Faculty
Distinguished Professor and Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus
Ronald Bosco, Ph.D., University of Maryland (Collins Fellow)
Distinguished Teaching Professor
Jeffrey Berman, Ph.D., Cornell University
Distinguished Teaching Professors Emeritus/a
Judith Fetterley, Ph.D., Indiana University (Collins Fellow)
Eugene K. Garber, Ph.D., University of Iowa
Stephen North, D.A., University at Albany, SUNY (Collins Fellow)
Professors Emeriti/ae
Judith E. Barlow, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania (Collins Fellow)
Donald J. Byrd, Ph.D., University of Kansas
Thomas D. Cohen, Ph.D., Yale University
Randall T. Craig, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison (Collins Fellow)
Lydia Davis, B.A., Barnard College (Writer in Residence)
Teresa Ebert, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Judith E. Johnson, B.A., Barnard College
Pierre Joris, Ph.D., Binghamton University
Eugene Mirabelli, Ph.D., Harvard University
Marjorie Pryse, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz
Martha T. Rozett, Ph.D., University of Michigan (Collins Fellow)
Professors
Thomas Bass, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz
Glynne Griffith, Ph.D., University of the West Indies, Mona
Michael Hill, Ph.D., Stony Brook University
William Kennedy, B.A., Siena College
Edward L. Schwarzschild, Ph.D., Washington University
Charles Shepherdson, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Lynne Tillman, B.A., Hunter College (Writer in Residence)
Associate Professors Emeriti/ae
Langdon Brown, Ph.D., Cornell University
Lana Cable, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Edward M. Jennings, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
Rudolph L. Nelson, Ph.D., Brown University
Frederick E. Silva, Ph.D., Indiana University
Donald B. Stauffer, Ph.D., Indiana University
Carolyn Yalkut, Ph.D., University of Denver
Associate Professors
Richard A. Barney, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Bret Benjamin, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Helen Regueiro Elam, Ph.D., Brown University
Erica Fretwell, Ph.D., Duke University
Eric Keenaghan, Ph.D., Temple University (Department Chair)
Kir Kuiken, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
James Lilley, Ph.D., Princeton University
Ineke Murakami, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
Wendy Roberts, Ph.D., Northwestern University (Undergraduate Director)
Helene E. Scheck, Ph.D., Binghamton University
Paul Stasi, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Laura Wilder, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Visiting Associate Professor
Mary Valentis, Ph.D., University at Albany, SUNY
Assistant Professor Emeritus
George S. Hastings, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Assistant Professors
Aashish Kaul, D.A., The University of Sydney
Elliot Tetreault, Ph.D., University of Louisville
Full-Time Lecturers
Jill Hanifan, D.A., University at Albany, SUNY
Vesna Kuiken, Ph.D., Columbia University
Teaching Assistants (estimated): 20
Curriculum
The curriculum of the Department of English is designed to aid students to write effectively, to read critically, and to acquire a sense of the development of literature written in English and of its relation to society. English majors also have the option of applying for admission to the honors program. All English majors are strongly encouraged to study at least one foreign language. Students may count up to 3 credits toward their English electives from the list of Approved Courses for English Electives from outside the English Department. The Department also offers a Writing Concentration in the English major, as well as a minor in English and a minor in Creative Writing. (See Minors section of this bulletin for requirements).
Careers for the English Majors
The major in English prepares students for further graduate or professional study and for careers in any field that requires a broad liberal education with special strength in language, critical thinking, deep analysis, and research. English graduates find careers in theater and film, government, counseling, broadcasting and media management, arts, nonprofits, museum curation, public policy and administration, social services, medicine, banking, international relations, retailing and manufacturing, as well as writing, editing, publishing, education, library science, advertising, and public relations. The English major is also excellent preparation for advanced study in such professional graduate programs as law, medicine, librarianship, social welfare, theology, and education.
