M.K. Asante, Jr., MFA
Associate Professor
Tristan Abbott, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Brett Butler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Julie Cary Conger, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Inte’A DeShields, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Mary Henderson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Karl Henzy, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Denise Jarrett, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Milford Jeremiah, Ph.D.
Professor
University Grand Marshall
Keith Mehlinger, MFA
Associate Professor
L. Adam Mekler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Joy Myree-Mainor, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Adele Newson-Horst, Ph.D.
Professor
Anita Pandey, Ph.D.
Professor
A.J. Verdelle, MFA
Assistant Professor
Coordinator of Creative Writing
David W. Warfield, MFA
Associate Professor
J.A. White, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Program Description
Committed to exploring new methods of inquiry, cultivating creative scholarship, and producing usable knowledge, Morgan State University provides a vibrant home for students and scholars interested in better understanding how people learn, what they learn, and what that learning ultimately means for themselves and their communities. Our small, selective doctoral program in English offers training in all traditional fields of literary study, as well as in creative writing, film, screenwriting, visual and digital storytelling, rhetoric and composition, technical writing, multicultural and gender studies, and other theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches that cross national and chronological boundaries.
Our faculty members have strengths in a variety of areas including American and British literature and literary theory, African American literature, Black diasporic and Caribbean literature, post-colonial and multicultural literatures, feminist literature and poetics, gender and sexuality studies, popular culture, rhetoric and composition, technical writing, linguistics, creative writing, screenwriting and visual/digital storytelling, and American cinema and film theory. The majority of our courses weave in our program’s emphasis on the Black Diaspora.
As one of only two doctoral programs in English at HBCUs, we are deeply grounded in recognizing how the rich, distinguished, and exciting culture of the Black experience continues to influence our present realities. Indeed, the Black presence is so ubiquitous that studying this presence in its forms and consequences is an ethically-responsible educational necessity to counter long-time hegemonic narratives that have decentered the Black experience. The English doctoral program at Morgan State thus emphasizes an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and comparative curriculum of the histories, literatures, visual cultures, and politics of people of African descent around the world, especially the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. A key component of our mission is to interrogate the meanings and dimensions of slavery and colonialism, and their continuing political, social, and cultural implications and to emphasize Black diasporic literature and culture.
Program Objectives
The doctoral program in English prepares graduates for careers in teaching, research, and various forms of professional writing and textual and creative production. Specifically, the doctoral program has been designed to balance a number of goals:
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to enhance students’ abilities to analyze various types of texts;
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to develop students’ abilities to understand and enter into contemporary cultural and professional discourses;
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to prepare students to be versed in traditional periods of literary history while also learning about interdisciplinary and theoretical approaches;
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to develop students’ abilities to produce cogent, well-researched, substantial scholarship and/or creative works that contribute to their fields of specialization;
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to develop students’ abilities as professional teachers, literary scholars and theorists, creative writers, screenwriters, technical writers, linguists, and/or cultural theorists; and
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to bolster and deepen students’ knowledge of Black Diasporic experiences throughout history and into the contemporary moment.
General Requirements
Candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy in English degree must complete a minimum of thirty-six (36) academic credit hours (Advanced Track) or forty-eight (48) academic credit hours (Standard Track), fulfill course requirements according to their selected major and minor fields, evidence proficiency in one foreign language, pass a written comprehensive examination, pass an oral examination, and submit an acceptably-written dissertation that makes a significant contribution to its field.
The student must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 for all graduate courses attempted at MSU. Students whose GPA falls below the minimum 3.0 for two consecutive semesters will be dismissed from the program. A course assigned a grade of C or lower cannot be used to fulfill degree requirements and must be retaken.
Full-time is nine (9) credit hours per semester; however, students must remain enrolled for a minimum of three (3) credit hours in Fall and Spring semesters until the completion of their program and the awarding of the degree, unless a leave of absence has been granted by the School of Graduate Studies. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment may result in dismissal from the program. Students must finish the doctoral program within seven years.
