Cockefair Hall, Room 106
5121 Rockhill Road
(816) 235-1305
english@umkc.edu
https://shss.umkc.edu/areas-of-study/english
Mailing Address
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Department of English Language and Literature
Cockefair Hall 106
5121 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
Chair: Jennifer Phegley
Associate Chair: Laurie Ellinghausen
Professors:
Hadara Bar-Nadav, Virginia Blanton, Stephen Dilks, Laurie Ellinghausen, Jane Greer, Christie Hodgen, Jennifer Phegley, Jeffrey Rydberg-Cox
Associate Professors:
John Barton, Jennifer Frangos, Michael Pritchett, Anthony Shiu, Whitney Terrell
Assistant Professors:
Antonio Byrd
Associate Teaching Professors:
Crystal Gorham Doss
Professors Emeriti:
Joan Dean, Robert M. Farnsworth, Moira Ferguson, James McKinley, James McKusick, David Ray, Lois Spatz, Thomas Stroik, Linda Voigts, Robert Willson
Associate Professors Emeriti:
Ralph Berets, Daniel Mahala, James A. Reeds, Jonas Spatz, Robert Stewart, Jacqueline Wood
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.
Graduate Degrees
The Department of English offers three graduate programs: the Master of Arts: English; the Master of Fine Arts: Creative Writing and Media Arts; and the Interdisciplinary Ph.D.
Hadara Bar-Nadav2,3; professor of English; B.A. (William Paterson College); M.A. (Montclair State University); Ph.D. (University of Nebraska-Lincoln).
John C. Barton2,3; associate professor of English; B.A. (University of California-Berkeley); M.A., Ph.D. (University of California-Irvine).
Ralph A. Berets; associate professor emeritus of English; B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (University of Michigan).
Virginia Blanton2,3; curators' distinguished professor of English; B.A. (Southwestern College); M.A., Ph.D. (Binghamton University).
Antonio Byrd2,3, assistant professor of English; B.S. (Auburn University at Montgomery); M.L.A. (Auburn University at Montgomery; Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Joan F. Dean2,3; curators' distinguished teaching professor emerita of English; A.B. (Canisius College); M.A., Ph.D. (Purdue University).
Stephen Dilks2,3; professor of English; B.A. (University of Stirling, Scotland); M.A., Ph.D. (Rutgers University).
Crystal Gorham Doss2; associate teaching professor in English; B.A. (William Jewell College); M.A. (University of Kansas); Ph.D. (University at Buffalo).
Laurie Ellinghausen2,3; professor of English; B.A. (University of Houston), M.A. (Ohio State University), Ph.D. (University of California-Santa Barbara).
Robert M. Farnsworth; professor emeritus of English; B.A. (University of Michigan); M.S. (University of Connecticut); Ph.D. (Tulane University).
Moira Ferguson; professor emerita of English; B.A. (University of London, Birkbeck College); M.A., Ph.D. (University of Washington, Seattle).
Jennifer Frangos2,3; associate professor of English; B.A. (Vassar College); M.A. (State University of New York-Buffalo), Ph.D. (State University of New York-Stony Brook).
Jane Greer2,3; curators' distinguished teaching professor of English; B.A. (Hanover College); M.A., Ph.D. (Ohio State University).
Christie Hodgen2,3; professor of English and editor of New Letters; B.A. (University of Virginia, Charlottesville); M.F.A. (Indiana University, Bloomington), Ph.D. (University of Missouri, Columbia).
Daniel Mahala2,3; associate professor emeritus of English; B.A. (State University of New York at Binghamton); M.A. (New York University); D.A. (State University of New York at Albany).
James C. McKinley; professor emeritus of English; B.J., M.A., Ph.D. (University of Missouri, Columbia).
James McKusick2,3; professor emeritus of English; B.A. (Dartmouth College); M.A. (Yale University); M.Phil. (Yale University); Ph.D. (Yale University).
Jennifer Phegley2,3; professor of English; B.A. (Southwest Texas State University); M.A., Ph.D. (Ohio State University).
Michael Pritchett2,3; associate professor of English; B.J. (University of Missouri, Columbia); M.F.A (Warren Wilson College).
David Ray; professor emeritus of English; B.A., M.A. (University of Chicago).
James A. Reeds; associate professor emeritus of English and linguistics; B.A., M.A. (University of Iowa); A.M., Ph.D. (University of Michigan).
Jeffrey A. Rydberg-Cox2,3; curators' distinguished professor of English and classics; B.A. (Colorado College); M.A., Ph.D. (University of Chicago).
Anthony Shiu2; associate professor of English; B.A. (Ohio University); M.A. (University of Vermont), Ph.D. (Michigan State University).
Robert Stewart2; associate research professor emeritus of English; B.A. (University of Missouri-St. Louis), M.A. (University of Missouri-Kansas City).
Thomas Stroik2,3; curators' distinguished professor emeritus of English; B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Whitney Terrell2,3; associate professor of English; B.A., (Princeton University); M.F.A. (University of Iowa).
Linda E. Voigts; curators' distinguished professor emerita of English; B.A. (William Jewell College); M.A. (University of Missouri-Kansas City); Ph.D. (University of Missouri, Columbia).
Robert F. Willson, Jr.; professor emeritus of English; B.A. (Wayne State University); M.A., Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin).
Jacqueline Wood; associate professor emerita of English & Black Studies; B.A. (Ohio Wesleyan University); M.A. (Florida Atlantic University); 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 Admission Requirements
Preparation
Transfer students should enter the English major with soundly developed writing and reading skills and a general familiarity with the major authors and literary movements of English and American literature. Transfer students should meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies immediately upon admittance to discuss requirements and any possible transfer credits towards the major. With the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the Department accepts up to 18 hours of transfer credits in English for courses fulfilling major requirements.
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
B.A./M.A. English Dual Degree
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
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.