Presents eight "sophistical" principles for English department heads, using the historical characters of Protagoras and Gorgias as a framework for discussion. (MM)

Describes how an English professor trained to become a technical writer for industry and the benefits of such training to all technical writing teachers. (AEA)

Presents a report of the Association of Departments of English's (ADE) investigation of issues and procedures concerning assessment in English departments. Offers advice to educators, based on information from department chairs and colleagues. (TB)

Presents a checklist for departmental self-study. Considers the role of aims, courses and programs, faculty, students, resources, and operations. Addresses many different considerations within these ideas. Draws conclusions focusing on strengths, areas of concern, and unrealized opportunities. (SG)

Argues that most doctoral training in English departments is concentrated on requirements, credentials, and the accumulation of a diversified portfolio. Emphasizes the need to discuss the scope of the doctoral enterprise and to explore the values that make such an enterprise worthwhile. (RS)

Describes how English department chairs might successfully order and structure their departments. Analyzes two central characteristics of English departments as political entities: purpose and values. Lists several observations about departmental organization. (HB)

Identifies the slippage that often occurs between graduate school in English and the actual classroom realities of professional life. Suggests six areas of professional development for graduate students in English. Claims that such development might help teachers achieve greater happiness and success in their new surroundings. (HB)

Considers how departments of English can evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and teaching throughout the entire program. Outlines the way that the joint English department at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University developed a full-scale assessment program for the undergraduate major. (HB)

Discusses the psychological impact of chairing an English department in a time of shrinking resources. Provides advice for department heads faced with budget cuts. (HB)

Calls attention to some of the psychological dimensions of English department chairs' responsibilities to mentor and evaluate faculty members. Notes an estrangement effect between chairs and faculty; the importance of making the right initial appointments; usefulness of written performance evaluations; and the importance of mentoring junior…

Uses the example of service learning to examine connections between and definitions of public and private as they are deployed in writing, literacy studies, and the field of English. Argues that, done effectively, service learning fits well into an English Studies that is reconsidering its own boundaries and internal relationships. (RS)

This report outlines the impact of the University of Vermont's writing-across-the-curriculum program on the development of the English major. Included in the report are: (1) a summary of the faculty writing project, with a list of premises and practices; (2) descriptions of four books published collaboratively by members of the English department…

A 1987 survey of college English departments revealed that only 74 (38%) of the 194 colleges surveyed offered students the opportunity to specialize in some aspect of writing in addition to literature. A 1992 survey showed that 69% of departments had begun to offer this specialization. Respondents outlined possibilities for organizing and…

Based on the premise that an English teacher needs to be a scholar, this paper outlines the benefits of rhetorical theory for the teacher, and suggests an approach for teaching theory to part- and full-time composition faculty. The major benefits, for the teacher, of learning rhetorical theory include: (1) becoming more professional; (2) improving…

Reflects on several issues confronting an English department chair, including part-time faculty, adequate writing programs, curriculum reform, and resource allocation. (MM)