Contact
Office
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Department of English Language and Literature
Cockefair Hall 106
5121 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
Email: english@umkc.edu
Phone: (816) 235-1305
Department Leadership
Department Chair
Jennifer Phegley
Associate Chair
Laurie Ellinghausen
Department Description
The Department of English Language and Literature offers programs of study that lead to the Bachelor of Arts, the Master of Arts, the Master of Fine Arts, and the Interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy degrees. In the undergraduate program, students may pursue a general English program, or they may select an emphasis in American Studies; Classical, Medieval and Early Modern Literature; Creative Writing; or Language and Rhetoric. Four minors in English are offered: Creative Writing, Language and Literature; Manuscript, Print Culture, and Editing; and Writing. Master's in English students may focus their studies on Literature, or may select from two emphases: Language and Rhetoric, or Manuscript, Print Culture, and Editing. The M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Media Arts is an interdisciplinary program leading to a terminal degree. English is an academic discipline eligible for full participation in the University's Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.
The Department of English includes faculty who have a broad range of professional competence in the study of literature and language, and who are trained to teach courses in British and American literature, linguistics, American culture, film, creative writing, and composition. The department believes the study and teaching of literature and language to be an important means of preserving and vitalizing our humanistic tradition.
Publications
The Department of English and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences publish New Letters, a continuation of The University Review, which for over 50 years published the works of new and distinguished writers. New Letters continues to provide a medium for the best imaginative writing available.
The Department of English sponsors the publication of Number One, a magazine of student poetry and fiction, and The Sosland Journal, a collection of award-winning student essays from the Ilus W. Davis contest.
Hadara Bar-Nadav2,3, Professor
Ph.D. in English and Creative Writing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
John Barton2,3, Associate Professor
Ph.D. in English, University of California, Irvine
Virginia Blanton2,3, Professor
Ph.D. in English and Graduate Certificate in Medieval Studies, Binghamton University
Antonio Byrd2,3, Assistant Professor
Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Stephen Dilks2,3, Professor
Ph.D. in English Language and Literature, Rutgers University
Crystal Gorham Doss2,3, Associate Teaching Professor
Ph.D. in English, University at Buffalo (SUNY)
Laurie Ellinghausen2,3, Professor
Ph.D. in English, University of California, Santa Barbara
Jenni Frangos2,3, Associate Professor
Ph.D. in English and Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, Stony Brook University
Jane Greer2,3, Professor
Ph.D. in English, The Ohio State University
Christie Hodgen2,3, Professor
Ph.D. in English, University of Missouri-Columbia
Jennifer Phegley2,3, Professor
Ph.D. in English, The Ohio State University
Michael Pritchett2,3, Associate Professor
M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Warren Wilson College
Jeffrey Rydberg-Cox2,3, Professor
Ph.D. University of Chicago, Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World
Anthony Shiu2, Associate Professor
Ph.D., Michigan State University
Whitney Terrell2,3, Associate Professor
M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Professors Emeriti:
Ralph A. Berets, Associate Professor Emeritus of English; Ph.D. University of Michigan
Joan Dean2,3, Professor Emerita, Ph.D., Purdue University
Moira Ferguson, Professor Emerita of English; Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle
Daniel Mahala2,3, Associate Professor Emeritus, D.A. State University of New York at Albany
James C. McKinley, professor emeritus of English; Ph.D. University of Missouri, Columbia
James McKusick2,3, Professor Emeritus, Ph.D. in English Language and Literature, Yale University
David Ray, professor emeritus of English; M.A. University of Chicago
James A. Reeds; associate professor emeritus of English and linguistics; Ph.D. University of Michigan
Robert Stewart2, Associate Research Professor Emeritus, M.A. in English Language and Literature
Thomas Stroik2,3, Professor Emeritus, Ph.D. of English, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Linda Voigts, Professor Emerita of English; Ph.D., University of Missouri, Columbia
Robert F. Willson, Jr., professor emeritus of English; Ph.D. University of Wisconsin
Jacqueline Wood, associate professor emerita of English & Black Studies; Ph.D. University of Florida
Bachelor of Arts: English
To major in English is to devote oneself to the study of culture, past and present; to books, their readers, writers, and publishers; to critical thinking and the interpretation of what it means to be human; to language and the communication of ideas in both written and spoken form. An education in English allows for a command of the written and spoken word. It is this command that allows those that have pursued a degree in English to find success in a variety of arenas through their ability to persuade and interpret, clarify ideas, think independently and creatively, and their overall commitment to the cultural repository that an English degree offers.
Students who choose to major in English Literature and Language develop their abilities to read and analyze texts written in the English language. They study British and American literature of the past and present and learn to view texts through a variety of interpretive lenses. English majors also develop their abilities as flexible, effective writers, capable of moving among a variety of genres, including creative and expository writing.
Within the 36-credit hour program, English majors take a core set of courses, including survey courses on the history of British and American literature, and courses in rhetoric and writing. Beyond this core, students may choose to emphasize in the study of American Studies; Classical, Medieval and Early Modern Literature; Creative Writing; or Language and Rhetoric.
Students majoring in English may also consider a minor in another area of English studies, provided that there be no more than 9 credit hours of overlap between the major/emphasis and the minor.
Undergraduate Programs:
Bachelor of Arts: English
Bachelor of Arts: English American Studies Emphasis
Bachelor of Arts: English Classical, Medieval, & Early Modern Literature Emphasis
Bachelor of Arts: English Creative Writing Emphasis
Bachelor of Arts: English Language and Rhetoric Emphasis
Minors:
Minor in Creative Writing
Minor in Language and Literature
Minor in Manuscript, Print Culture, and Editing
Minor in Writing
Undergraduate Certificate:
Certificate in Writing, Editing and Publishing
Dual Degree Program:
B.A./M.A. English Dual Degree
Teacher Certification in English
Certification as a middle school (grades 5-9) or secondary (grades 9-12) English teacher in either Kansas or Missouri requires that a student complete specific requirements in English and the School of Education. A separate application for teacher education is required. For further information about the program, consult the School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences section of this catalog or contact the Education Student Services Office at (816) 235-2234.
Graduate Programs:
Graduate Certificate:
Assistantships
The Department of English offers a limited number of Graduate Teaching Assistantships on a competitive basis. Applications for Graduate Teaching Assistantships are considered in January for the following fall semester. All Graduate Teaching Assistants are expected to enroll in at least six hours per semester. Graduate Teaching Assistantships may be awarded to students who demonstrate readiness to become teachers in first- and second-year writing courses. Graduate Teaching Assistants must undergo a pre-semester orientation and attend mentoring meetings twice monthly with the Director of Composition and fellow graduate teachers. First-semester GTAs are also required to complete successfully ENGLISH 5519.
