The Department of Literature and Language at ETSU has 23 members on the English Graduate Faculty, and at any one time our Master of Arts in English program generally has 15-25 full- and part-time students. This teacher-to-student ratio means that we are able to keep class sizes small and give our students personalized attention. Together, we form a constructive academic community, helping students to develop their critical skills, research methodologies, and writing. The MA in English is an excellent degree to benefit those pursuing any career that values critical thinking and clear communication. Degree studies enhance the skills of those already in or planning to enter the teaching profession, and it is an essential stepping stone to earning a PhD and becoming a professor at a college or university.
For sample courses, see courses at the 5000-level in The Clarion. In addition to teaching in their respective areas of expertise, our graduate faculty would welcome advising thesis projects in line with their areas of expertise, listed below.
Graduate Faculty
Matthew Holtmeier
Film and Media | Film-Philosophy | Political Cinema | Environmental Media | Cybernetics
David Michael Jones
Romanticism | 20th Century Popular Culture | Working Class and Masculinity Studies
Josh Reid
Early Modern British/European Literature | Bible as Literature | John Milton | Word and Image
Dan Westover
20th/21st Century British Literature | Welsh Writing in English | Scottish and Northern Irish Poetry
What some of our alums are up to now
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Danielle Byington - Educator, Arist, and Writer
Since completing my English-MA in spring 2017, I generally define myself as an educator, artist, and author. Those three labels are not isolated, however, as all equally influence whatever I’m doing. In early 2020 I started my educational art business, Sight into Insight, which focuses on the relationship of word and image, an interest I was able to develop further during my time in ETSU’s English-MA program. I’ve been fortunate enough in these first few years of the business to have already earned a number of grants for varying projects.
My work as a visual artist after graduating—which has been exhibited nationally, accepted in a permanent collection, and published internationally by academic journals/magazines/textbooks—is a prime example of the fluid ways my English-MA has helped me to succeed, allowing me to articulate complex theories involving the arts such as those I studied in the program. While the venture into the art world was an unexpected accessory to my business, I’d argue it has been as relevant a byproduct of my experiences studying graduate-level literature as my published creative writing, which includes two poetry chapbooks and two children’s books. The liminal space of my visual art and creative writing is especially animated by my work in education, whether teaching writing in a classroom or workshops, creating digital content for libraries to assist students in understanding analytical aspects of literature, or composing a series of paintings to better illustrate a regional figure’s life based on their extant letters.
My collective goal has always been to prevent my work from being strictly an academic conversation trapped within a circle of a dozen people and to instead make it a part of culture from which everyone can benefit. I recently began my doctoral degree in a distance program at University of Jaén, Spain, which supports my objectives, but it’s my time spent in ETSU’s English-MA program that especially prepared me for this mission.
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Andy Demczuk - Artist and Educator
What are you up to now?
I am a first year MFA-Studio Arts graduate assistant in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. My research is centered around intuitive drawing, rhetoric, poetics, spatial theory, templates, sound design, and hauntology. I am currently working on a mural design to be painted in a gallery in New York City.
How did your MA in English help you get there?
First of all, the classes were cutting-edge, and taught by some of the best professors I have ever met—leading me to experience eras I might have missed out on: Elizabethan theater, French World War Two literature, modernism, and postmodernism, etc. On top of which, I had the opportunity to learn new critical and philosophical lenses, which are so helpful in achieving a deeper and more profound understanding of art’s effects on society.
In addition to being a student, the GA and teaching experience at ETSU was remarkable. Among the many skills I gained, one of the most memorable was when I conducted research for Dr. Joshua Reid on Dali’s illustrations of Dante’s Inferno. I was also a TA for Dr. Holtmeier’s film class where I got to see the history of film unfold throughout the semester through illuminating discussions and film examples. During my second year, I taught two classes each semester of English 1010 and 1020. I am so grateful for having that opportunity. I now am an adjunct at ETSU where I teach Literary Heritage, one of the best courses out there, though I am biased.
What were some of your favorite classes?
Cybernetic Fictions with Dr. Holtmeier, hands down. For the final project I made a Samuel Beckett-esque audio play where the user advanced the plot via a labyrinthine website.
Do you have any advice for prospective graduate students?
Take the classes that interest you and fuel your creative work. There is no need to separate academic writing from art. Some of my best art projects have come out of critical essays.
