Department of English
G r a d u ate Stu d e nt Handbook
C O L L E G E O F AR TS AND SC IE NC E S
U n i ve r s i t y o f Nort h Carolin a Wilmin gt on
Contents
Contact Information for Faculty and Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
M.A. Degree Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Course Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Graduate Grading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Comprehensive Examination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Thesis Guidelines and Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Application for Graduation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Email Accounts and Contact Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Mailboxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Teaching Assistantships and Internships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Establishing Residency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Graduate English Association and Graduate Student Association . . . 11
Graduate Student Travel Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Graduate School Grants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Graduate Student Association Travel Grants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Resources and Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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ii
Graduate Faculty and Staff
Graduate Faculty: Contact Information
and Research and Teaching Interests
Diana Ashe, Associate Professor
ashed@uncw.edu
Professional and technical writing; rhetorical
theory; and environmental and activist writing
Anthony Atkins, Associate Professor,
atkinsa@uncw.edu
Professional and technical writing; visuality
and rhetoric; technologies and composition
pedagogies; classical and modern rhetorical theory
Mark Boren, Professor
borenm@uncw.edu
18th and 19th century American literature;
romantic and Gothic literature; psychoanalysis;
critical theory; literature and the visual arts
Cara Cilano, Professor
cilanoc@uncw.edu
Postcolonial theory and literature; women’s
literature and feminist theory; literary/critical
theory; contemporary world literature; ethnic
American literatures
Lance Cummings, Assistant Professor
cummingsl@uncw.edu
Professional and technical writing; comparative
rhetorics; religious rhetorics; second language
writing; digital rhetoric and writing; online writing
instruction
Tiffany Gilbert, Associate Professor
gilbertt@uncw.edu
20th and 21st century American literature, film, and
popular culture, gender, race, and cultural studies,
nineteenth century British literature, composition
Sarah Hallenbeck, Assistant Professor
Writing Coordinator
hallenbecks@uncw.edu
Professional and technical writing; rhetoric and
composition; feminist rhetorics; rhetorics of science
and technology; English Education
Paula Kamenish, Associate Professor
kamenishp@uncw.edu
Comparative world literatures and cultures
(especially European, but including Latin American,
Asian, and West African); ethnic American literature
Jennifer Kontny, Assistant Professor
kontnyj@uncw.edu
Language in digital environments; visual
rhetoric; discourse analysis; rhetorical theories of
arrangement and craft
Nicholas Laudadio, Associate Professor
laudadion@uncw.edu
Cultural studies; critical, cultural, and media theory;
technology studies; popular music studies; musica
and literature; science fiction and film
Victor Malo, Assistant Professor
Literary Studies Coordinator
malov@uncw.edu
English education; young adult literature;
quantitative research methods; politics of
education
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Katherine Montwieler, Associate Professor,
montwielerk@uncw.edu
18th and 19th century British literature; women
writers; feminist theory; women’s studies
Jeremy Tirrell, Associate Professor
tirrellj@uncw.edu
Writing and technology; professional writing;
gaming and game theory
Kate Maddalena, Assistant Professor
maddalenak@uncw.edu
Technical communications; science and technology
studies; theories of knowledge; theories of
materiality
Lewis Walker, Professor
walkerj@uncw.edu
Shakespeare; English Renaissance; Medieval English
literature (Chaucer, drama); 18th century British
literature; popular culture (comic strips)
Keith Newlin, Professor
newlink@uncw.edu
American literary naturalism and realism; 20th
century American literature; early modernism;
American drama; scholarly editing
Katie Peel, Associate Professor
peelk@uncw.edu
Young adult and children’s literature; Victorian
literature; GLBTQ literature and theory; Holocaust
literature; women’s studies
Alex Porco, Assistant Professor
porcoa@uncw.edu
Poetry and poetic theory; Restoration and 18th
century literature; cultural studies; hip-hop music
and culture; American and Canadian poetry after
1945; theory and practice of the avant-garde
Anirban Ray, Assistant Professor
raya@uncw.edu
Digital literacy; rhetoric of technology
Colleen Reilly, Associate Professor
reillyc@uncw.edu
Professional and technical writing; writing and
research in digital spaces; science writing; writing
program administration; distance education;
workplace writing
Lee Schweninger, Professor
schweningerl@uncw.edu
American literature to 1900; Native American
literature; 20th century American literature;
science, humanities, and society
Meghan Sweeney, Associate Professor
Graduate Coordinator
sweeneym@uncw.edu
Children’s and adolescent literature; women’s
studies; popular culture; American studies; literary
criticism
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M.A. Degree Requirements
Course requirements for students entering
the program in Fall 2010 or after:
The MA degree in English requires a total of 36
hours of graduate coursework. These hours must be
distributed according to the following guidelines:
•
3 0 of the re q uired 36 h o urs must b e tak en
i n re s i d e nce.
•
Al l s tu d e nts are required to t ake En g l is h
5 0 1: I ntroduc t io n to R esearch M et h o ds
i n Engli s h. I n addit io n , all st udent s a re
re q ui re d to take eit h er En glish 502:
I ntrod u c ti on to Literar y Th eo r y o r Eng l is h
5 5 2: R he tor i c an d Cult ure. B eyo n d t h e t wo
re q ui re d cou rses, st udent s are en co urag ed
to cons u lt wi th t h e Graduate Co o rdinato r
to ta i lor the i r pro gram o f st udy to t h eir
p er s onal and p ro fessio n al n eeds.
