English

This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to elect, interpret and use recent approaches to young adult literature (e.g., interdisciplinary, multicultural). We will survey the theories and practices of curriculum integration and develop frameworks for cross-curricular and cross-cultural learning activities and assessment. The class will model thematic units as organizing principles by focusing on one topic each semester (e.g., war and peace, environments, heroes and anti-heroes).

This course engages students in a close examination of language and discourse. Subjects include process writing approaches; a thorough review of traditional grammar (framed by its usefulness n talking about writing); techniques of rhetoric and discourse; and the evolution of expository writing. The class will model collaborative work, peer review, reflective self-assessment, and portfolio assessment, as well as the use of technology as a tool for writers and teachers of writing.

This course will examine the concept of a literacy canon. How was the canon formed, how has it changed, and what is its place, if any, in current English studies? Are there particular works or authors that everyone must read, and how do these must reads change over time and across cultures? An important part of this course will be each student's review of her/his English studies to detect gaps in coverage, even as we debate the worthiness of the coverage concept as a facet of teacher preparation. Each student will construct and complete a reading list to mend the gaps in his/her background.