Literature Program - Subplans

American Studies | Composition & Rhetoric and Professional Writing

American Studies

American Studies is a vital and diverse community of scholars whose work shares:

• a focus on the societies and cultures of the United States or the Western Hemisphere, and
• a commitment to interdisciplinary study, to understanding the importance of the questions that scholars in other fields ask and to developing a sensitivity to resonances among work in different fields of inquiry that may disclose some more fundamental truth about American society, culture, or thought
  

Thus, American Studies is also a wonderful opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about American cultures and societies. It is ideal for anyone who is considering a career (or is already working!) in government or non-governmental public service, law, journalism, and especially for teachers of American literature, American history, and social studies.

At UHCL, American Studies exists as a concentration within the Master of Arts degrees in Humanities and Literature that offers the option to organize your coursework by focus, as well as by discipline.

Some of your seminars will be interdisciplinary (like the recent seminar, "'Race' in American Writing," which studied the development of the concept of race in the natural and social sciences, law, literature, and nonfiction genres, as well as recent critical work by American Studies scholars). Other seminars will be taught from the perspective of one discipline: Anthropology, Art History, History, Humanities, Literature, or Sociology.

The grounding in other disciplines that you gain will make you a more genuinely interdisciplinary thinker. If you are an educator, interdisciplinary skills will expand the boundaries of your subject area, increasing the possibilities for collaborative teaching and integrated curricula.

Requirements

The sub-plan in American Studies provides a broad understanding of the relationship between American literature, history and culture. It prepares students to study for the Ph.D. in American Studies or Literature or to pursue careers in government or foreign service. Students complete the requirements of the Literature degree and include the following in their plans: LITR 5132 Literary Theory Two courses from LITR 5535, LITR 5536, LITR 5537, LITR 5538, LITR 5731, LITR 5733, ANTH 5032 or HIST 5035 One course with American (Western Hemisphere) content from ANTH, ARTS, SOCI, HIST, HUMN, PHIL, WMST. Note: One of the above courses must be in ANTH or SOCI.

 

Composition & Rhetoric and Professional Writing

Students may obtain an M.A. in Literature with an emphasis in Composition and Rhetoric or Professional Writing. The Composition and Rhetoric Sub-Plan prepares students to teach composition at the community college and university levels. The Professional Writing Sub-Plan prepares students for positions as business, science and technical writers.

Students may obtain an M.A. in Literature with an emphasis in Composition and Rhetoric or Professional Writing. The Composition and Rhetoric Sub-Plan prepares students to teach composition at the community college and university levels. The Professional Writing Sub-Plan prepares students for positions as business, science and technical writers.

Composition and Rhetoric Sub-Plan

Required Courses (9 hours total)

• LITR 5130 — Composition: Theory and Practice—Required

Six additional units from any of the following:

• LITR 5037 — Writing for the Technical Professions
• LITR 5038 — Writing for the Business Professions
• LITR 5039 — Editing
• LITR 5131 — Studies in Composition & Rhetoric (variable topics)
• LITR 5739 — Writing Center Practicum and one semester tutoring in Writing Center
• LITR 6739 — Graduate Internship

Professional Writing Sub-Plan

Required Courses Select 9 hours from the following courses:

• LITR 5036 — Public Relations Writing
• LITR 5037 — Writing for the Technical Professions
• LITR 5038 — Writing for the Business Professions
• LITR 5039 — Editing
• LITR 5131 — Studies in Composition and Rhetoric (recommended for students who plan to teach Professional Writing)