NB: Please check individual semester course descriptions for specific course content.

500-level courses are open to qualified undergraduates as well as graduate students. 600-level courses are closed to undergraduates except by instructor permission.

503  Literary Period or Movement (3) Advanced, historically oriented study of a literary period such as the Renaissance, or a movement such as postmodernism. Students must refer to the class schedule for specific course content. May be repeated for a total of six (6) units with new course content; may not be used for credit by students who have taken 603 for credit with the same content. Prerequisite: LTWR 300A or 300B; graduate students exempt from this prerequisite.

504 Seminar in Author Studies (3) Critical study of a major author or authors such as Shakespeare, Dickinson, Proust, Morrison, Gordimer, or Murasaki. Special attention will be given to biography, culture, and literary background. Students must refer to the class schedule for specific course content. May be repeated for a total of six (6) units with new course content; may not be used for credit by students who have taken 604 for credit with the same content. Prerequisite: LTWR 300A or 300B; graduate students exempt from this prerequisite.

509 Classical Rhetoric (3) A close study of Classical rhetoric. Examines the relationships between discourse and knowledge, communication and its effects, language and experience. Explores the possibilities for understanding the nature of persuasive discourse: purpose, audience, composing process, argumentation, organization, and style. Selected major works on rhetoric, from antiquity to the nineteenth century. Relationship between the rhetorical tradition and modern approaches to the teaching of writing and literature. May not be used for credit by students who have taken 609 for credit with the same content. Prerequisite: LTWR 300A or 300B; graduate students exempt from this prerequisite.

511 Literature in Translation (3) Study of select literary texts and literary criticism written in languages other than English. Students will study texts in the original language and compare them to their English translation(s) with a focus on idiom, style, grammar, and argumentative detail. Includes a survey of translation theory.  Requires good (i.e., equivalent of third-year instruction) reading knowledge of a foreign language.  Completion with a grade of B or better satisfies the Language Other than English requirement for graduate students in Literature and Writing Studies.  May be repeated for a maximum of six (6) units.  May not be taken for credit by students who have received credit for LTWR 611.  Prerequisite: LTWR 300A or 300B; graduate students exempt from this prerequisite.

512 Modern Rhetoric (3) A close study of 20th Century rhetoric; composition, theory, reading theory, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, language philosophy, and literary theory.  Relationship between theoretical theory and modern approaches to the study and pedagogy of writing and literature. May not be taken for credit by students who have received credit for LTWR 610.  Prerequisite:  LTWR 300A or 300B; graduate students exempt from this prerequisite.

525 Theory and Practice of College Writing Instruction (3) Wide reading in current theory and practice of teaching writing at the university level. Exploration of the implications for writing instructions of current discourse theory and linguistics (sentence-level and text-level). Review research on writing and instruction and examination of models of classroom and individual conferencing. Students will also tutor in the University Writing Center. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor; LTWR 300A or 300B; graduate students exempt from this prerequisite.

545 Advanced Creative Writing (3) For students who wish to increase their skills in creative writing of fiction and poetry. The content of each semester will be determined by the instructor and may include the short story, poetry, the novel, the play, or screenwriting. Prerequisite: LTWR 325 or equivalent experience in creative writing and consent of instructor. May be repeated for a total of six (6) units with new course content.

600 Research and Critical Methodology (3) Introduction to research methods and the critical and theoretical approaches common to the graduate study of literature and expository writing, with attention to basic reference works, bibliographical techniques, analytical strategies, scholarly frames of reference, and pedagogy. Recommended for the first semester of graduate study.

601 Literary Study in a Multicultural World (3) Relationship of literature to gender, race, class, and nationality. Changing conceptions of literary canons. Exploration, through literary texts, of values in literature and the constituents of literary value. Recommended corequisite or prerequisite: LTWR 600.

602 Rhetorical Theory and Practice (3) Exploration of the chronological and the disciplinary scope of rhetorical study, from classical times to the present. Includes works of relevance not only to composition studies, but also to literature, speech communication, philosophy, and the theoretical branches of other humanistic disciplines that have become increasingly interested in rhetorical processes. Focuses on the pedagogy of composition. May be repeated for a total of twelve (12) units. Only six (6) units may be counted toward the master's degree. Students who teach GEW 101 or LTWR 050 must register for 602 every time they teach. Prerequisites: Students must be accepted into the LTWR Master's Program, have completed the "GEW Teaching Exam," and have obtained consent of the instructor.

605 Seminar in Thematic Studies (3) Study of a thematic motif over time or across cultures, for example, alienation and exile, cultural taboo, colonial discourse, or the representation of criminality. May also address studies such as the nature of the hero and aspects of love or death. Students must refer to the class schedule for specific course content. May be repeated for a total of six (6) units with new course content.

