Doctor of Philosophy in English
The Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English at Western Michigan University offers specialization in:
Program requirements
The program requires all candidates to have:
- Broad knowledge of English and American literature.
- Acquaintance with non-traditional literature.
- Practical or theoretical background in the teaching of English.
- Specialization in one or more of the discipline’s fields (see above).
Resources
Find forms and other helpful information for your graduate program.
Exam Area Reading Lists
The following list will guide your studying. They will provide examiners and exam-takers with a common body of literature, so that you will know not precisely what questions will be asked, but what literary, critical, and theoretical sources will enable you to respond knowledgeably to the questions that are asked. Seek out faculty members in your sit-down exam areas for guidance on how best to prepare, given the field you have selected and your own background and interests.
- African American Literature up to 1940
- African American Literature 1940 to the Present
- American Literature Before 1865
- American Literature, 1865-1945
- Early Medieval Literature
- Late Medieval Literature
- Medieval Criticism
- Renaissance Literature
- Restoration and 18th-century British Literature
- British Romantic Literature
- Victorian British Literature
- Modern British Literature
- Postcolonial Literature
- Contemporary Drama
- Contemporary Fiction
- Contemporary Poetry
- English Education--Theory and Practice
- English Education--Specialty (topic to be determined in consultation with appropriate faculty)
- Critical Theory
- Children's and YA Literature
- Comics Studies