M.A. in English Education

Overview of the Program

Designed for in-service, secondary English and literacy teachers, the MAE:EE offers coursework that explores the literacies and identities that adolescents and young adults bring to the English classroom; provides space to reflect on current classroom practices in order to curate teaching identities; and troubles discourses that present a challenge to creating equitable and inclusive learning ecologies for students in Montana. In addition to refining pedagogical praxis, the MAE:EE provides a collegial community of scholars and teachers that allows educators to interrogate and explore their own lines of inquiry with regard to the teaching of secondary English within their teaching contexts. MAE:EE students will explore general issues related to practices and policies within the academic field of English Education, develop and inquire into a particular area of interest related to their teaching contexts and responsibilities, and engage in English department coursework (i.e. literary studies, rhetoric/composition, and linguistics), as well as potentially take courses in related fields of study (e.g. Native American Studies and Education).

Core Principles of the Program

Three core principles function as the philosophical, intellectual, and ideological underpinnings of the MAE:EE: 1. Teachers as Critical Theorists and Pedagogues: This program is committed to critical perspectives of English Education, literacy, learning, pedagogy, youth, curriculum, and schooling 2. Teachers as Public Intellectuals: This program recognizes that the work and social position of teachers extends well beyond the classroom into the community and socio-political sphere. 3. Teachers as Scholars of English: This program insists (adapted from the National Writing Project core beliefs) that the best teachers of English are themselves continuously engaging in the practices and processes of the discipline of English.

Coursework Overview

The MAE:EE centers on four courses (12 credits) that focus on pedagogical content knowledge. Additional graduate courses within English (up to 12 credits) stretch across the domains of English and literacy teachers: the teaching and learning of literature, writing, linguistics, literacies, interactions, and place, as well as professional paper (6 credits) or thesis credits (9 credits). The Yellowstone Writing Project, which continues to attract master teachers from across the state, is a significant, though not required, component of our MA program. MAE:EE and English courses can be accessed remotely (via online courses and remote seminars). Students local to the Bozeman area are welcome to attend seminars in person.