606 Seminar in Genre Studies (3) An examination of one or more genres, for example, satire, utopian fiction, autobiography, travel narrative, landscape poetry, the essay, or film. Students must refer to the class schedule for specific course content. May be repeated for a total of six (6) units with new course content.

607 Seminar in Comparative Studies (3) Comparison of theoretical and literary representations across cultures (e.g., East/West studies), across modes of discourse (e.g., oral/written), or across media (e.g., literature/art or literature/music). Students must refer to the class schedule for specific course content. May be repeated for a total of six (6) units with new course content.

608 Seminar in Critical and Theoretical Studies (3) Close study of one or several bodies of critical theory currently applied to literary studies: psychoanalytic, feminist, Marxist, new-historical, or post-structuralist. Emphasis will be on terminology; methods of reading; modes of interdisciplinary analysis and interpretation; and recent debates on questions of theory, history, and culture.

612 Seminar in Rhetorical Theories and Cultures (3) Close study of one or several bodies of rhetorical theory in relation to cultures, for example, gender and rhetoric, adolescence and rhetoric, black English and rhetoric, and popular culture and rhetoric. Students must refer to the class schedule for specific course content. May be repeated for a total of six (6) units with new course content.

613 Seminar in Creative Writing (3) For students who want to continue refining their skills in poetry, short stories, novels, and/or screenwriting. Content to be decided by collaboration between the student and the instructor.  May be repeated for a total of six (6) units. Prerequisite: LTWR 325, 545, or equivalent experience in Creative Writing.

615 Scholarly Publishing in Literature and Writing (3) Faculty-supervised training in literary and composition publishing. Critical examination of academic journals with goal of submitting work to journals. Possible work on academic journal. Prerequisites: LTWR 525, one 600-level course and consent of instructor.

690A (1) 690B (2) 690C (3) 690D (4) 690E (5) 690F (6) Graduate Research  
Faculty-supervised research. May be repeated, but no more than six (6) units may be applied toward the Master's degree. Graded Credit/No Credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

695A (1) 695B (2) 695C (3) 695D (4) 695E (5) 695F (6) Internship 
Supervised experience either teaching writing at the college level or working in public agencies and private industries that provide opportunities to develop professional writing skills. Students who want credit for working in CSUSM's Writing Center should enroll. Only three (3) units may be applied toward the Master's degree. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

699 Graduate Thesis (3) Prerequisite: Completion of twenty-four (24) units in the graduate program prior to enrollment, or consent of thesis advisor. Graded Credit/No Credit.

699 X (1), Y (2), Z (3) Thesis Extension
Registration in this course is limited to students who have received a satisfactory grade in LTWR 699 and who expect to use the facilities and resources of the University to work on or complete their thesis. Students who have not completed their thesis in LTWR 699 must register for LTWR 699X, Y or Z. Graded Credit/No Credit. May be repeated, but credit will not be applied toward degree. Prerequisite: Prior registration in LTWR 699 with a satisfactory grade.

Guidelines and Regulations for Signing Up for Independent Study Courses:

Graduate independent study courses include: LTWR 690 (ABCDEF), LTWR 695 (ABCDEF), LTWR 699, LTWR 699 (XYZ) and E699.

All these courses are graded Credit/No Credit.

The regulations governing these courses are as follows:

A maximum of 9 units of these courses can be applied toward the degree. 

• LTWR 690 (ABCDEF) can be repeated, but only 6 units can be applied toward the degree
  
• LTWR 695 (ABCDEF) can be repeated, but only 3 units can be applied toward the degree
  
• LTWR 699 cannot be repeated, and only 3 units can be applied toward the degree.  You are permitted to take LTWR 699 upon the completion of 24 units.
  
• LTWR 699 (XYZ) can be repeated, but none of the credit can count toward your degree.  Conditions for taking LTWR 699 (XYZ) are satisfactory progress in LTWR 699 (XYZ), as well as your need to continue working with faculty and to use the facilities and resources of the University.
  
• E699 is not repeatable. Can be taken only once. No credit toward the degree. Registration in this course is via Extended Studies.  No faculty supervision will be given: this course is only designed to enable you to use the university’s facilities to finish work on your thesis. To register, students need to fill out the E699 form, which can be downloaded from the web site of the CSUSM Office of Graduate Studies and Research, and obtain a signature directly from the Graduate Studies Coordinator instead of the Chair of their Thesis.

Independent Studies forms are available from the Literature and Writing Studies Administrative Coordinator’s office.  After completing an independent studies form with all the required signatures, students need to submit the form to Registration and Records. Registration and Records will create a CRN for the course, register the student in the class and e-mail the student if there is a fee change. Students can view their registration status in independent studies classes on the Smart Web.