Successful graduates of the MA program in American Studies will be awarded a degree in which the following two elements will appear:

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1 Abbreviations STUDY UNIT LIST (MA) D = MA degree thesis (Hungarian szakdolgozat ) G = seminar (practical class; Hu gyakorlat ) K = lecture (Hu kollokvium ) Sz = comprehensive examination (Hu szigorlat ) V = exam (Hu vizsga ) Z = final examination (Hu záróvizsga ) kon = consultation (Hu konzultáció ) k = obligatory unit (Hu kötelező ) kv = obligatory elective unit (freely chosen elective(s) necessary for the completion of a specialization track; Hu kötelezően választható ) v = elective unit (opposite of obligatory; Hu választható ) Explanation of prerequisites A prerequisite not enclosed in brackets: strong prerequisite; must be completed successfully at least one semester before the course in question for which it is a prerequisite A prerequisite enclosed in brackets: weak prerequisite; can be taken up in the same semester with the course in question for which it is a prerequisite, but must be completed successfully for the course for which it is a prerequisite to be valid (if the prerequisite course is failed, the course for which it is a prerequisite will be invalid; such a course (with its prerequisite) may be retaken in the next semester at the earliest) HOST INSTITUTE: MA IN AMERICAN STUDIES The School of English and (SEAS) GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MA PROGRAM IN AMERICAN STUDIES: MA program title: Successful graduates of the MA program in will be awarded a degree in which the following two elements will appear: The level of degree the graduate has attained (magister, master; abbreviation: MA) The academic discipline the graduate has studied () Qualification: Philologist in Duration of the program: semesters (2 years) 1

2 Credits required for graduation: 120 Foreign language requirements for the MA degree in : Before the MA in is granted, every student must present evidence of knowledge of a language other than English. The student must show that his or her knowledge of this other language is at least at an intermediate (or B2 ) level. Acceptable evidence of such knowledge can be either a certificate of having passed a state exam, or a school-leaving exam certificate demonstrating knowledge of the language in question, or any other certificate demonstrating knowledge of a living language. MA THESIS AND FINAL EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS: Thesis: Formal requirements: The thesis must be submitted in two copies: one hardbound and one ring-bound. In addition, students must submit the thesis electronically as well (in one file, if possible, readable in Word 97 format). The name of the file should be the student s second name and the initial of the first name. The outer cover should bear the following: (a) the words MA Diplomamunka and MA Thesis ; (b) the student s name; (c) the title of the thesis in English and Hungarian; (d) the name of the university and the program title (ELTE, MA program in ); and (e) the year of submission. An inner title page should bear the following: (a) the words MA Diplomamunka and MA Thesis ; (b) the title of the thesis in English and Hungarian; and (c) the year of submission. The bottom left-hand side corner should contain the name and title of the supervisor; the bottom right-hand side corner should contain (a) the student s name; (b) the name of the university and the program title (ELTE, MA program in American Studies); and (c) the year of submission. Pledge of Scholarly Honesty: The thesis must include a Pledge of Scholarly Honesty, signed by the student, declaring that the work is original and exempt from plagiarism. The text of the Pledge is as follows: By my signature below, I pledge and certify that my ELTE MA thesis, entitled... is entirely my own work. That is to say, the framing ideas are substantially my own and I have faithfully and exactly cited all the sources I have used, whether from conversations, books, letters, and other media, including the Internet. If this pledge is found to be false, I realize that I will be subject to penalties up to and including the forfeiture of the degree earned by my thesis. Abstract: The thesis should also include a separate Abstract page that succinctly summarizes the thesis in no more than half a page, in single-spaced format. Length: The thesis should be at least 120,000 characters in length (i.e., 60 pages). The 60 pages cover only the thesis proper, i.e., additional material (such as the inner title page, the table of contents, the references section, etc.) does not count into the required length. Language: The thesis should be written according to the conventions of standard American English. 2

