This book presents a comprehensive description and analysis of undergraduate English as it is taught in four-year colleges and universities in the United States. The study discussed in this book was the result of a survey of 300 departments of English randomly selected from those institutions offering English programs. (An account of how the…

Topnotch scholars, academic couples, and emphasis on new theories are transforming the English department at Duke University. Professors lured to Duke say joint appointments and interdisciplinary responsibilities are a big part of the attraction. Several members describe their work as left-leaning or Marxist. (MLW)

Encourages professional dialogue to establish correspondent interests among college English faculty who have taken positions in defense of the teaching of either rhetoric or literature. (AEA)

Discusses two problems in current programs designed to train teaching assistants in composition: economics and attitude. (AEA)

Proposes that English faculty and department heads often have a negative view of members of the administration. Describes how department heads can establish personal and departmental integrity and maintain it. Suggest that this is the best way to succeed in relations with administrative deans. (HB)

The battle over whether literature or composition should dominate English instruction is the consequence of a perception that composition instructors who do not use literature as their primary source material have nothing substantial to offer in its place. A survey of 19 colleges and universities in New York revealed that institutions with a…

As the demographics of higher education, the role of higher education in society, and society itself all change, graduate education in English will inevitably change. The functions of graduate study in English are to prepare (1) teachers of English, (2) scholars who can advance critical theory and the understanding of language and the writing…

In an attempt to predict the future of composition instruction in college English departments, this paper first reviews the development of freshman English and the so-called writing crisis and then reflects on the ongoing argument over composition course content. The present state of the English department of a midwestern college is described in…

Discusses responsibilities of the two-year college English department chairperson with regard to developing curriculum offerings to meet student and community needs, recruiting and hiring faculty, developing a sound basic writing program, working to achieve low faculty workloads, encouraging faculty development, and working to achieve public…

Updates and supplements a previous survey by Chapman and Tate. Indicates the type and number of specialized nonfiction writing courses available for graduate and undergraduate English majors and discusses changes in course offerings and enrollment between 1975-76 and 1985-86. (SD)

English departments must become involved in the training of teachers of writing at every level rather than concentrating exclusively on literary scholarship. (HOD)

Surveys freshman English directors in order to help define the role of the writing center director. Discusses how writing center directors are viewed within English departments. Appends the questionnaire used. (MS)

This book, the final work of a noted rhetorician and scholar, examines the history and development of English studies, and the economic and social changes that affect the understanding of the humanities today. Noting that while rhetoric once held a central place in the college curriculum, the book describes how rhetoric became marginalized in…

This review of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Writing Programs was undertaken for several reasons, among them the rapid increase of research in writing, the inconsistency among courses, and the need to reshape and expand the programs. The report begins with a summary of earlier reviews of UCLA's composition program. Following a…

A study examined the types of writing courses currently offered by English departments at major universities, how they have changed over the last 10 years, and whether enrollments have increased or decreased during that period. The English departments at 198 institutions with graduate programs were surveyed; 105 usable responses were received (a…