•
Stude nts may selec t a t h esis o r n o n t he s i s opti on. St udent s p ursuin g t h e
t he s i s opti on must co mp lete 30 sem es ter
hour s of graduate co urse wo r k , regis ter
for E N G 599 th esis (6 h o urs) in t h eir l as t
t wo s e m e s te rs, an d p resent an d defe nd
a the s i s, a cce pt able to t h e st udent ’s
t he s i s commi t tee, pr io r to graduat ion.
Stude nts pu r suin g t h e n o n -t h esis o p tio n
wi ll com ple te 36 h o urs o f graduate co u r s e
wor k .
•
As ma ny as 6 o f t h e 36 min imum h o u r s m ay
b e tra ns fe r re d f ro m an o t h er accredited
i n s ti tuti on, s ub jec t to t h e ap proval
o f the Engli s h D epar t ment ’s Graduate
Coordi nator. A st udent en ro lled in t h e
UN C W E ngli s h Graduate Pro gram who
wi s he s to take o n e o r mo re graduate
E ngli s h cour ses elsewh ere fo r graduate
c re di t mus t ob t ain prior ap proval f ro m the
G raduate Coo rdin ato r an d t h e D ean o f the
G raduate S c h o o l.
•
Stude nts may t ak e o n e co urse (3 h o ur s )
from ou ts i d e t h e depar t ment wit h t he p rio r
a pprova l of th e Graduate Co o rdin ator.
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•
Students must successfully complete a
qualifying written comprehensive examination.
Normally the examination is taken in the third
semester of full-time enrollment (see below for
details).
Transfer Credits
Transfer of all graduate credits is subject to the
approval of the Graduate Coordinator, the English
Department Chair, and the Graduate School Dean,
and must be requested in writing. Ordinarily, course
work more than five years old is not accepted for
transfer credit.
Degree Time Limits
All degree requirements must be completed
within five calendar years from the date of first
registration in the graduate program. Students may
apply to the English Department and Graduate
School Dean to extend the degree time limit if
special circumstances arise that warrant such an
extension.
Registration, Course Information
and Grading
R e g i s t rat i o n
Al l st ude nts must register fo r classes via
S e a N e t ( https :/ / sean et. un c w. edu). Fo r
re gi strati on i nfor mat io n , see t h e graduate
s c h o ol we bs i te ( ht t p: //w w w. un c w. edu/
gra d s c hool/ re gi st rat io n . ht ml).
Pr i o r to re gi s tratio n each semester, st ud ents
who h ave q ue s ti on s ab o ut t h eir sch edu l es
a re encou rage d to meet wit h t h e Graduate
Co o rd i nator. Student s sh o uld also carefu l l y
re vi ew the gra d uate co urse descr ip t io ns o n
t he Engli s h D e par t ment web site (ht t p : //u nc w.
e d u /e ngli s h/ gra duate/descr ip t io n s. ht m l ) and
t he l is t of c la s s e s fo un d in S eaNet.
Co ur s e O f fe r i ngs
Pl ea s e obta i n a Graduate Cat alo gue f ro m the
G ra d uate S c hool ’s website (ht t p: //cat alog u e.
u nc w.e d u / i nd ex.ph p). Th e cat alo gue co ntains
g ene ra l cour s e descr ip t io n s fo r all o f t he
E ng l i s h D e pa r tment graduate co urses, a s wel l
a s t he d e gre e re quirement s fo r t h e grad u ate
p ro grams, poli c y st atement s, an d a wea l th o f
o t h er u s e ful i nfor mat io n . Co urse to pics var y,
s o p le a s e cons ult t h e class sch edule at the
E ng l i s h D e pa r tment website fo r sp ecif ic co u r s e
i n fo r m ati on e a c h semester.
G radu ate s tu dents m ay regis ter fo r a n
u ndergradu ate co u r s e, in any given s e m e s te r,
even tho u g h they w il l no t ear n any c re d i t s
toward the M as ter ’s degree fo r u nde rgra d uate
co u r s es. However, s o m e s tu dents ente r i n g t h e
pro gram w ho s e m aj o r s were no t in En g l i s h
el ec t to tak e an u ndergradu ate co u rs e o r t wo
to better prepare fo r s u cces s in o u r gra d uate
co u r s es.
Fu l l -tim e s tatu s req u ires a m inim u m
enro l l m ent o f 9 c redit ho u r s. Teac hi n g
as s is tants m u s t be f u l l tim e and co mp l e te 1 8
ho u r s o f gradu ate l evel co u r s ewo r k i n t h e i r
f ir s t t wo s em es ter s in o rder to q u al i f y to
teac h in their s eco nd year and m aint a i n t h e i r
f u nding.
Stu dents w ho have tak en s u m m er co ur s e wo r k
af ter their f ir s t year m ay tak e fewer c re d i t s
in the fo l l ow ing year. Teac hing as s ist a nt s a re
expec ted to f inis h 36 c redits in 2 ye a r s.
A gradu ate s tu dent m ay al s o be co n s i d e re d
f u l l -tim e w hen enro l l ed fo r fewer th a n 9
ho u r s if the s tu dent is enro l l ed in GR C 6 0 0
(co ntinu o u s enro l l m ent).
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H a l f-ti m e s tatus b egin s wit h at least 4. 5 c redit
ho u r s. Summe r co unt s as o n e regular te r m .
St u d e nts i n a graduate degree p ro gram are
p er m i tte d to re gister fo r n o mo re t h an 1 5
ho u r s i n a ny one semester but are discou rag ed
fro m re gi s te r i ng fo r mo re t h an 9 h o urs o f
gra d uate cou r s e wo r k .
