Graduate Studies in Literature and Rhetoric/Composition
Description
The Department of English offers an area of study in literature and rhetoric/composition, which allows the student to focus on the history of rhetoric, theories of rhetoric, analysis and production of text, and pedagogy. Complementary courses are offered in the Departments of English and Communication. Careful selection among the complements will encourage an interdisciplinary view of rhetoric. Selections may be made at the Master of Arts level to contribute to one's professional development or at the Doctor of Philosophy level to provide a research field separate from, yet complementary to, fields in literature and language or an area of professional expertise through which pedagogical interests are focused.
Tracks
Track I: at least 30 hours required and foreign language requirement
Track II: at least 36 hours required
Required Courses (9 hrs.)
- English 601 Bibliography and Methods of Research
OR English 625 Methods of Research in Technical Writing
- English 603 Traditions in Written Rhetoric
- English 610 Rhetoric of Prose Composition
Electives in Rhetoric and Communication (6-9 semester hours- If ENGL 601 is chosen, 9
semester hours are required in rhetoric and communication)
- ENGL 600, Internship in the College Teaching of English (3)
- ENGL 602A Literary Theory and Criticism: History of Literary Theory
- ENGL 604, Topics in Materials for the English Classroom (3)
- ENGL 626, Technical Writing (3)
- ENGL 627, Technical Editing (3)
- ENGL 629, Topics in Rhetoric (3)
- ENGL 630, Theory and Research in Rhetoric and Professional, Technical Writing (3)
- ENGL 700, Topics in the Teaching of College English (3)
- ENGL 703, Seminar: Rhetorical Studies (3)
- COMS 600, The Classical Tradition in Rhetorical Theory (3)
- COMS 602, Contemporary Rhetorical Theory (3)
- COMS 603, The Rhetoric of Controversy (3)
- COMS 604, Methods of Rhetorical Criticism (3)
- COMS 605, Theory and Uses of Argument (3)
- COMS 606, Communication Ethics (3)
- COMS 610, Symbolic Behavior and Communication (3)
- COMS 620 Rhetorical Approaches to Social Movements
- COMS 640, Seminar in Communication and Gender (3)
- COMS 707, Seminar in Persuasion (3)
- COMS 760, 6 Seminar in Rhetoric (3)
Electives in literature (12-15 semester hours – If ENGL 625 is chosen, 15
semester hours are required in literature)
For further information, contact:
Dr. John Schaeffer
Department of English
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115-2863
(815) 753-6614
jschaeff@niu.edu
Dr. Susan Callahan
Department of English
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115-2863
(815) 753-6610
callsusan@niu.edu
Dr. Phillip Eubanks
Department of English
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115-2863
(815) 753-0188
eubanks1@niu.edu