Overview of the Program The English department’s Master of Arts in English: English Education Option (MAEEE) is designed for those secondary English teachers who are interested in participating in a scholarly community committed to intensive professional development and improving the education of and life opportunities for Montana’s middle and high school students. MAEEE students will have the opportunity to explore general issues related to practices and policies within the academic field of English Education, take relevant courses within the English department (i.e. literary studies, rhetoric/composition, and linguistics), and potentially take courses outside of the English department (e.g. Native American Studies and Education), and develop and inquire into a particular area of interest related to their teaching contexts and responsibilities.
Core Principles of the Program
Three core principles function as the philosophical, intellectual, and ideological underpinnings of the proposed MAEE program: 1. Teachers as Critical Theorists and Pedagogues: This program is committed to critical perspectives of English Education, literacy, learning, pedagogy, youth, curriculum, and schooling in general. 2. Teachers as Public Intellectuals: This program recognizes that the work and social position of teachers extends well beyond the classroom into the community and socio-political sphere. 3. Teachers as Scholars of English: This program insists (adapted from the National Writing Project core beliefs) that the best teachers of English are themselves continuously engaging in the practices and processes of the discipline of English.
Coursework Overview (30 credits)
Students who enroll in the MAEEE will take a set of online English Education courses (see below: MAEE Required Courses), English courses in literature, writing, linguistics, and if it makes sense for their particular program of study, courses outside of the English department, as well as professional paper or thesis credits. We see the Yellowstone Writing Project (YWP), which continues to attract master teachers from across the state, as an important, though not required, component of this MA program for many students to select as part of their program of study.
MAEE Required Courses (12 credits)		12
ENGL 560	(English Foundations and Critical English Education)
This course will examine the school subject “English,” focusing on the teaching methods and assessment practices in middle school and high school English classrooms. The course will also examine how sociocultural and critical perspectives on language and literacy, as well as the proliferation of digital technologies, call for Critical English Education: a shift in teaching practices and assessment that center adolescent students as creators rather than receptors and engage teachers in nuanced ways.
ENGL 561	(Introduction to Research Methods in English and Literacy Education)
This course will provide students with an overview of the prevalent and possible research methodologies used within the field of English Education and Literacy studies. This course will focus on helping students understand these different methodological approaches, become critical readers of current English Education and Literacy research, and begin to conceptualize a research project and methodological approach for their professional paper or thesis. Components of this course will focus on designing a study, navigating Human Subjects approval processes when necessary, and collecting and analyzing data.
ENGL 562	(Place-Based English & Literacy Curriculum)
This course will focus on the relationships between contexts (e.g. rural) and English/literacy curriculum and instruction. This course will require participants to conduct a mini-ethnography of their context to ascertain literacy (and other) resources in the community and to establish connections with community members as a way to think about their curriculum “in-place.” Specifically, this course will provide students with the scholarly framework of place-based pedagogy for two key reasons (1) to examine how adolescent learners experience English in middle school and high schools across contexts, and (2) to develop a place-based curriculum to be implemented in their teaching context.
ENGL 563	(Special Topics in Teaching English Language Arts and Literacy in the Middle/High School (Max 6 credits))
Course topics may include literary topics (e.g., Teaching Shakespeare, Teaching the High School Canon), Rhetoric/Composition (e.g. Teaching Argumentative Writing, Teaching and Assessing Creative Writing, Teaching with and through Multimodalities), Linguistics (e.g., Teaching Grammar, Dialogic Instruction with Children and Youth), and Service Learning Collaborations. All courses will focus the topic for teachers, with components focusing on designing lessons and assessment practices befitting the topic, as well as examining work samples from middle school and high school students. Our aim is for this course to highlight English Education faculty expertise.
Professional Paper (6 credits) or Thesis (10 credits)		6-10
Elective Courses (8-12 credits)		8-12
Students will select among a range of other courses to fulfill this requirement, selecting their electives across or focusing on English content, English pedagogy, or broader educational and sociocultural topics. Within the English department, students have opportunity to take Yellowstone Writing Project Summer and Advanced Institutes (up to 9 credits focusing on building and participating in writing communities and the teaching of writing), as well as 400-level ENGL/LIT/WRIT courses, and an independent study (ENGL 592). MAEEE students will be able to access (as distance students) the following current graduate courses in English:
ENGL 510	Studies in Critical Theory
ENGL 530	Writing Theory and Practice
ENGL 550	Focused Research Seminar
Students are also encouraged to take approved graduate courses from other departments. Suggested graduate courses outside the English department include (but are not limited to) the following:
EDCI 504	Assessment and Evaluation in Education
EDCI 506	Applied Educational Research
EDCI 514	Mentoring New Teachers
EDCI 536	Construction of Curriculum
EDCI 540	American Indian Studies for Ed
EDCI 541	History & Philosophy of Education
EDCI 557	Brain Science, Educational Research, and Teaching
EDCI 580	(Middle/Secondary Teaching and EFL Methodologies)
EDCI 588-XXX	(Teaching EFL/ESL to Adolescents: Second Language Acquisition Theory and Language Teaching Methodologies)
EDLD 520	Schools & Diverse Communities
NASX 550	Native Americans: Dispelling the Myths
NASX 570	Indigenous Planning: Strategic Economic and Human Development Approaches
Total Credits		30

Overview of the Program

The English department’s Master of Arts in English: English Education Option (MAEEE) is designed for those secondary English teachers who are interested in participating in a scholarly community committed to intensive professional development and improving the education of and life opportunities for Montana’s middle and high school students. MAEEE students will have the opportunity to explore general issues related to practices and policies within the academic field of English Education, take relevant courses within the English department (i.e. literary studies, rhetoric/composition, and linguistics), and potentially take courses outside of the English department (e.g. Native American Studies and Education), and develop and inquire into a particular area of interest related to their teaching contexts and responsibilities. 

Core Principles of the Program

Three core principles function as the philosophical, intellectual, and ideological underpinnings of the proposed MAEE program:

1. Teachers as Critical Theorists and Pedagogues: This program is committed to critical perspectives of

English Education, literacy, learning, pedagogy, youth, curriculum, and schooling in general.

1. Teachers as Public Intellectuals: This program recognizes that the work and social position of

teachers extends well beyond the classroom into the community and socio-political sphere.

1. Teachers as Scholars of English: This program insists (adapted from the National Writing Project core

beliefs) that the best teachers of English are themselves continuously engaging in the practices and processes of the discipline of English.