Admission
To be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy program in English, an applicant must:
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Have earned a Master’s degree in English or in a closely related discipline from a regionally accredited college or university (Advanced Track) or a Bachelor’s degree in English or a closely related field from a regionally accredited college or university (Standard Track).
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Have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better in their Master’s program. Applicants with only a Bachelor’s degree who are applying for the Standard Track must have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 in their undergraduate coursework. Postbachelor’s undergraduate credits cannot be used to enhance GPA for admission to graduate study.
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Submit an application for admission (online) to the School of Graduate Studies.
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Submit a typed exposition – a Statement of Purpose – regarding the applicant’s academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University.
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Submit a recent resumé or curriculum vita.
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Submit copies of transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate coursework. Official copies of these documents must be submitted directly to the School of Graduate Studies by the previous university or college before an applicant can be officially admitted.
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Provide test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Test scores must be within five years of the date of application. Official copies of these scores must be delivered by ETS to the MSU School of Graduate Studies.
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Use the online application system to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be placed with the application. These letters should be from individuals who can speak to the applicant’s ability for graduate study.
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Submit an academic writing sample of 15-20 pages that showcases the applicant’s analytical and writing abilities and readiness to begin doctoral level work.
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Submit, if applying for the Creative Writing focus, a creative sample of 10-15 pages.
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Submit, if applying for the Film and Visual Storytelling focus, an overview of the applicant’s experience and accomplishments in the field.
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All required documents must be submitted as directed by the School of Graduate Studies prior to program review and admission decision. Students should upload all application documents electronically, even in cases where hard copies are also submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.
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The Department of English only grants admission into the doctoral program for Fall semesters.
Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant. The decision of the Department Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program. The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer of admission should be made based on that review.
Candidacy
Students may apply for Candidacy only after successfully completing all course requirements, satisfying the foreign language requirement, and passing the written comprehensive and oral exams (a defense of the dissertation prospectus). Prior to achieving Candidacy, the student must enroll in ENGL 993: Pre-Doctoral Candidacy.
Once a student achieves candidacy, enrollment in any course other than ENGL 997 is generally prohibited except under rare circumstances. Students seeking additional skills, knowledge, or a certificate must seek approval through the program and the School of Graduate Studies.
Foreign Language Requirement
To fulfill their program requirements, all doctoral students (Advanced and Standard Track) must demonstrate a working knowledge of a foreign language that is not their native language. Students must fulfill the foreign language requirement prior to taking the doctoral written comprehensive examinations. Students, in consultation with their dissertation committee Chair and with approval of both their dissertation Chair and the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, will determine the language that they will use to satisfy this requirement. The language should be appropriate for their research, pedagogical interest, or major field. Students may satisfy the foreign language requirement in one of the following manners:
Option I: Pass a foreign language proficiency examination. Students choosing this option should register for the Language Proficiency Exam with the Department of World Languages and International Studies. If the student has passed a similar exam at another institution within three years of beginning the doctoral program at Morgan State, this may also satisfy the requirement. Students must submit official documentation/record to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies for approval.
Option II: Enroll in and earn a grade of “C” or higher in the second course of the intermediate level of a foreign language course sequence (e.g., FREN 204). If the student has passed a similar language class or a Graduate level class in that language at another institution within three years of beginning the doctoral program at Morgan State, this may also satisfy the requirement. Students must submit official documentation/record to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies for approval. (Note: Graduate financial aid may not be applied toward undergraduate courses.)
Option III: Complete an approved study abroad program (minimum of six weeks), which includes formal enrollment in the study of a foreign language with evaluation of performance by authorized faculty of an accredited institution. The study abroad program can be completed during the doctoral program or within three years prior to beginning the program. Students must submit official documentation/record to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies for approval.
Option IV: Students may request to document equivalent competency in the foreign language in ways not specified above; however, documentation of equivalent competency must be approved by the student’s dissertation committee Chair and the Coordinator of Graduate Studies.