3 Requirements concerning the content of the thesis: Genre: The thesis should comply with the techniques of academic writing; in particular, it should (a) cite sources appropriately; (b) distinguish the thesis writer s own ideas from those of other authors; and (c) avoid plagiarism. Submission of thesis title: The title of the thesis should be submitted by the end of the 2 nd semester. Topic: The Thesis topic may be drawn from the subject areas offered in the DAS curriculum: American English and Linguistics, Literature, History, Culture, or some combination of these. The topic of the MA thesis must be new in comparison to the student s BA thesis topic. This means that, though it may be within the same general departmental subject area as that of the student s BA thesis, it must be a novel topic. Students are expected to find a supervisor by the end of their second semester; the topic of the thesis must be agreed upon with the supervisor. The student must formally submit the thesis title by completing the title submission form and obtaining a signature from the supervisor. The form must also be signed by the head of the department. Instructors can supervise a maximum of six theses. Supervision: The supervisor can be any instructor of the SEAS. Students are granted 3 consultation periods with their supervisor. The three consultations should cover the various stages of the research/writing process; that is, one consultation should be in the first phase of the research, while narrowing down the topic of the thesis, and two further consultations should be held in the consecutive stages of processing the literature and writing the thesis proper. The supervisor certifies the consultations by signing the consultation form. Note that students are required to complete certain courses in the subject area of their thesis topic (including a methodology seminar), as given in the course list of the MA program in. The writing of the thesis proper is carried out by the student individually; the supervisor is not obliged to check the grammaticality of the chapters. Quality: The thesis should demonstrate the student s knowledge of the subject and analytical ability, as well as a measure of originality. In addition, the thesis should indicate the student s familiarity with the theoretical framework relevant to the chosen topic. Furthermore, the thesis should be in written in appropriately competent English, conforming to the conventions of the academic style of American English. References: The thesis must include citations and a Works cited / References section at the end, listing all the relevant academic literature and sources which the author has cited. Referee: The final grade of the thesis is given by the referee. The referee is appointed by the head of the department, after the submission of the thesis. The supervisor is not normally entitled to assess the thesis unless the head of department grants permission for this. Submission: The deadline for the submission of the thesis, as well as its assessment and the course of action in case of a failed thesis are as specified in the institute s regulations and the requirements of the program. Defense of the thesis: The thesis must be defended before a committee. The committee assesses the student s performance based on a scale of 1 to 5. Assessment: The final grade of the thesis is based upon five aspects (concept, argumentation, research, format, language). Details of the grading policy of the Department can be found on the SEAS webpage ( 3

4 Final examination requirements: The final examination is held before a committee; the student is assessed on a scale of 1 to 5. The aim of the final examination is for the student to demonstrate a satisfactory knowledge of American literature, history, culture, and linguistics, and that the student is able to verbalize this knowledge in high-quality English. Prerequisites for the final examination: The aim of the final examination is to examine and assess whether the student has been able to acquire and apply all the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the MA degree. The prerequisites for the final examination are the following: the final certificate ( abszolutórium in Hungarian): the final certificate confirms that the student has completed all the required study units (as specified below) and related general academic obligations as specified in the Study Unit List (except for the thesis, the required language proficiency examination, and the final examination), and has collected all credit points specified in the qualification requirements, except for those to be obtained for the thesis. The final certificate is to be issued in the semester in which the student has met all the requirements for the final certificate; a certificate stating that the student has returned all University property (such as library books), and a certificate stating that the student has no outstanding financial obligations (such as tuition fees) towards ELTE; an MA thesis submitted by relevant deadlines that has been awarded at least a grade 2. Evaluation and grading of the final examination: The final examination consists of three parts: defense of the thesis, the main subject exam, and the secondary subject exam. The examination proceeds as follows: 1. defense of the thesis; 2. main subject exam: the discussion of a topic the student draws and then presents without preparation. The topic is from the general subject area approved by the department and specified on the candidate s thesis title submission form, approved by the head of the department. (If one of the topics matches the subject of the thesis, that topic is removed from among the list of questions before the candidate draws one); 3. secondary subject exam: the candidate must specify the secondary subject when submitting the thesis (in written form, at the department). Only those students can take the final examination who have specified their secondary subject. The main and secondary subject areas of the program are the following: American literature, American history, American culture, and American English and linguistics. The final grade of the final examination is the mathematical average (rounded to the closest whole number) of the three parts of the exam (the defense of the thesis, the main subject exam, and the secondary subject exam). If the candidate fails any of these parts, the relevant regulations of the HKR are to be followed. DEGREE CERTIFICATE: The degree certificate states the mathematical average (rounded to the closest whole number) of the grade of the thesis and the grades received at the final examination.