Co nt i n u o u s E n rollm ent
Any s tu d e nt e ngaged in t h esis research and/
o r w r i ti ng that i nvo lves un iversit y f acul t y
o r fa ci li ti e s m u s t be registered dur in g the
s e m es te r or s ummer sessio n in wh ich t h ey are
u s i n g fa c ult y ti me o r f acilit ies, wh et h er they
a re i n re s i de nce o r n o t. Th is regist rat io n m ay
b e fo r 1 to 6 the sis h o urs; h owever, if t h e 6
t he si s hour s have already been co mp leted and
t he stu d e nt i s not en ro lled in o t h er co ur s es,
t he y m u s t re gi s ter fo r “co nt in uo us en ro l l m ent,”
G R C 600. A s tu d ent may n o t en ro ll in GR C 60 0
fo r more than t wo ter ms. St udent s must be
e n ro lle d i n a course o r in GR C 600 dur in g the
s e m es te r i n whi ch t h ey p lan to graduate.
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G radu ate G radin g
G rades fo r s tu dents enro l l ed in grad uate
co u r s es m u s t be o ne o f the fo l l ow in g :
A (c l ear excel l ence); A-; B + ; B (entire l y
s atis f ac to r y ); B -; C + ; C (m inim al l y acce p t a b l e ) ;
F (f ail ); S (s atis f ac to r y pro gres s o n t h e s i s ) ; U
(u ns atis f ac to r y pro gres s o n thes is ); I ( wo r k
inco m pl ete); W P (w ithdraw pas s ing ) . Pl e a s e
no te that o n the gradu ate l evel, a “ B ” i s a ve r y
g o o d grade, ref l ec ting a s o l idl y co m p e te nt
per fo r m ance.
A s tu dent receiv ing any grade o f “F” i s
inel igibl e to co ntinu e in gradu ate s c h o o l. A
s tu dent receiv ing grades o f “C ” in any t h re e
co u r s es is inel igibl e to co ntinu e in gra d uate
s c ho o l.
When s pec ial c irc u m s tances war rant, s t ud e nt s
dec l ared inel igibl e m ay be reins tate d up o n
petitio n by the s tu dent to the D ean o f
the G radu ate S c ho o l. Any reins tateme nt
is prov is io nal in that an additio nal gra d e
bel ow “ B ” w il l ag ain res u l t in the s tud e nt ’s
inel igibil it y.
Comprehensive Exam, Thesis Guidelines and
Process, and Application for Graduation
Co mp re h e n s i ve E xam inat ion, Fall 2016
I n Spr i ng 2015, t h e graduate f acult y revis ed
t he fo r m at for the MA co mp reh en sive exam
i n o rde r to be tter meet p ro grammat ic g o al s.
B e l ow, you’ll fi nd in fo r mat io n t h at yo u need
to k n ow re gard i ng t h e readin g list an d exam
fo r m at.
G o a l s for th e comp rehensive exa m
O u r exa m i s de s i gn ed to allow st udent s to
d e m o ns trate that t h ey can do t h e fo llow ing :
• Pl a ce a nd exa min e tex t s wit h in t h eo re tic al,
c r i t i ca l, a nd/ or histo r ical co ntex t s
• Wr i te c le a r ly an d persuasively in resp o ns e to
q u es ti ons a bou t tex t s f ro m var io us genres
• Us e e v i de nce i n a way t h at is lo gical,
o rg a n i ze d, a nd et h ical.
Ide a B e h in d th e Comp rehensive Exa m in a t io n
any g enre, inc l u ding po etr y, es s ays, n ove l s,
s ho r t s to r ies, am o ng o ther s, and f ro m a ny s ub dis c ipl ine in E ng l is h s tu dies. E ac h gra d uate
s tu dent s ho u l d s el ec t his /her 5 titl e s i n
co nj u nc tio n w ith a m ento r o r m ento r s ; h e o r
s he w il l then s u bm it thes e titl es v ia e - m a i l to
the gradu ate co o rdinato r fo r approva l at l e a s t
60 d ays b e fo re t a k ing t he ex a m .
The reading l is t t y pic al l y var ies l ittl e f ro m ye a r
to year, al tho u g h there m ay be c han g e s. Th e
new l is t fo r the f al l s em es ter w il l be ava i l a b l e
o n the webs ite by Febr u ar y o f that s a m e ye a r.
Stu dents w il l need to pu rc has e the p re c i s e
editio ns o f the tex ts l is ted. O ther tex t s w i l l b e
avail abl e v ia P DF.
Wh o Sh o uld Ta ke t h e Exa m?
Stu dents w il l be el igibl e to tak e the
co m prehens ive exam inatio n af ter com p l e t i n g
at l eas t 18 ho u r s o f co u r s ewo r k . Stu d e nt s m us t
pas s the exam befo re gradu ating.
At U NC W, e ve r y master ’s can didate must
p a ss a com pre hen sive ex amin at io n cove r ing
hi s o r he r fi e ld o f st udy. Wh at do we in the
E ng l i s h D e pa r tment h o p e t h at yo u’ ll ga in by
d o i ng s o? Whi le t h ere is n o such t h in g as a
t r u ly com pre he n sive readin g list, f acult y have
c h o s e n tex ts that h ave o n go in g cr it ical and
c u l t ural s i gni fi c an ce wit h in t h e f ield o f E ng l is h
s t u d i e s as i t i s bro adly co n ceived. D ur ing the
ex a m, you may b e called upo n to ex plain,
a na ly ze, s y nthe s ize, an d mak e co n n ec t io ns
b et we e n a nd amo n g t h ese tex t s. Th ese s k il l s
wi l l se r ve we ll as yo u f in ish t h e pro gram and
co ns i de r fu ture career p at h s. M o reover, this
ex a m for mat gi ves yo u a ch an ce to be invo l ved
i n t h e c re ati on o f t h e readin g list : in additio n
to t h e li s t a ll s tudent s wit h in a co h o r t w il l
s ha re, you wi ll have a ch an ce to selec t tex ts
t hat wi ll be us e ful fo r yo ur o n go in g st udies.
