Master of Arts in Literature

Optional areas of specialization:

• American Literature
• British Literature
• Comparative and World Literature
• Individualized Plan of Study

The MALit evening degree program allows students the opportunity to study literature at Northwestern University. Students may choose to focus their course work under the following specializations: American literature, British literature, comparative and world literature, or they may devise an independent plan of study. The program accommodates the often-hectic schedules of part-time graduate students while providing a rigorous academic experience. Courses are offered year-round on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses of Northwestern University.

The program provides a variety of courses every term, each one emphasizing the ways in which words matter in culture and encourages the students to develop their analytical and writing skills. Our distinguished and diverse faculty come from a wide range of academic areas, including comparative literature, French and Italian, Latin American studies, English, theater, classics, and African American studies. Each faculty member shares a commitment to teaching and research, and has experience working with nontraditional students.

By offering intensive discussions about the importance of literature to life, the MALit program gives students a foundation in critical thinking that is relevant to many goals - pursuing advanced degrees, improving secondary teaching, professional development, and more. The focus on critical interpretation develops awareness of how we shape and are shaped by language in multiple ways. This awareness, in turn, can illuminate not only fiction, drama, and poetry but also political speech, legal discourse, television advertising, and journalism. Finally, the MALit program offers students the opportunity to partake in the aesthetic challenge and pleasure of writing and reading - of experiencing the pleasure of insight into literary form, narrative, meaning, and shifting cultural contexts.

Please be sure to review the important dates pertaining to this program.

Curriculum

The MALit program consists of nine courses and allows each student to design his or her own curriculum. Students have great flexibility in their course selections. The program is anchored at the beginning with the Introduction to Graduate Study course, which introduces concepts of contemporary literary analysis, and at the end with the capstone project.

Optional Specializations
Students who wish to lend more structure to their MALit experience can elect to complete a specialization in

• American Literature
• British Literature
• Comparative and World Literature
• Individualized plan of study created from available courses

A specialization may be especially beneficial to educators, students who are thinking of going on to a PhD program, or anyone who wants to focus their literary study more precisely. Students complete four thematically linked courses for a specialization.

Core Course (1 course; required within first year of study)

• ENGLISH 410 Introduction to Graduate Study

This seminar introduces current issues in literary and cultural studies. Many students begin the program in the fall quarter with this course, although students may enter the program in any quarter.

Electives

• 400-Level Elective Courses in Literature

Students choose from advanced literature offerings in such departments as classics, comparative literary studies, English, French and Italian, Slavic languages and literatures, and theatre.

• 300-Level Courses (3 courses)

Students may enroll in up to three 300-level courses approved by The Graduate School. They often take these courses during Summer Session.

Capstone Project (1 course)

Students sign up for the final course in the program during the term in which they start their master's thesis. The capstone project for the MALit program is an essay of 45-75 double-spaced pages written under the supervision of a graduate faculty member. The project presents an opportunity to research and explore a topic thoroughly. Students often elect to expand a seminar paper from a previous course. With the approval of the program director, students may create an interdisciplinary final project rather than a traditional thesis.