Dissertation Committee
Students must select a dissertation committee, composed of a committee Chair and a second and third reader. Students and committee members must sign a Dissertation Committee Contract to be kept on file by the department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies. This contract must be submitted no later than the student’s final semester of coursework.
Reading Lists and Doctoral Written Comprehensive Examinations
After satisfying all course requirements (but no later than two semesters following the completion of coursework), students must sit for the written comprehensive examinations.
Reading Lists: Students, in conjunction with their dissertation committee, will create two reading lists, of 75-100 texts per list. The first reading list will include texts that represent the broad area of interest (focused on teaching and/or scholarship) for the student. The second list will reflect the student’s tailored research area and will serve as a springboard for dissertation research and writing. The lists should be complementary but not duplicative. Each list will generally include a balance of primary and secondary texts (the appropriate balance will depend upon the focus of each list). The lists will serve as the basis of both the students’ comprehensive written exams and the primary research for their dissertation. Students must craft reading lists that are appropriate to the major field (and focus area) in which they have completed their coursework and program requirements. Students must submit a Reading List Contract signed by the dissertation committee Chair and the department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies no less than four (4) months before the exam dates.
Written Comprehensive Exam: The doctoral written comprehensive examination is created, administered, and assessed by the student’s dissertation committee. Students must register for the exam with the department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies no less than four (4) weeks before the exam date. The exams are taken on two consecutive days, with six testing hours on each day. Students can retake failed portions of the written comprehensive exams once. Passed sections do not need to be retaken. Students who do not pass all sections of the exam within two attempts will be dismissed from the program.
Dissertation Prospectus and Oral Exam
No later than eighteen (18) months after the successful completion of the doctoral written comprehensive exams, the student must defend the dissertation prospectus. The dissertation prospectus should be roughly 45-70 pages in length, and after any required revisions, often serves as the introduction to the dissertation. Students must complete a dissertation appropriate to the major field (and focus area, when applicable) in which they have completed their coursework and program requirements.
The prospectus comprises the following sections:
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Statement of the Argument
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Need and Timeliness/Contribution to Field
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Delimitation
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Methodology
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Review of Literature
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Descriptions of Chapters/Project
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Bibliography
After the student’s dissertation committee approves the prospectus in written form, the student must then pass a one-hour oral defense of the prospectus (the oral examination), administered and assessed by the student’s dissertation committee.
Creative Dissertation
While most PhD candidates in the Department of English write dissertations of a traditional, research-oriented nature, a student who has chosen the Creative Writing or Film and Visual Storytelling concentration as the Major Field may choose to write a creative dissertation, which may take the form of a novel, a novella, a book-length collection of short fiction or collection of poetry, creative nonfiction, or a hybrid/experimental form (including but not limited to digital/new media, performance/performativity/screenplay, the lyric essay). In addition to the “creative” part of the dissertation, such a dissertation must also contain a substantial scholarly introduction that frames the creative text and/or locates the work in its literary and historical contexts. This introduction will demonstrate the correspondence between the candidate’s academic studies and the creative project. The precise nature of the scholarly research component should be determined by the candidate in consultation with the student’s dissertation committee and the Coordinator of Graduate Studies. Students wishing to undertake such a dissertation must have officially declared the Creative Writing or Film and Visual Storytelling concentration as their Major Field and must complete all departmental requirements demanded for the research-oriented doctoral degree.
Completion of Dissertation
Timeline for Completion: To make satisfactory progress toward the degree, the student, under the guidance of the dissertation committee, must complete and defend the dissertation within five (5) years of passing the oral examination.
Focus of Dissertation: The dissertation must be appropriate to the Major Field (and focus area, if relevant) in which the student has completed coursework and program requirements. Dissertations should also grow from the student’s reading lists and preparation for the written comprehensive exams. Only students who have completed their Major Field coursework and program requirements in Creative Writing or Film and Visual Storytelling focus areas are eligible to complete a creative dissertation. The length of the dissertation varies based on the focus of the project.