Re a din g Lis t
G ra d uate s tu d e nt s will read 20 tex t s ch o s en
by co mmi tte e an d 5 tex t s t h at t h ey selec t
t he ms e lve s to complement t h e readin g l is t.
B o t h the li s t of 20 an d t h e list o f 5 may be in
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W h en a n d wh e re w ill the exa m b e offere d?
Wh o Gra des t h e Exa m?
St u d e nts s hou ld elec t to t ake t h e ex am in
e i t he r the fall or spr in g semester. Th e exam
wi l l be four hou rs given in a co mp uter
c l a ss room on c a mpus an d pro c to red by the
G ra d uate Coordi n ato r. I n t h e f all semester,
t he exa m wi ll be given o n t h e t h ird Fr iday
a f te r n oon i n S e ptemb er. I n t h e sp r in g
s e m es te r, the exam will b e admin istered o n
t he fir s t Fr i day af ter n o o n in Februar y.
Three exam iner s w il l be rando m l y s e l e c te d
f ro m m em ber s o f the gradu ate f ac u l t y w h o a re
teac hing co u r s es in the c u r rent s c ho o l ye a r.
Fo r ma t
St u d e nts wi ll be allowed to b r in g all reading
li st tex ts i nc lu d i ng PDF pr int o ut s to t he
co m pre he ns i ve ex am. Th ese tex t s may b e
a nno t ate d, but n o addit io n al b o o k s o r p aper s
s ho u l d be brou g ht. St udent s may also b r ing a
wr i t i ng u te ns i l for t ak in g n o tes; scrap p aper
wi l l be prov i de d.
Th e exam wi ll con sist o f three prompts ;
s t u d e nts mus t an swer all t h ree p ro mpt s
t ho ro ughly for th eir ex am to be sco red.
• Two prompts will be fo cused sin gle -tex t
q u es ti ons AND / OR gen eral quest io n s t hat as k
s t u d e nts to c hoo se tex t s to mak e an arg u m ent.
• O ne prom pt wi ll ask st udent s to acco unt fo r
t he se le c ti on of t h eir 5 addit io n al tex t s. I n this
re sp o ns e, s tude nt s sh o uld lin k t h eir ch os en
tex t s to the broader list.
Fin a l Result s
The three es s ays are graded Pas s /Fai l by t h e
exam inatio n co m m ittee, w ith a co ns e n s us
o f t wo m em ber s needed fo r a dec is i o n .
G rading is do ne ano ny m o u s l y, w ith s t ud e nt
nam es rem oved f ro m paper s. Stu dent s w i l l
be info r m ed in w r iting by the G raduate
Co o rdinato r abo u t w hether o r no t th e y h ave
pas s ed the exam inatio n. I n acco rdan ce w i t h
G radu ate S c ho o l po l ic y, a s tu dent w h o d o e s
no t pas s m u s t wait u ntil the nex t s e m e s te r
befo re retak ing the exam inatio n. N o s t ud e nt
m ay tak e the exam a third tim e w ith o ut
per m is s io n o f the G radu ate Co o rdinato r,
the D epar tm ent C hair, and the D ean o f t h e
G radu ate S c ho o l.
Unl es s there are c harg es o f rac ial, s ex ua l, o r
o ther fo r m s o f dis c r im inatio n, o r c h a rg e s o f
im pro per pro cedu res, w hic h al l eg ed l y h ave
l ed to a f ail ed exam inatio n, s tu dent s m ay
no t appeal u ntil they have retak en t h e ex a m .
Appeal s m ade af ter a s eco nd f ail u re o f t h e
exam inatio n w il l be handl ed in k eep i n g w i t h
po l ic ies es tabl is hed by the G radu ate Co un c i l
and approved by the D ean o f the G ra d uate
S c ho o l and the Provo s t.
Pr epa ra tion
St u d e nts s hou ld read an d st udy all tex t s o n
t he readi ng li s t. Th e ex am quest io n s wil l
p ro mpt s tu d e nts to co ntex t ualize t h e tex ts by
d e m o ns trati ng an awaren ess o f t h eir h is to r ic al,
t he o re ti c al, and /o r cr it ical co ntex t s.
St u d e nts mi ght p repare to an swer t h e
q u es ti ons on the ex am by readin g casebo o k s,
c r i t i ca l e d i ti ons, an d/o r sch o larsh ip abou t
t he tex ts. I n addit io n , do in g so me readi ng
a b o u t the pe r i od in wh ich t h e tex t is wr itten
wi l l als o be u s e ful. St udent s might co n s u l t
t he h i s tor i c a l i nt ro duc t io n s in st an dard
a nt hologi e s for t h is p ur p o se.
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Th esis G u idelines and Pro cess
Stu dents c an el ec t to pu r s u e a thes i s o r n o n thes is o ptio n; the def au l t o ptio n is n o n - t h e s i s.
Stu dents w ho dec ide to w r ite a thesi s s h o ul d
fo l l ow the g u idel ines bel ow.
