Introduction

The CSUSM Literature and Writing Studies Department offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts degree. Our mission is to prepare students for study at the doctoral level, teaching at the community and junior college level, and occupations in the private and the public sectors that require a high degree of literacy. Rather than offering an emphasis in literature or writing studies at the master's level, our program aims to balance and integrate these activities. Because most of our students are, or eventually will be, teachers, our intention is to provide a graduate teaching apprenticeship within the program that begins with classes, seminars, and close faculty mentoring, leading to internships, tutoring, and teaching assistantships. Qualified students may tutor students with writing problems or teach general education writing courses. Internships may also be arranged at community colleges, the California Center for the Arts, or in other settings in the public and private sector where teaching, writing, and research skills are central activities.