Process: The student must provide the dissertation committee with the defense copy (a complete, polished draft) of the dissertation no less than three weeks prior to the date of the defense. After the student’s dissertation committee expresses readiness to proceed, the student must then pass an oral defense of the dissertation. The defense is a one-hour long public event, administered and assessed by the student’s dissertation committee. The Defense must take place at least two weeks prior to the School of Graduate Studies’ dissertation manuscript deposit deadline.
If the student fails to meet the above noted deadlines, the Committee is under no obligation to proceed with the defense within a condensed time frame, regardless of how a postponement aligns with the School of Graduate Studies deadlines or affects the student’s potential graduation in a given semester. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of, and to meet, all Department and School of Graduate Studies deadlines regarding dissertation submission and graduation.
After successfully passing the dissertation defense, the student has satisfied the departmental requirements for the doctoral degree but must still adhere to all School of Graduate Studies deadlines and requirements regarding the final submission of the manuscript. Students who do not pass their dissertation defense will be dismissed from the program.
Satisfactory Progress: If at any time the majority of the student’s dissertation committee determines that the student is not progressing satisfactorily, the chair of the dissertation committee may recommend to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies that the student be dismissed from the doctoral program. The Coordinator will then review the student’s progress toward the degree and make a recommendation to the departmental Graduate Committee. A departmental recommendation to dismiss will be made only with the advice and consent of the majority of the members of the departmental Graduate Committee. The final decision to dismiss a student from the program is made by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The Department’s complete “Policy on Satisfactory Progress & Academic Dismissal from the Program” is available from the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and in the Department of English’s Graduate Student Handbook.
Statement on Readmission to the Doctoral Degree Program
Students who have left the doctoral program for three semesters or more must re-apply for admission to continue their program. Students applying for re-admission must submit an application, a statement of purpose, a current CV, all previous college or university transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and an academic writing sample. Their application materials will be assessed by the department Admissions Committee and a decision will be entered following the same process as for a new applicant.
As a general guideline, if a student is re-admitted into the doctoral program, previous graduate program work will be accepted for meeting program requirements as follows:
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relevant graduate coursework completed within the previous seven (7) years;
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fulfillment of foreign language requirement (without time limit);
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written comprehensive examinations completed within the previous five years; and
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prospectus and oral examination completed within the previous five years.
Program requirements completed beyond the stated time limits will need to be completed again to fulfill program requirements after re-admission. Readmitted students must meet all of the current program degree requirements. In rare circumstances and with significant justification, deviations from the current program requirements or exceptions to the above policy may be granted to a returning student by the department’s Graduate Committee; however, those deviations or exceptions cannot conflict with current graduation requirements set by the School of Graduate Studies.
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty is not tolerated by the Department of English. Any graduate student found to have engaged in academic dishonesty of any kind shall be subject to the full range of penalties at the disposal of the Department of English and the School of Graduate Studies, including failing an assignment or course, being suspended from the program, being expelled from the university, and/or having a degree revoked. The Department’s complete “Policy on Academic Dishonesty,” including charging and appeals procedures, is available from the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and in the Department of English’s Graduate Student Handbook.
Program Course Requirements
Students in the English doctoral program must complete thirty-six (36) academic credit hours (Advanced Track) or forty-eight (48) academic credit hours (Standard track).
Required Courses 12 credits
All doctoral students (in both Advanced and Standard Tracks) must complete twelve (12) credit hours of required courses. These courses should be completed within students’ first two semesters.
Students may petition that equivalent courses taken at a previous university may be used to satisfy these requirements; however, the courses cannot be transferred to Morgan for credit toward the degree if the credits were used to satisfy another degree. Upon written approval of the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, students who have completed equivalent courses in previous graduate programs, may take other elective courses from the English Ph.D. program to satisfy the doctoral program credit requirements.
Major Field
(12 credit hours for Advanced Track; 18 credit hours for Standard Track). Students will select their major field from one of three areas: British and American Literature and Literary Theory; Multicultural and Gender Studies; or Language and Professional Writing. Only six (6) credit hours for Advanced Track students or nine (9) credit hours for Standard Track students of 500-level course work may be applied to the major field course requirements. Exceptions to this limit must be approved by the department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies.
British & American Literature & Literary Theory
Multicultural & Gender Studies
Selected courses with significant multicultural content from the above Literature field may be used to fulfill Multicultural and Gender Studies field requirements upon approval of the department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies.
Language & Professional Writing
Students must designate one of the concentration subgroups below. At least nine (9) credit hours of the required twelve (12) for Advanced Track students or twelve (12) credit hours of the required eighteen (18) for Standard Track students must be in the designated subgroup. Exceptions must be approved by the Coordinator of Graduate Studies.
The English Language/Technical & Expository Writing
Film & Visual Storytelling
Minor Field
Minor Field (6 credit hours for Advanced Track; 12 credit hours for Standard Track). Students will select their minor field from one of the above fields (A, B, or C) not selected as their major field. Only three (3) credit hours of 500-level course work may be applied to the minor field course requirements. Exceptions to this limit must be approved by the department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies.
Elective Courses
(3 credit hours for Advanced Track and Standard Track). Students will complete one elective English course. Electives can be selected from any field or concentration area or from the courses listed below. The courses listed below require approval of the instructor and the Coordinator of Graduate Studies prior to enrolling and should be used only to conduct research and study in an area not otherwise available through course offerings.
Transfer Credits
A maximum of six (6) graduate credits can be transferred and applied to the MSU degree. Courses used to satisfy another degree can potentially be used to satisfy program curricular requirements but are not eligible for transfer of credits. All transfer credits must be approved by the Department’s Coordinator of Graduate Studies, the Chair of the Department, and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.
Use of Master’s-Level Courses
Students enrolled in the doctoral may apply no more than 21 credit hours of Morgan State University 500 level classes to their degree requirements.
Dissertation Seminar 3 credits
All students must enroll in one semester of the following course, which assists the advanced student in developing an effective dissertation topic and introduces guidelines for preliminary research, writing the prospectus, drafting/writing/revision techniques, and acceptable prospectus and dissertation formats.
- ENGL 998 : Dissertation Seminar 3 Credits (reports as 9)
Doctoral Pre-Candidacy
All students should register for the doctoral pre-candidacy course during the semester in which they plan to take their written comprehensive exams.
- ENGL 993 : Doctoral Pre-Candidacy 3 Credits (reports as 9)
Dissertation Guidance
After students have successfully completed their written comprehensive exams, they must register for Dissertation Guidance for all subsequent semesters until completion of their program and graduation.
- ENGL 997 : Dissertation Guidance 3 Credits (reports as 9)
Note
Upon achieving Doctoral Candidacy, the student will continuously register in Fall and Spring terms for ENGL 997 (Dissertation Guidance) until the Dissertation is completed and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for review. The course is used only when the curriculum has been completed, candidacy has been achieved, and the student is completing the research and writing of the Dissertation. The ENGL 997 course registration maintains the student status as a matriculated, full-time student (student is registered for 3 credit hours and the system reports a full-time 9 credit hour load). After the Intent to Defend the Dissertation form has been received by the School of Graduate Studies, this course registration will be changed to ENGL 998 (Dissertation Defense) for the given semester and count for 3 credit hours of curricular coursework (ENGL 998 will also count as 9 credits of load). ENGL 997 will not count toward curricular credits. Other courses cannot be substituted for ENGL 997 (Dissertation Guidance). The only eligible grade for ENGL 997 (Dissertation Guidance) is the grade of “S” and the only acceptable grade for ENGL 998 (Dissertation Defense) is “P/F” (Pass/Fail).
Suggested Curriculum Sequence
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