5 PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Prof. Dr. Kövecses, Zoltán, 5

6 STUDY UNIT LIST OF MA IN AMERICAN STUDIES Code BMI- Name of Study Unit Semester When Offered Type of Grade Obl./Elec. Hours/Semester Credits Prerequisite(s) Ideally taken up in semester Host I. FOUNDATION STUDIES: 20 CREDITS 100E 110E 120E 130E 10E American Literary Canons (Traditions, Schools, Movements) The American People: A Social History 1 K k K k 30 1 American Cultural Studies 1 K k 30 1 An Interdisciplinary Approach to American English Descriptive American English Grammar 1 K k K k 60 1 Total: E 210E 220E 230E 20E Theory and Practice American Politics Today and Its System From Immigration to Multiculturality: Assimilation in the U.S. Visual Culture in the United States Language, Mind, and American Culture II. CORE STUDIES: 20 CREDITS 2 K k , 110, 120, 130, 10E 2 K k E 2 2 K k E 2 2 K k E 2 2 K k , 10E 2 Total: E III. SPECIALIZATION STUDIES: 50 CREDITS Gender, Race and Ethnicity in American Literature and Culture 3 K kv E 3 Reading Critical Texts 3 K kv E 3 301E The United States and 3 K kv E 3 310E Hungary American Foreign Policy 3 K kv E 3 311E Yesterday and Today Social Problems in the 3 K kv , 230E 3 320E U.S.A. American Film 3 K kv E 3 6

7 321E 330E 331E 00E 01E 10E 11E 12E 20E 21E 30E 31E Cognitive Science and the Critique of American Society Media and Communication in the U.S. Constructions and Reconstructions of Americanness and American Values in American Literature The Methodology of American Literary Criticism Writing and Teaching American History in the U.S. The Attempts of the U.S. to Create an Empire Sources of in Public Collections and on the Internet 3 K kv E 3 3 K kv E 3 G kv 30 5 G kv 30 5 K kv 30 5 G kv 30 5 G kv 30 5 Religion: Born in the U.S.A. G kv 30 5 The Methodology of Cultural Studies G kv 30 5 Cognitive Linguistics G kv 30 5 The Methodology of Cognitive Linguistic Research G kv 30 5 Total: E or 301E 300E or 301E 310E or 311E 310E or 311E 310E or 311E 320E or 321E 320E or 321E 330E or 331E 330E or 331E During the Specialization Studies (third and fourth semesters), the student must complete at least 10 courses as follows: In the third semester the student must complete at least four courses (from the available eight obligatory elective units) so that each course represents a different academic area (literature, history, culture, linguistics). In the fourth semester the student must complete at least four courses (from the available nine obligatory elective units) so that the courses follow as closely as possible the topic of the thesis and that one of the courses is a methodology seminar in connection to the subject area of the thesis. IV. FREE ELECTIVES: 10 CREDITS Freely chosen electives from the pool of MA courses offered by ELTE, Faculty of Philosophy (ELTE, BTK) - restrictions may apply (check with Institute/Department in charge of the course prior to taking up the course). 901E 902E V. THESIS, FINAL EXAMINATION: 20 CREDITS Thesis D k 0 20 Registrar Final Examination Z k 0 0 Registrar Total: