English Education Program Description

The undergraduate English language arts program of Saint Xavier University exists to aid teacher candidates in realizing their dreams and plans to become effective teachers of English language arts in middle and secondary schools. In conjunction with the School of Education's conceptual framework, the program defines the term "effective teacher" in three principal ways. An effective teacher is: an individual who remains connected to the scholarship that constitutes the content of the English language arts; an individual who is well-versed and practiced in the knowledge of the profession of teaching English language arts; and an individual who sees himself or herself as connected to other individuals and groups, and who acts responsibly on that connection, specifically, by caring for and nurturing the literacy lives and whole persons of the children entrusted to him or her. The program recognizes that the "aid" given to teacher candidates can take many forms, including direct instruction, invitations to transformation, challenges to reflection and growth, exposure to new ideas, invitations to collaborations&emdash;as well as many other forms, all of which complicate the meaning of "aid" beyond the simple connotation of "facilitation." The program's wish is that, in thus "aiding teacher candidates to realize their dreams and plans," it is also meeting a social need through the careful, deliberate inauguration of novice teachers who are respectful of the scope of the profession and committed to fitting into and improving the profession. The program provides course work in English, English education, and education; opportunities for 100 hours of pre-student teaching clinical observation, teaching, and other school interaction; placement in student teaching; guidance by faculty and staff to assist candidates in meeting state certification requirements; and advising and mentoring throughout the program by faculty in the Department of English and Foreign Languages and the School of Education. Teacher candidates who wish to participate in the English education program do so as a "track" within the standard English major offered by the department. The goals and objectives of the program, its knowledge base, and philosophy for preparation are all addressed in the Department of English and Foreign Languages' mission statement. The English Education major is comprised of eight required courses, a series of electives within periods, and an elective in Cultural Studies for a total of 39 credit hours. The 24 hours of specific requirements are comprised of Introduction to Literary Interpretation, British and American surveys, Senior Seminar, Shakespeare, Methods of Teaching English, Teaching of Writing, and Modern English. The rest of the major is comprised of electives in specified categories&emdash;British Literature (six hours), American Literature (six hours), Cultural Studies (three hours&emdash;e.g. Women's Literature, African American Literature). In addition to this course work, teacher candidates complete the following: a minor in education pre-student teaching clinical experiences student teaching

 

Department of English and Foreign Languages