685: Seminar in American Cultural History. (3 s.h.)

A research seminar designed for advanced M.A. and Ph.D. students in the cultural history of the United States. Focusing on the past patterns of a peoples' attitudes, values, and beliefs, and their interaction with the ways in which people actually behave, cultural history, broadly defined, is the study of cultural production. Specific subjects may include, among others, the study of literature and media; ritual (both religious and secular); or the construction of race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality. In this course, the primary emphasis will be on the research and writing of an article-length paper based principally on primary sources.

686. Seminar in American History. (3 s.h.)

General research and writing seminar in American history. Students engage in original research in a selected field and prepare an article-length paper; students also explore various research techniques and gain experience in writing and editing for publication.

690. Seminar in U.S. Military Policy. (3 s.h.)

A survey of the major research issues and problems in the field, with each student required to write a research paper using primary sources.

799. Preliminary Exam Preparation. (variable credit)

899. Pre-dissertation Research. (variable credit)

950-951. Directed Research. (3 or 6 s.h.)

960. Master's Thesis.

976. Dissertation Colloquium. (1-3 s.h.)

For doctoral students writing dissertations and residing in the Philadelphia area. Provides a sense of community among dissertation writers, in which they can explore problems confronted in dissertation design, research, and writing, and find helpful comments and criticism at the time they are engaged in dissertation research. Prospectuses, outlines, and chapters may be offered to the group for discussion.

999. Dissertation Research. (variable credit)

MASTER OF LIBERAL ARTS

Direct inquiries to: Dr. Richard Beards, Program Director, (215) 204-7342, 1150 Anderson Hall, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122.

General Statement

The Master of Liberal Arts program is a flexible, broadly interdisciplinary program that allows students, in consultation with an adviser, to develop a study area or thematic focus and to select courses from a wide range of graduate offerings in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Courses are available in the late afternoon and evenings at the Main Campus, TUCC, and Temple Harrisburg to accommodate those with jobs or other full-time responsibilities. The M.L.A. is designed specifically for adults of all ages, backgrounds, and professions who seek intellectual and personal enrichment without the specialization normally built into graduate research and professional programs.

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted continuously.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a minimum grade point average of 2.8. Transcripts from all institutions attended, including Temple University, must be submitted. A waiver of the 2.8 cumulative average will be granted to students who have completed a graduate degree at an accredited institution.

Applicants must submit scores from either the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students with advanced or professional degrees are not required to submit GRE or MAT scores. A personal interview and letters of recommendation are optional; a "statement of purpose" is required. No single criteria determines admission; decisions are based on the applicant's complete record and predicted success in the program.

Degree Requirements

The M.L.A. degree requires 30 semester hours in liberal arts courses numbered 400 and above. Students are required to take at least four cross-disciplinary "core" courses and can select from a wide range of regular departmental offerings. Students must maintain a "B" average and fulfill all degree requirements in no more than five years. There are no required comprehensive exams or language tests; students must submit a final qualifying paper to graduate.

Course Descriptions -Master of Liberal Arts

403. Literature and Photography in America. (3 s.h.)

Explores the connections between literature and photography in America from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Students will examine the impact of photography on the evolution of literary realism. Readings include fiction, poetry, and critical essays.

409. Political Fiction. (3 s.h.)

Readings and analysis in twentieth century fiction which illuminates the politics of everyday life. This kind of politics has a more direct and lasting impact on the typical citizen than the official, more glamorous, dramatic, and public kind. The works to be read are chosen because they address questions of power and autonomy, issues of self-esteem vs. a sense of worthlessness, and matters of authority -at home, in the workplace, and in society at large.

419. Life in Early America.

An approach to American history which examines documents of American culture about the home as an ideal, concentrating on fiction, but including essays, sermons, songs, photographs, movies, and paintings. Reveals the richness and complexity of popular as opposed to classical art forms and shows how a culture constitutes itself.

423. Great Cities of the World.

This course analyzes the world influence projected by several of the largest cities of the late twentieth century (London, Paris, Mexico City, Tokyo, Rome, and Chicago, for example). Students will identify and evaluate how history, communications and economic activity contribute to the making of great cities and to the emergence of a global society.

427. Autobiographical Forms.

In the twentieth century, the form and focus of conventional autobiography has been radically reshaped. Surveying a variety of continental and American modern and contemporary writers, we will seek to understand these newer modes of writing about the self, discussing such issues as identity, authority, and sincerity, as they impact upon the works in question.

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