Thesis Committee
Stu dents s ho u l d begin to think abo u t
devel o ping a fo c u s fo r their thes is a n d
co nf ig u r ing the thes is co m m ittee du r i n g
their s eco nd s em es ter o f co u r s ewo r k . Af te r
co ns u l ting w ith a nu m ber o f gradu ate
f ac u l t y and fo r m u l ating a fo c u s that c a n
b e a r ti c u late d br ief ly in wr it in g, st udents
s ho u l d re q u e s t to meet wit h a memb er o f the
gra d uate fa c ult y an d ask t h em to ser ve as
t he chai r of the i r t h esis adviso r y co mmi ttee.
B e ca us e the c hair will be t h e st udent ’s m ento r
d u r i n g the wr i ti ng o f t h e t h esis, st udents
s ho u l d s e le c t a ch air wit h wh o m t h ey h ave a
g o o d wor k i ng relat io n sh ip an d f ro m wh o m
t he y c a n re ce i ve co n st ruc t ive feedback .
I n co ns ultati on w it h t h e t h esis direc to r, the
s t u d e nt wi ll s e lec t t wo addit io n al memb er s o f
t he t h e s i s a d v i s or y co mmit tee; o n e mem ber
m ay be from ou tside t h e En glish D ep ar tm ent,
i f a p propr i ate. I f a st udent ch an ges h is/
he r are a of concent rat io n in t h e pro cess o f
p rep ar i ng the thesis, a n ew t h esis direc to r,
who w i ll ac t a s c h air o f t h e co mmit tee, s ho u l d
b e fo und. To for malize t h is ch an ge, st ud ents
ne ed to comple te t h e requisite Ch an ge o f
Th es i s D i re c tor fo r m, wh ich can be fo un d o n
t he MA program web site (ht t p : //w w w. unc w.
e d u /e ngli s h/ gra duate/t h esis. ht ml).
Th e t he s i s commit tee will read an d co m m ent
o n d ra f ts of the th esis an d admin ister t he
o ra l de fe ns e of t h e t h esis. Th e decisio n o f
t he com m i tte e con cer n in g t h e st udent ’s
p er for ma nce d u r in g t h e o ral defen se is f inal.
Thesis Proposal
Th e t he s i s s hou ld b e p ro po sed as so o n as
p o s s i ble a f te r passin g t h e co mpreh en sive
ex a mi nati on; i t may be pro p o sed so o n e r, if
t he to pi c i s d e fi nite an d t h e t h esis advis o r y
co m mi tte e be li e ves do in g so is app ro pr iate.
Th e propos a l s ho uld be develo p ed in
co ns ultati on wi th t h e ch air an d t h esis a dv is o r y
co m mi tte e ; the t h esis adviso r y co mmit tee
wi l l si gni fy i ts ap proval o f t h e p ro po sal by
s i gni n g a cove r sh eet an d givin g a co py o f the
a p p rove d proposal an d sign ed cover sheet to
t he Gra d u ate Coordin ato r, wh o will p lace it
i n t h e s tu d e nt ’s f ile. Th e cover sh eet can be
o b t a i ne d from the depar t ment website:
http://w w w.unc w.e du/english/graduate/thesis.html
The for mat of th e pro p o sal is as fo llows:
1. Propos a ls are gen erally t h ree to f ive
p age s long a nd in clude a st atement o f the
re s e a rc h q ue st io n ; a descr ipt io n o f the
t he ore ti c al ap pro ach an d/o r met h o d o l o gies
e mploye d; a nd so me in dicat io n o f t h e
antic ipated s tr u c tu re/o rg anization o f t h e
f inis hed thes is. The pro po s al s houl d a l s o
s tipu l ate the fo r m that the pro j ec t w i l l
tak e. Final l y, the pro po s al s ho u l d ex p l a i n
to reader s c l ear l y and s u cc inc tl y w h at t h e
s tu dent ho pes to dem o ns trate th ro ug h
w r iting the thes is.
2 . A wo r k ing bibl io graphy o f appro p r i ate
l eng th that inc l u des rel evant s eco n d a r y a s
wel l as pr im ar y s o u rces.
3 . A tim el ine o f s ignif ic ant m il es to n e s i n
the res earc h and w r iting pro ces s a n d t h e
approxim ate dates o f their co m p l e t i o n .
Writing, Revising, Defending and Submitting
the Thesis
I n g eneral, s tu dents w r ite their these s d ur i n g
their l as t t wo s em es ter s in the MA p ro gra m .
D u r ing eac h s em es ter, s tu dents s houl d re gi s te r
fo r three ho u r s o f E N G 59 9: Thes is. ENG 5 9 9
s ho u l d be treated as a reg u l ar co u r se a n d
s tu dents s ho u l d s pend s ignif ic ant ti m e e a c h
week do ing res earc h and w r iting in o rd e r to
co m pl ete their pro j ec ts in a tim el y fa s h i o n .
I n co nj u nc tio n w ith devel o ping thei r t h e s i s
pro po s al, s tu dents s ho u l d devel o p a s c h e d ul e
fo r co m pl eting draf ts o f s ec tio ns o f t h e t h e s i s.
K eeping to this s c hedu l e aids in s u cce s s f ul
co m pl etio n o f the pro j ec t. Thes is dire c to r s
s ho u l d res po nd to draf ts o f the s ec t i o n s o f
the thes is as they are w r itten, and s t ud e nt s
s ho u l d be prepared to addres s the ch a i r ’s
res po ns e thro u g h s ignif ic ant rev is io n s, w h i c h
m ay req u ire rew r iting, f u r ther res ea rc h , a n d
even reco ns ideratio n o f s o m e po r tio n s o f
their arg u m ents. Stu dents s ho u l d not co n s i d e r
f ir s t ver s io ns o f their thes is s ec tio ns a s f i n a l
ver s io ns. I n s o m e c as es, o ther m em b e r s o f t h e
adv is o r y co m m ittee m ay want to s ee e a r l i e r
draf ts o f s ec tio ns. Stu dents s ho u l d wo r k w i t h
al l m em ber s o f their co m m ittee to l e a r n a n d
m eet their expec tatio ns in this reg a rd.