Coursework Overview (30 credits)

Students who enroll in the MAEEE will take a set of online English Education courses (see below: MAEE Required Courses), English courses in literature, writing, linguistics, and if it makes sense for their particular program of study, courses outside of the English department, as well as professional paper or thesis credits. We see the Yellowstone Writing Project (YWP), which continues to attract master teachers from across the state, as an important, though not required, component of this MA program for many students to select as part of their program of study.

MAEE Required Courses (12 credits)

ENGL 560: English Foundations and Critical English Education

This course will examine the school subject “English,” focusing on the teaching methods and assessment practices in middle school and high school English classrooms. The course will also examine how sociocultural and critical perspectives on language and literacy, as well as the proliferation of digital technologies, call for Critical English Education: a shift in teaching practices and assessment that center adolescent students as creators rather than receptors and engage teachers in nuanced ways.

ENGL 561: Introduction to Research Methods in English and Literacy Education

This course will provide students with an overview of the prevalent and possible research methodologies used within the field of English Education and Literacy studies. This course will focus on helping students understand these different methodological approaches, become critical readers of current English Education and Literacy research, and begin to conceptualize a research project and methodological approach for their professional paper or thesis. Components of this course will focus on designing a study, navigating Human Subjects approval processes when necessary, and collecting and analyzing data.

ENGL 562: Place-Based English & Literacy Curriculum

This course will focus on the relationships between contexts (e.g. rural) and English/literacy curriculum and instruction. This course will require participants to conduct a mini-ethnography of their context to ascertain literacy (and other) resources in the community and to establish connections with community members as a way to think about their curriculum “in-place.” Specifically, this course will provide students with the scholarly framework of place-based pedagogy for two key reasons (1) to examine how adolescent learners experience English in middle school and high schools across contexts, and (2) to develop a place-based curriculum to be implemented in their teaching context.

ENGL 563: Special Topics in Teaching English Language Arts and Literacy in the Middle/High School (Max 6 credits)

Course topics may include literary topics (e.g., Teaching Shakespeare, Teaching the High School Canon), Rhetoric/Composition (e.g. Teaching Argumentative Writing, Teaching and Assessing Creative Writing, Teaching with and through Multimodalities), Linguistics (e.g., Teaching Grammar, Dialogic Instruction with Children and Youth), and Service Learning Collaborations. All courses will focus the topic for teachers, with components focusing on designing lessons and assessment practices befitting the topic, as well as examining work samples from middle school and high school students. Our aim is for this course to highlight English Education faculty expertise.

Professional Paper (6 credits) or Thesis (10 credits)

Elective Courses (8-12 credits)

Students will select among a range of other courses to fulfill this requirement, selecting their electives across or focusing on English content, English pedagogy, or broader educational and sociocultural  topics.  Within the English department, students have opportunity to take Yellowstone Writing Project Summer and Advanced Institutes (up to 9 credits focusing on building and participating in writing communities and the teaching of writing), as well as 400-level ENGL/LIT/WRIT courses, and an independent study (ENGL 592). MAEEE students will be able to access (as distance students) the following current graduate courses in English:

ENGL 510         Studies in Critical Theory

ENGL 530         Writing Theory and Practice

ENGL 550         Focused Research Seminar

Students are also encouraged to take approved graduate courses from other departments. Suggested graduate courses outside the English department include (but are not limited to) the following:

EDCI 504          Assessment and Evaluation in Education

EDCI 506          Applied Educational Research

EDCI 514          Mentoring New Teachers

EDCI 536          Construction of Curriculum

EDCI 540          American Indian Studies for Ed

EDCI 541          History & Philosophy of Education

EDCI 557          Brain Science, Educational Research, and Teaching

EDCI 580          Middle/Secondary Teaching and EFL Methodologies

EDCI 588          Teaching EFL/ESL to Adolescents: Second Language Acquisition Theory and

Language Teaching Methodologies

EDLD 520         Schools & Diverse Communities

NASX 550         Native America: Dispelling the Myths

NASX 570         Indigenous Literature and the West

Possible paths toward Completion: Please see the attached Document “Possible Plans Toward Completion” for further information. [This would have been included here but charts cannot be added in this format.]