1. Mission Statement for the MA Program

1. To train students' skills in critical thinking, literary analysis, English language, and research. 
2. To offer in-depth knowledge of British and American literature and world literatures in English, through courses based on faculty members' specializations and students' needs. 
3. To use the faculty members' strengths to enhance students' understanding of cultural interactions in order to stimulate the students to relate their training to the local context and to prepare them for future careers related to English language and/or literature. 

2. Curriculum

All courses are three credit hours. Thirty credit hours, plus thesis, are required. Students complete the program in 2.5 to 3 years. (For example, you may complete 9 credits during each of the first 3 semesters, minor exam at the beginning of the 3rd semester, 3 credits plus major exam the 4th semester, and thesis during the 5th or 6th semester.) 

1. Required courses (12 credit hours): 
   1. Bibliography and Research 3 hrs. 
   2. English Writing I & Independent Study 3 hrs. each (6 hrs. combined) 
   3. One theory course 3 hrs.
2. Elective courses (18 credit hours) 
   1. British and American literature and world literatures in English
   2. Literary criticism/theory; Translation; Chinese literature, or other literature related courses.
3. Students are required to take a minimum of four English literature courses.
4. Students may apply to take at most six credits in other graduate programs, including the PhD comparative literature program.

III. Minor exam and major exam

1. Minor exam: student can choose one of the options to fulfill the requirement of minor exam. Completion of the minor exam by the end of the second year is strongly recommended.
   1. written exam: The purpose of the minor examination is to enable the student to develop a limited specialization in an area of literary studies, which usually originates in one or more graduate courses the student has taken. The minor exam reading list is negotiated between the student and professor, and typically involves 2-3 books, and several articles. The topic of the exam should not overlap with that of the major examination, and should extend the area of the major by broadening the student’s scope of knowledge. The minor exam may involve several conferences with the guiding professor in the discussion of the reading material. The exam is written, should be 3 – 4 hours in length, and should take place during regular office hours. A grade is given, and the exam is kept in the student’s file in the department. In principle, the directing professor of the minor is different than the director of the major examination.
   2. presenting a paper in an academic conference/seminar (including the seminar offered by the department)
   3. publishing an article on a literature-related topic in an academic journal
   4. publishing an article on a literature-related topic in a newspaper or magazine (to be approved by the MA Committee)
2. The major examination is directly related to the thesis topic and is intended to help the student prepare for and write the thesis. A reading list is negotiated between the student and thesis director, and involves 4 – 6 books and about 10 articles. The major exam is written, should take place during regular office hours, and should not exceed four hours. A grade is given, and the exam is kept in the student’s file in the department. In principle, the directing professor of the major is different than the director of the minor exam. The major exam should be completed by end of the mid-term week before the intended graduating semester.

IV. Thesis (4 credit hours)

1. Minimum length for thesis is 70 pages 
2. Topics usually relate to English or American literature or world literatures in English, but translation thesis (English into Chinese) with substantial analysis is possible. (At least 2 translation courses from our program or the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation Studies are required for translation theses.) The analysis must include: 
   1. analysis of content 
   2. justification of stylistic choices 
   3. address previous translations of chosen text 
   4. demonstrate a grasp of the translation theories used 
   5. analysis must be at least 35 pages 
3. No theses about originally non-English texts (with the exception of a comparative study of original English work/ works and a foreign language work translated into English)
4. A thesis proposal will be required, due in the end of the first week after the final exam of the semester prior to the graduating semester. It will have to be approved by the thesis director and the Chair, and should include at least (1) the research question, (2) research plan/procedures, (3) preliminary research and writing schedule, and (4) a preliminary bibliography (based on/expanded from the major exam bibliography).
5. Main-Body chapters –first draft (except introduction & conclusion) should be completed before at least 1 month before the projected defense.

V. Oral Defense

1. The oral exam committee: the committee must consist of 3~5 members, at least 1/3 should be the teacher out side of Fu Jen. The committee approval should be passed before end of the first week of their intended graduating semester. Committee members may be changed if necessary.
2. Schedule: the oral exam should be complete before January 15 (Fall semester) or June 15 (Spring semester).
3. The penultimate draft for the committee should be finished before two weeks prior to the defense. Student should inform department office to apply for the contract for committee members and arrange the oral defense.
4. The passing grade of oral exam is 70, the full mark is 100.
5. Student should finish the revision of thesis and the procedures of graduation within 3 months of oral exam.