II. Theoretical Distribution (3 Credits)

All graduate students are required to take at least one of the following courses that treat intensively theoretical concepts and critical reading. Students who have not had a comprehensive introduction to theory at the MA or undergraduate level should take English 487. Students who have taken an introductory course should consider one of the Topics in Theory courses.

CRITICAL THEORY (ENGLISH 487)
This course introduces graduate students to literary and critical theory. English 487 presumes no prior knowledge of theory.

TOPICS IN THEORY
These courses treat intensively a focused area of theoretical inquiry. Topics in Theory courses include our regular offering in Rhetorical Theory (501), as well as a range of topics offered under the designations English 502 and English 524. These seminars may include Narrative Theory, Poetics and Prosody, Linguistics and Semiotics, Feminist Theory, Film Theory, Cultural Studies, and The Construction of Authorship. Independent Study (590) may also be appropriate for some students fulfilling this distribution. The courses counting toward the Topics in Theory distribution presume that students have been exposed to literary and critical theory at the MA or undergraduate level (i.e., in an equivalent course).

III. Pre-professional Workshops for Graduate Students

The graduate program offers an annual program of workshops and information sessions designed to introduce graduate students to issues in the profession. All graduate students are invited to attend these sessions. The series typically includes an overview of the academic job search, including how to read the MLA Job List, to make contacts, to construct an academic vita, to write a dissertation abstract, to draft cover letters for jobs for different institutions, to interview, and to construct a teaching portfolio. Additional sessions typically address grant and proposal writing, summer internship possibilities, and working with archives.

In addition, students seeking a doctorate in English are required to enroll in the graduate-level Publication Workshop, which is not offered for credit, but is required by the English Department for graduation.

DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM
Weekly on Fridays, faculty, Lecturers, and graduate students convene for a research colloquium, featuring scholars and writers of local, national, and international distinction. One of these sessions annually features the winner of the Neil MacIntyre Prize for best graduate paper; another features presentations by the incumbent holders of Adrian and Salomon Fellowships. Attendance at Department Colloquium sessions is expected, and records of attendance will be made.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING
Regular and occasional programming will be announced by the department or the Director of Graduate Studies.

READING GROUPS
The department strongly encourages student-organized reading groups and provides a workshop space in Guilford 107 for this purpose. Reservations can be made on the calendar posted opposite the workshop room. Recent reading groups have been devoted to current issues in critical theory; contemporary science fiction; and James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Groups to discuss texts on the MA exam reading list are particularly encouraged.