last modified:2007-12-13 16:36:14
Graduate Program
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Graduate Program Mission Statement
The graduate program in the Department of English has a long tradition of fostering both scholarly and creative inquiry. Our faculty in literature and cultural studies is nationally prominent, and our PhD program in Literature and Creative Writing was recently ranked among the top five in the nation by The Atlantic Monthly. The department also offers an MFA in Creative Writing (fiction and poetry), MA and PhD degrees in British and American Literature, an interdisciplinary MA and PhD in American Studies, and a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition. MA students in all programs may work toward an emphasis in Rhetoric and Composition.
By contrast with many similar departments, students in our graduate program are not segregated by field and take many of the same courses together. Accordingly they benefit throughout their course of study from the insights of students with different knowledge, critical skills, and experience. Students also benefit from a diverse and intellectually rigorous course of study. Particular faculty interests and strengths include nineteenth- and twentieth-century American Literature, Renaissance and modern British literature, critical theory, and creative writing. Our highly regarded creative writing faculty is especially notable for its diversity of approaches, ranging from avant-garde poetry and experimental novels, to more formalist poetics and realist fiction. In conjunction with the College of Humanities' program in Environmental Humanities, students may pursue interests in environmental literature and literature of the American West. The English department maintains close ties with other programs, departments, and centers at the University of Utah, notably Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, and the Tanner Humanities Center.
Students enjoy rich intellectual and creative opportunities outside of the classroom as well. The department houses two highly respected journals--The Western Humanities Review and Quarterly West--both of which afford students many opportunities to gain editorial experience. Students run the Working Dog reading series, which features graduate student writers in the department, and contribute to the very successful Confatuti Humanities Graduate Student Conference. The department regularly hosts visiting scholars and writers. Recent visitors have included the scholars Stephen Greenblatt, Geoffrey Hartman, Jonathan Arac, Christopher Lane, Marjorie Perloff, Virginia Jackson, Walter Benn Michaels, Sharon Cameron, and J. Paul Hunter; and poets and fiction writers Susan Howe, Ron Carlson, Grace Paley, Jorie Graham, Richard Powers, Janette Turner Hospital, Mark Strand, Edward P. Jones, Brian Evenson, Robert Haas, and Chris Abani. The University of Utah is one of the sites for the Tanner Lectures on Human Values and hosts the biennial Symposium on Science and Literature. Salt Lake City is a beautiful and livable city, with affordable housing, a thriving arts scene, and some of the very best outdoor recreational opportunities in the world. The world-renowned Sundance Film Festival takes place every January in nearby Park City.
All PhD students, and many of our MA and MFA students, receive a comprehensive support package, and gain valuable pedagogical training and experience to complement their scholarly profile. As a result, our students have been very successful on the academic job market. Recent PhD graduates of our program have gone on to tenure-track positions in English and Creative Writing at notable universities and liberal arts colleges, including the University of Alabama, the University of Rhode Island, Bowling Green State University, Denison University, Brigham Young University, the University of Wyoming, Boise State University, Western Washington University, Lawrence University, the University of North Dakota, New Mexico State University, Idaho State University, and California State University at San Bernardino. Students from the program publish widely in top scholarly and creative journals, and have been the recipients of major awards, including NEA grants, AWP Intro Awards, and the Barrow Street Book Contest.
Further information about the English Department, including current graduate course descriptions and information about faculty interests and publications, as well as application instructions, may be found on the graduate section of the department web site. Please do not hesitate to contact the Director of Graduate Studies or the Graduate Assistant (801-581-7131) with any questions you may have.
For newcomer information and to learn about Utah, please click below:
http://web.utah.edu/graduate_school/why_utah/