Program of Study

MLA Program Handbook

The MLA program consists of 10 three-credit courses, a one-credit research methods course, and a Final Project worth six credits for a total of 37 credit hours. Although there are required courses, the program's primary feature is that students are expected to self-design a Program of Study. This flexibility allows students to pursue courses that best reflect their personal and/or professional interests. The MLA program has the following requirements.

Required Courses (13 credits)

• HUM 509 Ancient World—a three-credit course that examines the world's most influential books, people, and ideas before 1500 A.D.
• HUM 510 Modern World—a three-credit course that examines the world's most influential books, people, and ideas since 1500 A.D.
• RSM 509 Writing and Information Literacy—a one-credit course that will help students recognize, understand, locate, evaluate, and effectively use information resources (e.g., journals, websites, etc.) that are the building blocks for research papers, theses, and research projects.
• MLA 501 Final Project—a culminating project worth six credits that is completed under the guidance of a McDaniel College faculty member.

Self-Designed Program of Study (24 credits)

Students will provide a brief, written rationale that justifies their individualized Program of Study (required for full admission).  Each program must include:

• At least one Cultural Heritage course (a course that focuses on the issues relevant to the shaping of culture).
• At least one Contemporary Society course (a course that focuses on current issues evident in modern society).
• At least one Creative Process course (a course that requires students to explore their artistic and creative talents).

All Cultural Heritage, Contemporary Society, and Creative Process courses must come from the MLA curriculum.

Any two courses of the Program of Study may come from outside the MLA curriculum (transferred from another McDaniel graduate program or from another accredited graduate institution). A maximum of one independent study course is permitted within the Program of Study (though a second independent study may be arranged with coordinator permission).

MLA Curriculum

Below are the course offerings for the MLA and a listing of which requirement each course fulfills. The notation CH indicates a course which fulfills the Cultural Heritage requirement, CS indicates a Contemporary Society course, and CP indicates a Creative Process course.  New courses are frequently added to the curriculum, based on student interest and faculty availability—see individual MLA semester schedules for details.

ART 501 Drawing (CP)
ART 502 Oil-Painting (CP)
ART 505 20th Century Art (CS)
ART 506 Art in Area Collections (CH)
ART 508 Studio Art (CP)
ART 520 Watercolor (CP)
ART 531 Sculpture (CP)
BIO 566 Special Topics in Biology (CS)
COM 532 Fiction into Film (CH)
COM 531 Studies in Foreign Cinema (CH)
ENG 509 Writing Memoir (CP)
ENG 512 Poetry (CP)
ENG 513 Horror Fiction (CH)
ENG 515 Apocalyptic Literature in the Western Literary Imagination (CH/CS)
GSC 507 Wild America: Natural life from coast to coast (CH)
GSC 566 Special Topics in General Science (CS)
HUM 509 Ancient World
HUM 510 Modern World
HUM 566 Special Topics in the Humanities (CH/CS/CP)
HIS 566 Special Topics in History (CH)
MLA 501 Final Project
PHI 509 Applied Ethics (CH)
PHI 525 Issues of Social Justice (CS)
PHI 566 Special Topics in Philosophy (CH)
PSI 524 Truth, Justice and the American Way (CS)
PSI 525 Liberty, Rights, and Freedom (CS)
PSY 515 Madness, Creativity, Genius (CS)
THE 512 Theatre and Drama in the Classroom (CP)
THE 514 Theatre Appreciation (CH)

For more information on courses in the MLA curriculum, see the MLA Program Handbook and the Graduate & Professional Studies Catalogue (MLA courses carry Cultural Heritage, Contemporary Society, or Creative Process designations in the catalogue).