Concentration in Language and Literacy
as part of the Master of Arts in English at Southeastern
Language and Literacy Program Overview
The Language and Literacy concentration in the English Department's M.A. program targets prospective and returning writing and language teachers and otherprofessionals. This M.A. offers those individuals a comprehensive program that addresses the full range of their content-area purposes. Our curriculum encompasses the related disciplines of composition and rhetoric, literacy studies, and grammar/linguistics, offering advanced training in historical and current scholarship, research and bibliographic methods, instructional pedagogies, and professional opportunities.
Degree Requirements
The requirements for a Concetration in Language and Literacy may include completion of a Language and Literacy thesis and participation in an approved Language and Literacy apprenticeship. Students must be willing to accept the responsibilities inherent to seeking, participating in, and completeing such a program.
Curriculum
Concentration without Thesis
Requires the permission of the Coordinator of Language and Literacy. All students choosing theconcentration without thesis must complete the following coursework:
| 1. | ENGL 577 Foundations in Language in Literacy |
| 2. | ENGL 595 Internship |
| 3. | One course from the following: ENGL 518, ENGL 620, or ENGL 646 |
| 4. | One course from the following: ENGL 620, ENGL 621, or ENGL 646 |
| 5. | Two courses from the following: ENGL 508, ENGL 524, ENGL 564, ENGL 567, or ENGL 576 |
| 6. | A minimum of 18 hours at the 600 level. |
Concentration with Thesis
Requires the permission of the Coordinator of Language and Literacy. All students choosing theconcentration with thesis must complete the following coursework:
| 1. | ENGL 577 Foundations in Languace and Literacy |
| 2. | ENGL 595 Internship |
| 3. | One Course from the following: ENGL 620, ENGL 621, or 646 |
| 4. | One Course from the following: ENGL 564, ENGL 567, or ENGL 576 |
| 5. | ENGL 770 (6 hours) Thesis Research and Thesis |
| 6. | A minimum of 15 hours at the 600 level. |
Apprenticeship
Language and Literacy students will serve two semesters of apprenticeship(3 hours weekly or equivalent) in one or more of the following areas: as tutors in the SLU Writing Center; in the department's Teaching Mentorship program; in the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project; or as teacher assistants in area K-12 schools. The apprenticeship will be completed in conjunction with students' enrollment in English 467/567 or English 770 (Thesis Research and Thesis). Current teachers seeking secondary certification may use their current teaching assignments to fulfill the apprenticeship requirement; additional apprenticeship assignments are possible with consent of the concentration coordinator.
In conjunction with their course work and apprenticeship, students will compile a portfolio documenting and reflecting on outcomes of their work for learners. The portfolio will in most cases serve as a basis for students' own required thesis project.
Faculty
Jeffery Wiemelt, (Concentration Coordinator)Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Composition and Rhetoric; Linguistics and Grammar; TESOL
George Dorrill, Professor, Ph.D., University of South Carolina
Linguistics and Grammar; TESOL
Joel Fredell, Professor, Ph.D., Indiana University
Literacy, Historical Linguistics
Richard Louth, Professor, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Composition and Rhetoric
Christine Mitchell, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Southwestern Louisiana
Composition and Rhetoric; English Education; TESOL
Resources
Resources for Language and Literacy Students