Scope and Contents From the Collection: The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate English program. The holdings are primarily bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts or Master of Fine Arts degrees.Students become eligible to pursue the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree if they have obtained a Master of Arts...

Introduction [excerpt] To ... begin this thesis, I will situate slam poetry in relation to composition and rhetoric scholarship, by investigating and ultimately questioning the tendency to reject the use of literary or fictional texts in first year writing courses. I will address why compositionists tend to prefer using overtly politically or socially conscious nonfiction articles in order to teach academic writing and suggest that slam poetry might provide a highly effective alternative or additonal focus for...

Introduction [excerpt] I begin by looking briefly at the historical circumstances that led to the initial introduction of writing placement practices, how these events influenced a demand for new placement procedures, and how this initiative developed over time to become a more complex issue than originally anticipated. Then, I review the evolution of placement practices, engaging with and analyzing the field's conversations regarding the most popular placement paradigms over recent decades. Last, I provide an...