Degree Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in English (36 credits):
- Required courses (9 credits):
- AENG 205Z Introduction to Writing in English (3)
- AENG 305V Studies in Writing About Texts (3)
- AENG 310 Introduction to English Studies (3)
- Choose two courses from the following literature survey courses (6 credits):
- AENG 261 American Literary Traditions (3)
- AENG 291 British Literary Traditions I: From the Anglo-Saxon Period through Milton (3)
- AENG 292 British Literary Traditions II: The Restoration through the Modern Period (3)
- AENG 295 Classics of Western Literature (3)
- AENG 297 Postcolonial Literary Traditions (3)
- Choose one course (3 credits) from 200 to 400 level English (AENG) courses*
- Choose four courses (12 credits) from 300 to 400 level English (AENG) courses
- 6 credits from 400 level English (AENG) courses
*Students may count 3 credits towards their 200 to 400 level English (AENG) electives from topically appropriate courses offered by other departments, as approved by the English Advisement Office.
Degree Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Writing (36 credits)
- Required courses (12 credits):
- AENG 205Z Introduction to Writing in English (3)
- AENG 240Z American Experiences (3)
- AENG 305V Studies in Writing About Texts (3)
- AENG 310 Introduction to English Studies (3)
- Choose two courses from the following literature survey courses (6 credits):
- AENG 261 American Literary Traditions (3)
- AENG 291 British Literary Traditions I: From the Anglo-Saxon Period through Milton (3)
- AENG 292 British Literary Traditions II: The Restoration through the Modern Period (3)
- AENG 295 Classics of Western Literature (3)
- AENG 297 Postcolonial Literary Traditions (3)
- Choose two courses from the following options (6 credits):
- AENG 300 Expository Writing (3)
- AENG 302 Creative Writing (3)
- AENG 309 Professional Writing (3)
- AENG 402 Advanced Writing Workshop (3)
- Choose one course (3 credits) from the following:
- AENG 306 Literary Publications: History and Practice (3)
- AENG 350 Contemporary Writers at Work (3)
- AENG 360 Tutoring and Writing (3)
- AENG 450 Topics in Writing Studies (3)
- Choose one course (3 credits) from 300 to 400 level English (AENG) courses
- Choose two courses (6 credits) from 400 level English (AENG) courses
*Students may count 3 credits towards their 300 to 400 level English (AENG) elective from topically appropriate courses offered by other departments, as approved by the English Advisement Office.
Students in the Writing Concentration may not minor in Creative Writing.
Course Progression Restrictions
A grade of C or higher in AENG 205Z is required to register for AENG 305V. A grade of B or higher in AENG 302Z or AENG 302W or permission of instructor is required to register for AENG 402. Completion of AENG 305V, or permission of instructor, is required for most 400 level courses.
Mentorship: English majors are expected to meet with their faculty mentors, assigned by the English Undergraduate Advisement Office, to discuss academic and career goals at least once prior to the start of senior year.
Areas of Study: The University at Albany English Department organizes its course offerings into eight areas of study in order to clarify the issues, topics, and projects that English students engage with and that define our faculty areas of expertise. English majors may wish to select courses in one or more of these areas of study to focus their work: American Literature and Culture, British Literature and Culture, Environmental Humanities, Film, Screen Media, and Visual Cultures, Postcolonial Literature and Culture,
Social Justice, Teacher Preparation, and Writing.
Honors Program in English
The honors program in English is designed to promote intellectual exchange and community among exceptional English majors and to prepare them to do independent work. Students who successfully complete the program earn an Honors Certificate in English and, if they meet University GPA requirements, are eligible to graduate from the University with "Honors in English."
Admission to the honors program is selective, based primarily on the evaluation of a critical writing sample and secondarily on instructor recommendations. Only declared English majors are eligible to apply. One typically applies in the fall semester of junior year. Transfer students may apply upon acceptance to the University and declaration of the English major. An applicant is recommended to have a 3.25 cumulative GPA and a 3.50 GPA in the English major. When applying, students should have completed already, or will complete by the end of that semester, 12 credits that count toward the English major, including AENG 205Z and AENG 310. AENG 305V also is recommended. Those who plan to write a creative thesis should have taken AENG 302W (or 302Z) and/or AENG 402Z. They also are encouraged to submit, in addition to a critical essay, a short creative writing sample.
Faculty members on the departmental Honors Committee review applications and decide on admissions. When appropriate for individual cases, they may waive any of the above entry requirements and recommendations.
