Requirements | Department of English Literature and Linguistics

Track Requirements for Poetry, Fiction and Creative Nonfiction:

Over the course of three years, you need to take:

1. Three Creative Writing workshops- 2 from within your genre (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry), and 1 from a different genre within Creative Writing. Courses that are "outside" your genre include hybrid courses, such as "Prose" (designed for fiction and nonfiction) "Documentaries" (designed for nonfiction and poetry). There is also a "hybrid literature" workshop offered every other year.

You should consider whether you would prefer to frontload these workshops and take two your first year and one your second year, or vice-versa. Please keep in mind that the second year is also the year in which you write your thesis. Consider whether one or two workshops would suit you better as you work on the thesis. It is a personal decision.

2. You are also required to take 3 literature seminars as electives, which are upper-level courses, from 700 and upward, ideally courses at 800-level. Poets are required to take the genre seminar in prosody, and creative nonfiction writers are required to take the genre seminar in life writing. You may find the list on our timetable: Timetable https://english.biu.ac.il/node/503

3. You are required to take Jewish Arts Seminar (37931), which is a course about the long traditions of Jewish writing and assumes no previous knowledge. However, you may substitute a different seminar if you are not Jewish. All students are welcome.

4. Jewish studies courses: Bar-Ilan University requires all Jewish MA students to take two courses from the Basic Jewish Studies listing, outside the Department of English Literature and Linguistics: if you completed your B.A. at Bar Ilan, you need only two credits. If you did not, you need four credits. (Most of the tests are multiple choice and some of the instructors may allow you to be tested in English.)

Non-Jewish students may substitute the Jewish Studies courses with two general courses from any department. They may not be taken with in the department.

List of Jewish Study courses (in Hebrew)

list of Jewish study courses in English

Track Requirements for Literary Translation:

The Core Curriculum

1 Required course - 829- Literary Conversations: Introduction to Advanced Studies in Literature

2 Translation Workshops

3 elective Graduate-level Literature seminars (course number starting in 377xx or 378xx - see here for the latest program)

1 Creative Writing Workshop. You are automatically approved for the undergraduate upper division prose and hybrid workshops (450, 451, or 751). You may enroll in the graduate level genre workshops with permission from the instructor.

2 Jewish studies courses*

*Bar-Ilan University requires all Jewish MA students to take two courses from the Basic Jewish Studies listing, outside the Department of English Literature and Linguistics: if you completed your B.A. at Bar Ilan, you need only two credits. If you did not, you need four credits. (Most of the tests are multiple choice and some of the instructors may allow you to be tested in English.)Non-Jews may substitute the Jewish Studies courses with two general courses from any department. They may not be taken with in the department.

One-on-one mentoring: all students will receive a full-year of one-on-one mentoring with a faculty member for the purpose of completing a creative thesis: the translation of a manuscript (or partial manuscript) in poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction.

Requirements/Prerequisites

BA degree or equivalent

Fluency/near-fluency in English

Competency in ANY second language

Translation sample

Statement of purpose

NOTE: Students without a BA in English literature or a related field may be required to take several basic literature courses.

NOTE: The English Literature requirements defined above are valid for those students who do not have to take prerequisites. Students with little background in English literature will be asked to take between one and four additional courses in English literature.

In order to complete the MA within two years, you will need to write a thesis proposal for your creative work at the end of the first year and submit and defend the thesis by the end of the second year. You will not be allowed to submit and defend your thesis until ALL your coursework is completed. The thesis proposal will be introduced to you in a zoom workshop.

All administrative questions should be directed to Ms. Judie Liri Academic questions may be directed to Prof. Sulak