In this article, the author argues that compartmentalization in the way that writing education tends to be discussed and therefore understood in the professional discourse of rhetoric and composition should be critically examined and transcended if the field is going to lead the development of undergraduate writing majors. Any new major should be…

Discussions of English department identity and mission more often center on the undergraduate major curriculum than on classes for general-studies and other non-major students. In such courses, though, educators have an opportunity to touch the intellectual lives of far more people than they do in courses for majors. The author argues in this…

A symposium in the November 2006 issue of "College English" addresses the question, "What should college English be?" In this article, the author presents his answer to this question--it should be a functional approach to English studies. By English studies he means everything that is done in English departments. Most English departments teach…

A former English department chairman looks back with optimism at the state of English education since 1930 and discusses how it might be of use in developing future curricula. (HTH)

Suggests that educational trends indicate that English departments should redefine faculty recruiting away from competing with other departments and toward competing with the other interests that seek public funding. (RS)

Traditionally, college English departments have resisted granting undergraduate internships a central place in their curricula. Many of these departments do little more than allow students to pursue internships as loosely supervised independent studies. An internship practicum course such as Purdue University's, however, enables students to…

An outside evaluator can help an institution open up dialogue and bring about change by focusing the attention of top administrators, faculty, and students on goals seen as important by groups within the institution. Bringing in an outside evaluator to colleges and universities, English departments and writing programs, can be a touchy, often…

Discusses the process of external reviewing of faculty for tenure and promotion and lists the obligations of the institution requesting the review as follows: timeliness of notice, payment and working conditions, and protection following review. Mentions the reviewer's obligations. (AEA)

Suggests that genre and time-line college literature courses give way to thematic courses and cooperative courses within other departments. (FL)

Satirizes college English instruction, specifically "catchy" composition programs and the relevant grant awards and job placement of graduate students. (JM)

Discusses the state of English studies, focusing on the literary canon, literature and other disciplines, the function of theory, and the politics of literature. (MM)

In recent years, scholars and teachers in both the broad field of Composition Studies and the more specialized arena of Computers and Composition Studies have begun to recognize that the bandwidth of literacy practices and values on which their profession has focused during the last century may be overly narrow. In response, a number of educators…

Describes the changes and problems of the English department in adjusting to a new core curriculum at a liberal arts college. Discusses assumptions about planning, course requirements, and course content beneficial to the department. (EL)

Describes the efforts of a college English department to redesign its English curriculum. Includes a curriculum outline and descriptions of specific courses. (AEA)