While students are registered for the English honors sequence courses, the Honors Director monitors their progress through regular meetings with the students and, during the thesis year, through communications with each student’s project advisor. A student can be disallowed from continuing in the program if the Honors Director and/or the student’s thesis advisor judge his or her performance in AENG 399Z and/or AENG 498 to fall short of the program’s expectations. Similarly, if a student’s performance in his or her other English courses suffers, he or she might be dismissed from the program so as to be able to remediate the situation and be better able to graduate successfully. Any student who leaves or is dismissed from the honors program is held responsible for the English major requirements.
The English faculty member supervising the independent project evaluates the honors thesis, usually researched and written during the senior year. A second reader from the English Department or from another academic unit at the University supplies additional guidance and/or feedback about the thesis in the late stages of its development. Conferring with the Honors Director, the project advisor and second reader assign a letter grade (A-E) for AENG 499 that evaluates the end product of the thesis research, while also considering other variables in the year-long project, such as: the student’s intellectual development, the student’s self-motivated performance in an independent study scenario, the student’s regular and timely consultation with supervisors, and the student’s public presentations or publication of project-related research and writing. Upon students' completion of program requirements, the Honors Committee recommends eligible candidates for a BA degree with “Honors in English.”
Degree Requirements for a Bachelors of Arts in English with Honors (37 credits)*
- Required courses (9 credits):
- AENG 205Z Introduction to Writing in English (3)
- AENG 305V Studies in Writing About Texts (3)
- AENG 310 Introduction to English Studies (3)
- The following three required courses (10 credits):
- AENG 399Z Honors Seminar (3) **
- AENG 498 Thesis Seminar I (4)
- AENG 499 Thesis Seminar II (3)
- Choose two courses from the following literature survey courses (6 credits):
- AENG 261 American Literary Traditions (3)
- AENG 291 British Literary Traditions I: From the Anglo-Saxon Period through Milton (3)
- AENG 292 British Literary Traditions II: The Restoration through the Modern Period (3)
- AENG 295 Classics of Western Literature (3)
- AENG 297 Postcolonial Literary Traditions (3)
- 3 credits from 200 to 400 level English (AENG) courses***
- 9 credits from 300 to 400 level English (AENG) courses
** With advisement from the Honors Director and the thesis advisor, during the thesis-writing year an English Honors student can substitute AENG 399Z with a 400-level course, preferably (if available) a course that is relevant to his or her project.
***Students may count 3 credits towards their 200 to 400 level English electives from topically appropriate courses offered by other departments, as approved by the English Advisement Office.
To graduate with “Honors in English” a student must complete the program course sequence (or approved substitutions), as well as conclude his or her undergraduate studies with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 in the English major and a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA. If one graduates with the distinction of “Honors in English” and completes the degree requirements specified above, the regular requirements of the English major are waived. If a student does not meet mandated GPA minimums at the time of graduation, he or she is responsible for the usual English major requirements but can count the honors sequence courses toward elective credits in the English major.
Combined B.A./M.A.: English Program and English/Liberal Studies Program
The combined B.A./M.A. program in English and the combined B.A./M.A. in English and Liberal Studies provide opportunities for students of recognized academic ability and educational maturity to fulfill integrated requirements of the undergraduate and master's degree programs from the beginning of their junior year.
The combined B.A./M.A. in English requires a minimum of 140 credits, of which at least 32 must be graduate credits. The combined B.A./M.A. in Liberal Studies requires a minimum of 138 credits, of which at least 30 must be graduate credits. In qualifying for the B.A., students must meet all university and college requirements, including the requirements of the undergraduate major described previously, the minor requirements, the minimum 90 credit liberal arts and sciences requirement, the general education requirements, and residency requirements; students must apply to graduate to complete their B.A. before officially moving into the M.A. portion. In qualifying for the M.A. in English or Liberal Studies, students must meet all university and college requirements as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin, including completion of a minimum of 32 graduate credits for English or 30 graduate credits for Liberal Studies and any other conditions, such as a research seminar, thesis, comprehensive examination, professional experience, and residency requirements. Up to 12 graduate credits may be applied simultaneously to both the B.A. and M.A. programs.
Students may be admitted to the combined degree program beginning in their junior year, or after the successful completion of 56 credits. A cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher and three letters of recommendation from faculty are required for consideration. Application is made through the University at Albany graduate admissions portal. Students will be admitted upon the recommendation of the Graduate Admissions Committee of the department.