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Zoe Hester - Educator
I am currently working as an ML (Multilingual Learner) teacher at a high school in Washington, DC. Before that, I spent two years as an ELL teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee. I'm not sure I'll teacher forever, but it's what I'm doing right now.
My MA in English helped me to gain so many skills outside of literature and linguistics. Becoming a strong student has helped me as I work become a strong teacher.
Some of my favorite classes in the program were Appalachian Literature and 20th-21st Century Dystopian British Literature.
My advice for prospective graduate students is to put yourself out there--you'll be able to grow as a scholar and as a person. -
Abby Lewis - Librarian and Writer
What are you up to now? In your career? In your creative work?
I've transitioned into studying librarianship. I just began my first semester in an MLIS program, and I am striving for a full-time position in the Knoxville Public Library system where I currently work part-time. I still write poetry, and I have a new chapbook coming out this year through plan b press that I'm excited about.
How did your MA in English help you get there?
Many of the skills I acquired and honed through the MA English program I utilize on a daily basis. Having to navigate the Sherrod Library database for sources for essays has taught me valuable transferable skills about navigating databases that I still use in my job and personal life. The critical thinking skills polished in daily critical in-class discussions with my peers is also an invaluable resource that has noticeably improved how I approach discussions with patrons at the library and even people in my personal life. It has allowed me to take a more open-minded and thoughtful approach to engaging in tough discussions.
What were some of your favorite classes?
I always loved the creative writing classes with Dr. Graves, but Dr. Westover's 20th Century British Novel and Dr. Honeycutt's special topics class on creative nonfiction, where we read a lot of graphic novels. Westover's class inspired my thesis, and Honeycutt's class gave me a love for graphic novels.
Do you have any advice for prospective graduate students?
I went back to school for an MA because I'd discovered that working in publishing was not for me, and I wanted to make time to explore other interests. Sometimes it's just as helpful to know what you don't want to do as it is to know what you do want to do. Essentially, make time to allow yourself to experiment and discover what you enjoy and what you don't. Eventually, you'll find a track you love. My roundabout way of discovering librarianship taught me a lot of valuable information about myself and my own interests.
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Luke Shelton - Educator, Editor, and Podcaster
What are you up to now? In your career? In your creative work?
Currently, my "day job" is as a tutor at a local learning center in Rochester, Minnesota. I find the work fulfilling and engaging there, but it is only a part of what I am working on. I am also able to pursue my passion for the works of J.R.R. Tolkien by serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Mallorn: The Journal of the Tolkien Society. It is a great way to keep up with new scholarship and to give back to a field that I am very grateful to be a part of. (I was fortunate enough to lead a recent scheme to make the journal Open Access, and so I can now use my position as an editor to give back to an even broader community.) I also created and co-host The Tolkien Experience, which has both a podcast and a text-based project where people share their personal history and experiences with Tolkien's work and its adaptations.
How did your MA in English help you get there?
I was never the best student in high-school or college. When I decided to come back for my MA, I found that I had a new zest for learning and discussing new ideas. I think that ETSU was a very beneficial place for me because all of the professors were welcoming and encouraging in a way that I do not think I would have experienced at a larger institution. I was able to spend a lot of time talking to professors in very small classes or one-on-one. This fueled my love of learning and my desire to pursue my passions after my MA. In short, I think my MA reignited something that I had lost: my passion for engaging with others in the exchange of ideas. This is what drives me to do everything I do now. I teach, edit journals, and host podcasts because all of these are ways of reaching out to others over a shared passion. I really do think that my time at ETSU had a lot to do with my confidence to do these things.
What were some of your favorite classes during your MA?
I really enjoyed my Russian Literature course! It was a stretch because I had never studied it academically before, even though I had read and enjoyed Dostoevsky and Gogol on my own several years earlier. I also really enjoyed my Medieval Literature and Old English courses. Obviously, this was already my area of interest, but I was delighted that we were able to get enough students interested in Old English so that we could run a full course!
Do you have any advice for prospective graduate students?
You will have a mentor during your time at ETSU, make sure to actually use them as a resource and to reach out to your other professors, too! Some of my best memories and my best learning happened during the office hours of my professors, when I could ask them my questions directly or even disagree with the text we were studying. Also, ETSU is a smaller school, so take advantage of the opportunities this gives you as a student! You can get to know everyone in your cohort, you can request special classes, you can petition for changes and know that the department will actually hear you. All of these things are much more difficult when you are in a larger institution.