2024-2025 University Catalog
English and Comparative Literature
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OFFICE: Arts and Letters 226
TELEPHONE: 619-594-5307 / FAX: 619-594-4998
E-MAIL: EandCL@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://literature.sdsu.edu
Undergraduate Information
The Major
The study of English and Comparative Literature today encompasses a wide range of materials and approaches to ways in which both students and established writers–past and present–may use language to express feelings, convey ideas, and give aesthetic pleasure. As one of the largest literature departments in California, SDSU’s can offer not only historical, analytical, sociopolitical and other approaches to literature and literary theory, but a variety of creative and expository writing classes as well.
English and Comparative Literature majors take 15 units of lower division preparatory work designed to provide students with a sense of the major questions in the discipline as well as to develop writing potential and analytical reading skills. More specialized upper division study encourages students to engage with diverse literary and cultural traditions and experiences. Students also have the opportunity to explore related media and to develop their own creative projects.
Students preparing to obtain the single subject credential in English take a “language arts” program in which courses in communication, journalism, linguistics, and theatre supplement major concentration in English.
The English and Comparative Literature minor requires twelve units of upper division study that can be tailored to individual requirements.
Teaching is one of the many career opportunities available to English and Comparative Literature graduates; the study of English and Comparative Literature is also good preparation for radio and television broadcasting, editing, writing, politics, film and library work, journalism, criticism, advertising, public information, public relations, and technical writing.
A study by the Modern Language Association, “English: The Pre-Professional Major,” shows that training in English and literature is valuable preparation for futures in law, medicine, business, and federal service.
SDSU Career Services has found that liberal arts graduates in general have profited both in terms of job availability and compensation in the shift from manufacturing to service in the United States economy.
English and Comparative Literature Major Honors
(Standard Major)
The honors program offers excellent students a variation of the major designed to engage them in work commensurate with their abilities. Honors students in the standard major will take two additional upper division courses appropriate for their field of interest, in which they must maintain an A- grade point average, and successfully complete an Honors Thesis (ECL 498 or ECL 499 or C LT 499 ). Generally, students will apply to this program in their junior year after they have completed at least nine units of lower division preparation for the major and nine units of upper division major requirements with an A- (3.7 GPA) and overall 3.5 GPA. Applicants must also submit an appropriate sample of their critical or creative work. Successful completion of the English and Comparative Literature honors program will be recognized at graduation.
English and Comparative Literature Major Honors
In preparation for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in English Language Arts With the B.A. Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences
The honors program offers excellent students a variation of the major designed to engage them in work commensurate with their abilities. Honors students in the English and Comparative Literature major in preparation for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in English Language Arts will convert nine [of the twelve units] of electives into two honors courses, in which they must maintain an A- grade point average, and successfully complete an Honors Thesis (ECL 498 or ECL 499 or C LT 499 ). Generally, students will apply to this program in their junior year after they have completed at least nine units of lower division preparation for the major and nine units of upper division major requirements with an A- (3.7 GPA) and overall 3.5 GPA. Applicants must also submit an appropriate sample of their critical or creative work. Successful completion of the English and Comparative Literature honors program will be recognized at graduation.
Advising
All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible; they are required to meet with their department adviser within the first two semesters after declaration or change of major.
Graduate Information
Associateships and Scholarships
Graduate teaching associateships and graduate assistantships are available to a limited number of qualified students. Teaching associates teaching English 100 and 200 must have completed Rhetoric and Writing Studies 609, attend Rhetoric and Writing Studies 796A during the first semester of their associateship, and have the consent of the RWS GTA program director. Applications and additional information are available from the graduate director and from the department office.
General Information
The Department of English and Comparative Literature offers graduate study leading to a Master of Arts in English and the Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. The M.A. is a 30-unit degree program particularly well-suited for students who anticipate further graduate work in a literature or rhetoric Ph.D. program or who intend to teach English in a community college or, after obtaining a credential, in a secondary school. The M.F.A. in creative writing is a 54-unit program which offers study in poetry or fiction with a balance between studio and academic, traditional and experimental, commercial and aesthetic approaches. The program has two stages–graduate seminars followed by intensive study with one or more professors in tutorials and manuscript preparation. The M.F.A. is a professional program intended for full-time students who wish to receive a terminal degree in creative writing. Each year, in addition to the resident faculty, the department invites approximately twenty writers and editors to the campus for readings and residencies.
The department offers a wide range of courses and approaches to the study of literature and writing, many of which are outlined in English 600, Introduction to Graduate Study, required of all entering M.A. students. Faculty publications in literature and rhetoric are similarly diverse. They include major literary biographies, historical studies, critical analysis from various current perspectives, reviews of and interviews with contemporary writers, as well as a broad spectrum of original poetry and fiction. The department also sponsors the literary periodicals Fiction International, Poetry International, and The Pacific Review.
Admission to Graduate Study
Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.
All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the Department of English and Comparative Literature.
Graduate Admissions
The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:
Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416
- Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended;
NOTE:
- Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
- Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
- English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).
Master of Arts Degree in English
The following materials should be submitted by February 1 for the fall semester to:
Department of English and Comparative Literature
(Attention: M.A. Program)
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-6020
- Three letters of recommendation from persons in a position to judge academic ability;
- A 750-1000 word statement of purpose;
- A 10-page writing sample from a previous literature course, preferably an analytical essay involving research.
Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.
All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the Department of English and Comparative Literature.
Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing
The following materials should be submitted by February 1 for the fall semester to:
Department of English and Comparative Literature
(Attention: M.F.A. Program)
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-6020
- A sample of creative work (15 poems or 30 pages of prose) to enable the creative writing faculty to assess the candidate’s suitability to pursue an M.F.A. in creative writing;
- A 750-1000 word statement of purpose;
- Three letters of recommendation.
Imperial Valley Information
Major Academic Plans (MAPs)
Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.
Faculty
Chair: Bailey, Quentin J., Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., University of Cape Town, South Africa; M.A., University of Oklahoma; Ph.D., University of Oxford, United Kingdom)
Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty:
Alcosser, Sandra B., Professor of English and Comparative Literature, M.F.A. Program Director (B.A., Purdue University; M.F.A., University of Montana)
Borgstrom, Michael K., Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., Santa Clara University; M.A., San Jose State University; Ph.D., University of California, Davis)
Brooks, Joanna M., Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Faculty Advancement (B.A., Brigham Young University; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles)
Champion, Laurie, Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., M.A., University of Texas; M.A., Ph.D., University of North Texas)
Falconer, Blas G., Professor of English and Comparative Literature (M.F.A., University of Maryland; Ph.D., University of Houston)
Herman, Peter C., Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., McGill University; M.A., Ph.D., Columbia University)
Howard, Yetta, Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., Boston University; M.A., Mills College; Ph.D., University of Southern California)
Martin, Stephen-Paul, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, M.F.A. Program Director, (A.B., Muhlenberg College; M.A., Ph.D., New York University)
Nericcio, William A., Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., University of Texas at Austin; M.A., Ph.D., Cornell University)
Pressman-Lupien, Jessica, Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., Brandeis University; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles)
Shumaker, Jeanette, Professor of English, SDSU Imperial Valley (B.A., University of Redlands; M.A., Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University)
Thomas, Joseph T., Jr., Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., M.A., Georgia Southern University; Ph.D., Illinois State University)
Bailey, Quentin J., Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Graduate Director (B.A., University of Cape Town, South Africa; M.A., University of Oklahoma; Ph.D., University of Oxford, United Kingdom)
Serrato, Phillip R., Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Riverside)
Daley, Lashon, Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., University of Miami; MFA, Sarah Lawrence College; MA and Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley)
de la Peña, Matt, Assistant Professor (B.A., University of the Pacific; M.F.A., San Diego State University)
Leong, Diana M., Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature (B.A., Willamette University; M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine)
Emeritus Faculty:
Adams, Elsie B., Ph.D., 1971-1994, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Allison, Alida L., Ph.D., 1990-2012, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Benson, Jackson J., Ph.D., 1966-1997, Professor of English
Boe, Alfred F., Ph.D., 1968-2003, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Brashear, Howard C., Ph.D., 1968-1992, Professor of English
Bumpus, Jerry D., M.F.A., 1971-1996, Professor of English [Senate Distinguished Professor]
Butler, Gerald J., Ph.D., 1968-2005, Professor of English
Chin, Marilyn M., M.F.A., 1987-2013, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Colquitt, Clare E., Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Davis, II, Glover T., M.F.A., 1966-2004, Professor of English
Farber, Gerald H., Ph.D., 1968-2004, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Galbraith, Mary, Ph.D., 1996-2020, Lecturer in English
Gervais, Ronald J., Ph.D., 1969-2010, Professor of English
Gregory, Sinda J., Ph.D., 1977-2005, except S’84, Professor of English
Griswold, Jerome J., Ph.D., 1980-2006, Professor of English
Hicks, Darlene Emily, Ph.D., Professor of English and Comparative Literature and Chicana and Chicano Studies
Jaffe, Harold, Ph.D., 1982-2019, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Kehler, Dorothea F., Ph.D., 1970-2001, Professor of English
Koolish, Lynda L., Ph.D., 1989-2010, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Matlin, David, Ph.D., 1997-2012, Professor of English
McCaffery, Lawrence F., Ph.D., 1976-2004, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
McLeod, Dan D., Ph.D., 1964-1993, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Monteverde, John P., Ph.D., 1954-1986, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Nelson, Thomas A., Ph.D., 1968-2000, Professor of English
Neumeyer, Peter F., Ph.D., 1978-1993, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Polkinhorn, Harry, Ph.D., 1984-2014, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Redding, Mary Worden, Ph.D., 1967-1983, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Redding, Robert W., Ph.D., 1966-1985, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Rogers, II, William N., Ph.D., 1968-2003, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Rother, James, Ph.D., 1969-2003, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Savvas, Minas, Ph.D., 1968-2001, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Scott, Carole A., Ph.D., 1969-2001, Dean, Undergraduate Studies; Professor of English
Sheres, Ita G., Ph.D., 1971-2001, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Shojai, Donald A., Ph.D., 1971-2002, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Vanderbilt, Kermit, Ph.D., 1962-1988, Professor of English and Comparative Literature [Senate Distinguished Professor]
Wall, Carey G., Ph.D., 1971-2002, Professor of English
Widmer, Kingsley, Ph.D., 1956-1991, Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Programs
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