Union Graduate College - School of Education

EGL 510. Writing and Teaching: A Process Approach
Using the techniques developed by the National Writing Project to use the writing processes of actual writers in school writing, this course presents an in-depth examination of the writing process. Students are expected to write weekly and to use the techniques in the course with their own students in secondary schools. As a result, the course combines writing theory with practical classroom practice.

EGL 523. The American Short Story �
This course begins with the major originators of the American short story: Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, and Melville. Subsequently, the course develops the short fictions of major American writers including Romantics, Realists, and innovators in the genre.

EGL 524. Modern American Fiction
Designed to analyze the evolution of the third generation of American Realists from the second decade of the twentieth century through the Great Depression. These writers had a great deal to do with the expression and shaping of American experience and culture. The writers studied in these courses transformed American literature from a nationalistic examination of Americans by Americans and for Americans to an international literature with a world-wide impact.

EGL 565. Reading Shakespeare
Focusing on a handful of Shakespearean plays chosen by a Shakespearean scholar, this course will examine the plays in depth in relationship to the latest scholarly interpretations. There will also be an examination of what these latest approaches to Shakespeare suggest for the classroom, the English profession, and English studies.

EGL 581. Criticism
This course focuses on gaining a broad familiarity with the major theoretical approaches to the study of literature and culture. The course will apply the insights gained about theory to the practical act of interpreting literary texts and narratives of various sorts. Strong links will be drawn between theory and practical application.

EGL 580, MA Teachers Project
Individual and group projects relating to the classroom teaching of a particular discipline. Typical projects are: systematic applications of an instructional model of a major segment of curriculum in teaching English; classroom action research; addressing curricular or instructional questions/issues within one�s teaching English.

EGL 582 / HST 582. The Civil War Era
Focusing on the history and literature of the Civil War Era, this course selects materials from 1850-1870. Key concepts and their extensions into the 19th and 20th centuries will be emphasized including race, gender, immigration, industrialism, military tactics, individualism, Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, and Patriotism. The course will emphasize several interdisciplinary approaches to the study of literature and history, including a wide variety of artifacts that can be used to teach the history and literature of the period. The course will be organized as a seminar emphasizing discussion and student presentations.

EGL 596. Reading American Fictions
Designed to study in-depth a few key American fictions selected for their relevance for teaching American literature, American history, and American culture. The books are central to understanding American character, American national values and/or the American experience. The term �fictions� is used broadly to define original texts that encompass novels, short stories, memoirs, autobiographies, speeches, and classic expressions of American history and culture.

EGL 595. Reading Poetry
Students will examine a broad range of poems in order to examine the sources and characteristics of the unique powers of poetry and poets claimed throughout history. Students will learn to formulate theories of how poetry operates in ways peculiar to itself and to develop personal, aesthetic, and critical approaches to reading poetry effectively.

EGL 598. EGL 599. Research and Thesis in the English

HST 510. Comparative Global History
History 510 takes a comparative and topical approach to the study of traditional global history. The goal is to provide teachers with several different framework within which to understand and teach global history. Five main approaches are examined. The course will be organized as a seminar focusing on class discussion rather than lecture. Grading will be based on short papers and a final exam.

HST 511. The Writing and Ratification of the Constitution
The course has three major goals. First: to learn about the origins of the Constitution and the reasons for supporting or opposing it. Second: to acquaint students with primary sources and how they can be used to construct an historical interpretation. Third: to familiarize students with the tasks involved in producing a research paper.

HST 558. The Holocaust
A formal study of European and American Jewry in the period 1933-1945 focusing on modern anti-Semitism, the Nazi world view, German extermination policies, the response of Europe and the United States, and Jewish behavior in a time of crisis.

HST 580, MA Teachers Project
Individual and group projects relating to the classroom teaching of a particular discipline. Typical projects are: systematic applications of an instructional model of a major segment of curriculum in teaching History; classroom action research; addressing curricular or instructional questions/issues within one�s teaching History.

HST 582. The Civil War Era, an Interdisciplinary Approach
Focusing on the history and literature of the Civil War Era, this course selects materials from 1850-1870. Key concepts and their extensions into the 19th and 20th centuries will be emphasized including race, gender, immigration, industrialism, military tactics, individualism, Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, and Patriotism. The course will emphasize several interdisciplinary approaches to the study of literature and history, including a wide variety of artifacts that can be used to teach the history and literature of the period. The course will be organized as a seminar emphasizing discussion and student presentations.

HST 584 Personality in History
This course deals with the impact upon history of a number of prominent personalities. The factors influencing their lives, the roles they played in the historical process and the interplay between their personalities and underlying forces of history constitute the subject matter of this course.

HST 589 Comparitive Social Studies
This course is designed as a critical thinking course, analyzing the ways in which social scientists write, think, make arguments, and present evidence. The course provides future teachers with multiple ways to evaluate social science evidence in multiple disciplines. The course demands analytical thinking and the ability to articulate orally and in writing.

HST 596, The Presidency
Designed to explore and analyze the features of the American presidency from its inception to the present day. Each president defined the role of the office while redefining the nature of America and its position in the world community. The Presidency is meant to delve into the significance of each president, his vision for the country and his historical impact in American history

HST 598. HST 599. Research and Thesis in the History

Degree Programs

Accelerated MAT with
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Master of Arts in English &
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Educating Graduate students from Albany, Schenectady, Upstate New York�s Capital Region, United States, and around the World.