English 539, popularly called an “independent study,”
allows a student to work for a semester under close supervision
with a graduate faculty mentor on a specialized topic not covered
in any classes.
Qualifications
The English 539 option offers a unique opportunity. But to ensure
that a student has both a significant project and serious intent
in undertaking the project, there are restrictions:
- The directed study is available only to students who have been
admitted into the English Graduate Program in regular admission
status and who have completed English 697, Methods of Research
and Bibliography.
- The directed study is reserved for very carefully considered
scholarly or creative work and should not be taken to circumvent
regular course requirements or to accommodate the student’s
convenience.
- A student may not take a directed study in a course that is
taught in the classroom during the student’s time in the
English Graduate Program (for example, a literature course or
an internship that is a regular class in the graduate rotation).
- A student may not use the directed study course as a thesis
or comprehensive examination prep course.
- A student may take no more than two such classes during her
or his graduate career at Sam Houston State University.
Arranging a Directed Study Course
A directed study course must be proposed and approved during the
advisement period in the semester before the candidate undertakes
the course. Early in the term, the Director of Graduate Studies
typically sends out an announcement to all students notifying them
of the deadline.
In order to arrange for a directed study course on a carefully
considered topic, follow these steps:
- Choose as a director for your study a graduate English faculty
member who is qualified by academic training or interest to direct
the project. (See Graduate English
Faculty for further guidance.) A
graduate faculty member is allowed to supervise a single ENG 539
during a semester, so approach the director early.
- Prepare a detailed directed study proposal that outlines the
goals of the project; describes fully the nature and scope of
the course, with attention to the proposed methods of procedure;
discusses the relation of the proposed study to other relevant
work in the area; describes in detail the course requirements
and methods of evaluation; presents a week-by-week schedule for
the course; and presents a detailed bibliography for the course,
as appropriate.
This proposal should be written by the student and not by the supervising
faculty member. For further guidance, see the questions outlined
on the Directed
Study Proposal Cover Sheet.
- Submit the course proposal to the supervising graduate faculty
member for approval.
You must submit the proposal during the previous term.
In reviewing the proposal, the GSC will consider the following
before making its recommendation to the Chair:
- the significance of the project;
- the thoroughness and carefulness of the proposal;
- the realistic possibilities for accomplishing the goals of the
project;
- class enrollments: The University has minimum enrollment numbers
required for a graduate class to “make,” and the GSC
is committed first to ensuring that classes are filled.
The Graduate Studies Committee may ask for revisions before accepting
the proposal and making its recommendation to the Chair.
- Once the proposal has been approved by the Graduate Studies
Committee, print off and sign the Directed
Study Proposal Form, secure the signature of your
faculty supervisor, and submit the final version of the proposal
with the cover sheet to the Director of Graduate Studies. The
Chair of the Department of English will then open a slot for you
in ENG 539 so that you may register.
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