The l eng th o f the thes is s ho u l d be a gre e d
u po n bet ween the s tu dent and their c h a i r.
Thes es g eneral l y rang e bet ween 5 0- 7 0 p a g e s
in l eng th.
Once the thes is has been draf ted an d re vi s e d,
s tu dents s ho u l d give the rev is ed vers i o n s to
the o ther t wo m em ber s o f the co m mi t te e.
Lorem Ipsum 2010 - Dolor 555-5555
8
Th e com m i tte e sh o uld receive t h e revised
d ra f t no late r than a mo nt h befo re t h e end o f
c l a ss e s i n the s e mester in wh ich t h e st udent
p l a n s to gra d u ate. B ecause t h e readers m ay
have fu r the r s u g gest io n s fo r ret h in k in g and
re vi si on, fai lure to allow t h em ample t ime to
re sp o nd to the thesis may result in t h e del ay
o f a stu d e nt ’s oral defen se an d graduatio n.
Stu dents s ho u l d give their adv is o r y
co m m ittees a c l ean and rev is ed co py o f t h e
thes is at l eas t t wo week s befo re the t h e s i s
defens e. As s u m ing that the thes is de fe n s e i s
s u cces s f u l, the s tu dent w il l have a we e k o r
t wo to co m pl ete additio nal rev is io ns b e fo re
the G radu ate S c ho o l ’s f inal deadl ine fo r
s u bm is s io n o f approved thes es.
A d ra f t of the thesis must be sub mit ted to
t he Gra d u ate S c ho o l fo r fo r mat t in g app roval,
to g e t he r wi th a Fo r mat App roval Sh eet
( fo u n d at http:/ / w w w. un c w. edu/gradsch o o l /
t he si s.html) ; the deadlin e each semester is
a nno unce d at the Graduate S ch o o l web s ite,
u s u a lly the e nd o f M arch fo r Sp r in g gra du ates
a nd t he m i d d le of November fo r D ecember
gra d uate s. Thi s draf t submissio n is ch ec k ed fo r
p ro p er for matti n g; co ntent is n o t reviewed at
t hi s ti me.
I f the c hair o r adv is o r y co m m ittee me m b e r s
indic ate that the thes is is no t defens i b l e,
they m ay as k the s tu dent to do f u r th e r
rev is io ns and po s tpo ne the defens e unt i l t h e
nex t s em es ter. S c hedu l ing the defen s e d o e s
no t im pl y that the thes is is ready to d e fe n d
o r im pl y a req u irem ent fo r the co m mi t te e
m em ber s to s ign- o f f o n the thes is. Th e c h a i r
and the co m m ittee s ho u l d ho l d the d e fe n s e
o nl y w hen the pro j ec t is co m pl ete. Gra d uate
f ac u l t y s ho u l d no t be pres s u red by t h e s t ud e nt
o r the s tu dent ’s c hair to s ign o f f o n a t h e s i s
that they do no t bel ieve is co m pl ete.
A m o nth pr i or to t h e en d o f t h e semeste r,
s t u d e nts s hou ld also sch edule a date an d tim e
fo r t h e i r the s i s defen ses in co n sult at io n w ith
t he i r c hai r s a nd adviso r y co mmit tees. The
s t u d e nt or the c h air sh o uld fo r mally res er ve
a ro o m for the defen se wit h t h e h elp o f the
o ffi ce s taff. Thi s date sh o uld adh ere to the
G ra d uate S c hool ’s deadlin e fo r co mp let io n o f
o ra l de fe ns e s, wh ich usually st ip ulates the f ir s t
o f D ece m be r for Fall graduates an d mid-Apr il
fo r S pr i ng graduates.
9
Lorem Ipsum 2010 - Dolor 2005 555-5555
The s tu dent ’s per fo r m ance at the the s i s
defens e is eval u ated by the co m m itte e a n d
f ac to r s into their as s es s m ent o f the s ucce s s f ul
co m pl etio n o f the wo r k fo r the MA d e gre e.
The fo r m at fo r the pres entatio n and t h e
defens e s ho u l d be devel o ped in co n j un c t i o n
w ith the s tu dent, their c hair, and th e a d vi s o r y
co m m ittee. The dec is io n o f the co m m i t te e
co ncer ning the s tu dent ’s per fo r m an ce d ur i n g
the o ral defens e is f inal.
General Information
E ma i l Acco u nt s and Cont ac t informatio n
Teac hin g Assistantsh ips and I nter ns hips
E m a i l i s the mos t reliable mean s o f st ay ing
i n to uc h wi th colleagues an d fo r get t in g
i n fo r m ati on about deadlin es, imp o r t ant
a nno unce m e nts, an d upco min g event s fro m
t he D e par tme nt o f En glish an d t h e un iver s it y.
St u d e nts s hou ld ch eck t h eir U NC W ema il
a cco unts re gula r ly so as n o t to miss imp o r tant
i n fo r m ati on.
The G radu ate S c ho o l g eneral l y gives t h e
E ng l is h D epar tm ent el even Teac hing
As s is tants hips fo r the ac adem ic yea r.
Thes e as s is tants hips are awarded by t h e
D epar tm ent ’s G radu ate Co m m ittee to En g l i s h
MA s tu dents o n a co m petitive bas is.
