Do any graduate programs emphasize writing while teaching English grammar, literature, and Latin?
I’d look into linguistics. As far as I know, all English programs are, at bottom, programs in literary criticism. But, all English departments should offer classes focused on composition — is there any reason you can’t just take a composition course? BTW, PhD funding is fairly common; MA funding is not. You often can, however, get a master’s degree on the way to the PhD without doing it separately and beforehand. I do think an MFA student would be allowed to audit courses in other departments, but you should check with any school you’re looking at before enrolling and then finding out otherwise.
What you are describing is not an academic pursuit. By academic pursuit I mean a subject or topic that one can study in depth to extend the sum of human knowledge. “Grammar,” being a constantly shifting boondoggle of inconsistent and often contradictory mandates issued by random individuals, does not constitute such a topic. The history of grammatical prescription, yes; the study of (the emergence and development of) central language authorities and how they propagate their influence, yes; but not “grammar,” as a thing by itself, because it doesn’t constitute an actual phenomenon. For example, a doctoral student in English literature has the option to focus on an author or an aspect of an author’s work. In the case of an obscure author, the goal might be to form a complete picture of the author’s output. Or maybe it would be to situate the author in a literary or historical context. Or something along those lines. The same sorts of topics might occupy a doctoral student in a department
Thanks, guys. To clarify: indeed I’m not looking to do any kind of scholarly research to expand the boundaries of human knowledge, and that would rule out PhD programs, with the possible exception of a PhD in creative writing with its creative thesis. Regarding my goals: if I did settle on this track, and that’s certainly not a given, it would be with the intention of writing creatively as a career. And when I say that, I mean teaching as well as writing, because that seems to be the reality of it. My experiences with creative writing are a college course and the writing I’ve done in my own time. The reason I mention the rest of this– Latin and grammar– is out of my plain interest in the subjects, coupled with the suspicion that a thorough understanding of those fields would enhance a person’s writing. Grammar in particular I would probably need to study on my own, and with Latin, I’d be taking undergrad courses. So the impression that I’m getting from all of this is that indeed an M
