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Independent Study and Study Abroad

 

Independent Study

Independent Study credit may be earned through advanced research and writing in a particular area of study. Students registering for English 5990 will have completed graduate-level course work or done extensive reading in the selected area of study. In special circumstances, students may apply for Independent Study credit for graduate-level study in an area in which coursework is not offered during the academic year.

Students intending to register for English 5990 should consult with the Coordinator of Graduate Studies as early as possible regarding their plans for the independent study. When the independent study director has been chosen, the student and the director, in consultation, should prepare a proposal containing the following: 1) a description of the project that shows a grasp of basic issues in appropriate research and literature in period/genre and/or subfield; 2) an explanation of previous coursework or background that prepares the student to carry on this work; 3) explanation of relevance to the student’s graduate career; 4)a detailed weekly study plan/syllabus for the project (assignments and contact hours should be mentioned); 5) a bibliography of primary and secondary sources (for creative writing proposals, a bibliography of texts, if any, considered essential for the project). Independent study projects culminate in a seminar-length paper or creative writing synthesizing and reflecting the student's work.

Because of university registration procedures, Independent Study proposals must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee before the last week of classes in the semester prior to the one in which the student plans to register for English 5990. Independent Study proposals must be signed by the sponsoring faculty member in order to be considered by the Graduate Studies Committee. Since proposals are not routinely approved, the student must submit the Independent Study proposal to the Graduate Studies Committee by the deadlines announced in the Graduate Studies calendar for each semester.

No student shall be allowed to undertake Independent Study projects which duplicate or overlap material being covered simultaneously in a regular graduate class or projects which duplicate or overlap material covered by that student in English 5997 (Study Abroad). Independent Study should not be used to prepare for the Master's examination. The number of Independent Study proposals accepted each semester may be restricted due to financial, administrative, or other factors.

Graduate Studies Committee Rubric for Independent Study Proposals 

Study Abroad

Proposals for English 5997, Study Abroad, shall be submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee. Proposals should specify how the Study Abroad program fits into the student’s graduate study and describe a project in addition to regular coursework to be completed by the graduate student. The proposal should explain the nature of the project and its final product, as well as justify its appropriateness for graduate-level credit. A copy of the study abroad course syllabus should be attached to the proposal. Students who enrolled in an EIU study abroad program as undergraduates may not take English 5997 for credit toward their MA in English if both location and content will duplicate the earlier course.  Deadlines for study abroad proposals will be set by the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in consultation with the Study Abroad program director.