Pl ea s e gi ve D onn a Car lto n in t h e main E ng l is h
o ffi ce you r loc a l address, U NC W email a ddres s,
a nd phone numb er an d n o t if y h er o f chang es
i n yo ur contac t i n fo r mat io n .
U N C W O n e Ca rd
E a c h graduate s t udent will receive a U N C W
O ne Ca rd at or i e nt at io n (a p h o to o f yo ur c ho ice
c a n b e s ubm i tte d usin g t h e U NC W On e Card
o n l i ne s ubm i s s i on o p t io n at ht t p : //myse apo r t.
u nc w.e d u ) . The On e Card is n o t o n ly yo ur ID,
i t a l so allows you access to campus f acil ities,
u ni ver s i t y s e r v i ces an d event s, t h e lib rar y,
m e a l plans or food do llars, f ree r ides o n
S e a h awk Shuttle an d WAVE buses, an d m u c h
m o re be s i d e s. S ee ht t p: //un c w. edu/o n ec ard/
fo r more i nfor m at io n .
M a i l b oxe s
E a c h graduate s t udent h as a mailbox within
t he D e par tme nt o f En glish lo cated in t he
co r r i dor be hi nd t h e Facult y Co mmo n s. I f
s t u d e nts c annot f in d t h eir mailb ox o r h ave no t
b ee n a s s i gne d a mailb ox , t h ey sh o uld no tif y
t he o ffi ce s ta ff as so o n as p o ssib le.
St u d e nts s hou ld ch eck t h eir mailb oxes
fre q ue ntly. Any in fo r mat io n t h at do es no t
g o o ut ove r e ma il will be placed in t h e
d e p a r tm e ntal m ailb ox ; in addit io n , t h e
m a i l box are a i s a site fo r t h e p o st in g o f c al l s
fo r p ape r s a nd i nfo r mat io n o n n ew co ur s e
o ffer i ngs. G ra d u ate st udent s do n o t h ave
m a i l boxe s i n the War wick Center ; all gra du ate
s t u d e nt m ai l wi ll co me to t h e D ep ar t me nt.
Fo r s tu dents w ho are no t TAs bu t woul d
l ik e to acq u ire teac hing exper ience, s o m e
gradu ate teac hing inter ns hips are ava i l a b l e
at edu c atio nal ins titu tio ns in the Wi l m i n g to n
area fo r s eco nd-year s tu dents w ho h ave
ear ned at l eas t 18 ho u r s o f gradu ate co ur s e
wo r k .
O ther k inds o f inter ns hips are al s o ava i l a b l e to
s tu dents. Stu dents m ay ear n three c re d i t s fo r
a o ne -s em es ter gradu ate inter ns hip, a n d s o m e
inter ns hips al s o c ar r y a s tipend. The G ra d uate
Co o rdinato r and I nter ns hip Co o rdinato r w i l l
wo r k w ith interes ted s tu dents to dec i d e o n a n
appro pr iate inter ns hip venu e and s u p e r vi s o r.
Stu dents s ho u l d m eet w ith the Co o rd i n ato r
wel l befo re the s em es ter in w hic h th e y h o p e to
regis ter fo r an inter ns hip. The necess a r y fo r m s
fo r regis ter ing fo r an inter ns hip are ava i l a b l e
f ro m the G radu ate Co o rdinato r.
I n additio n to Teac hing As s is tants hip s, U NC W
has a var iet y o f G radu ate As s is tants h i p s
avail abl e thro u g h the Div is io n o f Stud e nt
Af f air s. Thes e as s is tants hips are u s u a l l y 2 0
ho u r s per week and u s u al l y invo l ve wo r k i n g
f ro m Au g u s t 1 thro u g h M ay 3 0; fo r mo re
info r m atio n, co ntac t the Div is io n o f St ud e nt
Af f air s at 96 2-3 11 7 o r s ee the G raduate S c h o o l
webs ite u nder Cu r rent Stu dents.
Employment
The Career S er v ices O f f ice in the Un i ve r s i t y
Unio n has a web s ite co ntaining o n- a n d o f f c am pu s em pl oy m ent info r m atio n (ht t p :/ /
w w w. u nc w. edu /c areer /). Hu m an R eso urce s
al s o pu bl is hes o n- c am pu s j o b o peni n g s o n
their webs ite (http: //w w w. u nc w. edu / h r /
em pl oy m ent. htm l ).
Lorem Ipsum 2010 - Dolor 555-5555
10
B e fo re you s e e k an d accep t employment, k eep
i n m i nd that ta k in g t h ree graduate co urs es in
a s e me s te r i s re quired fo r f ull-t ime st atu s and
i s ver y ti m e - consumin g.
G ra d uate s tu d e nt s sh o uld also allow
t he ms e lve s s uffi cient t ime to t ak e p ar t in
c a m p u s ac ti v i ti es, sh are ideas wit h o t h e r
s t u d e nts a nd wi th p ro fesso rs o ut side o f the
c l a ss room , u s e the librar y, at ten d lec t ures,
a nd pa r ti c i pate in co n feren ces. Par t icip ating
i n t h es e ac ti v i ti es b eco mes mo re dif f icul t fo r
s t u d e nts who wo r k lo n g h o urs o f f campu s. To
g et t he m os t out o f yo ur graduate educatio n
at UN C W, we re commen d t h at yo u n o t co m m it
to m o re than 20 h o urs o f employment if yo u
a re t ak i ng thre e classes per semester.
