Surveys past graduate-student administrators (now in professional and academic careers) involved in the consensus-based management system of a composition program. Finds that such involvement exposed graduate students to the most challenging aspects of university life, in all its political, structural, and interpersonal complexity; and was central…

Although writing today generally is perceived as process, college English departments are still deeply rooted in the concept of writing as product. Hiring depends upon product in terms of letters of inquiry, vitae, and credentials; retention, promotion, and merit raises rest on product in the form of publications, grants, awards, and teacher…

Designed primarily for English faculty at two-year colleges in California, "Inside English" includes articles on major instructional, curricular, administrative, and employment issues of concern to teachers in the field as well as information on the activities of the English Council of the California Two-Year Colleges (ECCTYC). The Fall 1977, and…

Following a discussion of the advantages of having everyone in an English Department--teaching assistants, junior faculty, and senior staff--teach composition courses, specific qualities desired in a composition instructor are suggested in this speech. These instructors should include: (1) those willing to insist that students emerge from…

This document reviews some of the facets of the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Department has a long tradition of involvement with high school teaching and high school teachers. The scheduling and programming activities of the Department are complex inasmuch as a range of courses must be made available…

Presents a skeptical perspective on the English teaching profession and the educational system in general. Argues that the alleged educational crisis is in fact an encompassing social crisis, necessitating teachers to teach from a social and political perspective. (MM)

Looks at English departments, English curricula, and the activities of professional organizations in the field, and concludes that bureaucracies, with their vested interest in the status quo, prevent effective action against a range of major problems faced by English teachers. (RBW)

Outlines the predominant paradigm of teacher training that claims theory as the primary component in teacher preparation and that holds an empty vessel view of teachers-to-be. Advocates asking questions from an ecological and phenomenological viewpoint. Describes four different ways, drawn from the author's experience, that a person might be…

A survey, completed by 15 professors of English, indicated a fundamental lack of student critical thinking skills within their department, and a 90 percent discrepancy in teacher training with only 10 percent of teachers having received formal training. This paper describes a workshop designed to educate and motivate the English professors in a…

English department heads often find themselves walking a tightrope, trying to keep the various elements of their departments in balance. Yet despite the diversity of interests, English departments should maintain a united house. In fact, separating disciplines--such as writing and literature--into different departments would be negative for both…

Information is presented on the total number of faculty in four of the major humanities disciplines, on their gender and racial/ethnic composition, and on their level of education and tenure status. The following four core disciplines were assessed: English, history, modern languages, and philosophy. Of the 693 originally surveyed institutions of…

Unlike modern foreign languages, but like English and Biblical Hebrew, the Graeco-Roman tradition constitutes a major component of the cultural identity of every native speaker of English, and, as such, should be a mandatory part of every American's intellectual luggage. Because of the academy's relectance to face the fact that our active…

This report is the result of discussion of some 35 interrelated issues which have contributed to a loss of definition of "English" programs at all educational levels. Fearing further fragmentation of the curriculum would take place without reform, the conferees propose an articulated English program based on four cardinal principles. They seek to:…

This survey, the result of a four-year study, classifies schools by size, geographical location, and type. Chapter one examines the composition, power, and nature of the English department. This includes description of its procedures for recruiting new faculty members and for awarding promotion and tenure, and an examination of teaching loads. The…

Curriculum reform begun in January 1968 in the English department at Bethany College (Lindsborg, Kansas) is detailed in this article. New offerings feature three "mode" courses: (1) the Romance-Epic, (2) the Comic and Satiric, and (3) the Tragic. Two new majors, the English major and the English teaching major, are examined; degree requirements…