E s t a b l i s h i n g Resid enc y
G ra d uate s tu d e nt s wh o move h ere f ro m o u t
o f st ate s pe c i fi c ally to go to sch o o l are l ik el y
to b e cons i d e re d o ut- o f -st ate st udent s du r ing
t he i r graduate s ch o o l careers. I n o rder to
d e m o ns trate their intent io n to remain in
N o r t h Ca roli na an d b eco me a resident, thu s
q u a l i fy i ng for i n-st ate t uit io n , st udent s need
to b e gi n to e s ta blish residen c y immediatel y by
d o i ng the followin g:
Thes e ac tio ns begin the o ne -year (1 2 m o nt h )
waiting per io d to attain res idenc y. Th e
G radu ate S c ho o l ’s webs ite o f fer s in- d e p t h
info r m atio n o n the res idenc y pro cess ( ht t p :/ /
w w w. u nc w. edu /grads c ho o l /ins tatere s i d e n c y.
htm l ).
G radu ate Eng lish Asso c iatio n and
G radu ate Stu dent Asso c iatio n
There are t wo c am pu s as s o c iatio ns t h at s e r ve
gradu ate s tu dents. The G radu ate E ng l i s h
As s o c iatio n (G E A) is o pen o nl y to D e p a r t m e nt
o f E ng l is h gradu ate s tu dents. The G EA h o l d s
reg u l ar m eeting s, reading s, and s o ci a l e ve nt s.
The G E A m ay al s o s po ns o r co nference s a n d
wo r k w ith f ac u l t y to devel o p pres ent at i o n s
and wo r k s ho ps rel evant to gradu ate s t ud e nt s.
N ew s tu dents w il l receive info r m ation f ro m
G E A o f f icer s abo u t how to j o in and a b o ut t h e
l o c atio n and tim es o f m eeting s and e ve nt s.
3. R e gi s te r to vo te in No r t h Caro lin a and vo te
The G radu ate Stu dent As s o c iatio n (GS A)
is dedic ated to im prov ing the l ives of a l l
s tu dents s eek ing a gradu ate degree at U NC W.
The G S A wo r k s to m ak e the co ncer n s a n d
interes ts o f the gradu ate s tu dent po p ul at i o n
a dr iv ing fo rce in the u niver s it y. The G S A
repres ents the g eneral interes ts o f gra d uate
s tu dents, no t indiv idu al depar tm ent s. Th e
G S A has been res po ns ibl e fo r the c re at i o n
o f the gradu ate co m pu ter l ab in the l i b ra r y
and s po ns o r s a pro gram to br ing s p e a k e r s to
c am pu s to dis c u s s gradu ate s tu dent co n ce r n s.
M o re info r m atio n abo u t the G S A c an b e fo un d
o n their webs ite (http: //s tu dent. u nc w.e d u/
o rg /g s a/).
4. L i st your pe r so n al pro p er t y at t h e New
G radu ate Stu dent Travel G rants
1. Conve r t your auto mo b ile regist rat io n to
N o r th Ca roli na
2. O bta i n a N or th Caro lin a Dr iver ’s Lice ns e
( or N C Id e nti ficat io n Card f ro m t h e D r iver ’s
L i ce ns e offi ce)
whe n pos s i ble
H anove r Cou nt y Tax O f f ice fo r t ax at i o n
5. Fi le a Nor th Caro lin a t ax ret ur n as a
re s i d e nt at the n ex t ap pro p r iate t ime
6. Conve r t your b an k in g, club /o rgan izatio n
m e m be r s hi p, etc. , to No r t h Caro lin a
11
Lorem Ipsum 2010 - Dolor 2005 555-5555
There are s everal t y pes o f f u nding ava i l a b l e
to hel p s u ppo r t gradu ate -s tu dent trave l to
pres ent paper s at pro fes s io nal co nfe re n ce s.
I n g eneral, rec ipients are no t per m it te d to
“do u bl e - dip,” i. e. , s tu dents m ay no t us e m o re
than o ne o f the fo l l ow ing t y pes o f gra nt s to
cover a par tic u l ar tr ip.
Lorem Ipsum 2010 - Dolor 555-5555
12
R e s o u rce s a n d Contac t I nform ation
The Career Center
Fi s he r Uni ve r s i t y U n io n , R o o m 2035
9 6 2 -3174
ht t p : / / w w w.unc w. edu/career/
Graduate Computer Lab and Study Room
R a n dall L i bra r y, 2n d Flo o r
The Graduate School
J a m e s H a ll, 2nd Flo o r
9 6 2 -3202
St a ff li s ti ng:
ht t p : / / w w w.unc w. edu/gradsch o o l/
co nt ac ts.html
Office of the Registrar
J a m e s H a ll, 1s t Flo o r
9 6 2 -3125
ht t p : / / w w w.unc w. edu/reg/
Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid
K i n g H all, 2nd Flo o r
9 6 2 -3177
ht t p : / / w w w.unc w. edu/f in aid/
Student Health Center
D e Paolo H all, 2nd f lo o r
9 6 2 -3280
ht t p : / / w w w.unc w. edu/st uaf f /h ealt h ser v ices /
Student Affiars Counseling Center
D e Paolo H all, 2nd f lo o r
9 6 2 -3746
ht t p : / / w w w.unc w. edu/st uaf f /co un selin g/
Information Technology Systems Division
H o g g ard H all, 1s t Flo o r
9 6 2 -4357 ( 962- H ELP)
ht t p : / / w w w.unc w. edu/it sd/
TAC ( Te c h n olo gy Asssista nce Center)
R a n dall L i bra r y, 1st Flo o r
t a c @ u nc w.e du
13
Lorem Ipsum 2010 - Dolor 2005 555-5555
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formats for people with disabilities. Direct requests to:
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University of North Carolina Wilmington
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Department of English
G r a d ua te S tu d e nt Hand b o o k