Evaluative criterion 1—Program quality Committee: Michael (chair)
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- Demographics for McAnulty College of Liberal Arts
- 2) Describe quality and type of advising and mentoring activities for students.
- 3) Discuss any notable diversity initiatives, outreach for minority students and faculty, efforts to support recruitment and retention.
- Diversity in the Curriculum
- Evaluative criterion 3—Student Learning Outcomes
- English 300W (Critical Issues in Literary Studies)
- Literature and Diversity, 400-level requirement
- Senior Seminar, 400-level requirement
- Writing Studies Concentration
- The Film Studies concentration
- 2) Provide as much information as possible about the placement of students after graduation and alumni satisfaction within the program for the preceding 5 years.
- Evaluative criterion 4—Program/Curriculum Planning and Review
- 2. Discuss how the curriculum provides sufficient depth and breadth for the baccalaureate degree.
- English 300W : Critical Issues in Literary Study
- Film Studies concentration
- 3. Describe learning opportunities for students beyond the classroom and how those interactions support the learning goals for the program.
Committee: Glass (chair), Fried, Mirmotahari 1) Describe enrollment trends for the preceding 5 years; demographics for enrolled students by class/degree level, race/ethnicity and gender, retention and graduation rates. All demographic information has been collated from the Duquesne University Fact Book 2010, which is produced by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.* This information reflects data as of the end of the 2009-2010 academic year. The total undergraduate population of Duquesne University as of Fall 2009 was 5858 students.
The racial/ethnic break down of Duquesne’s 5858 undergraduates is as follows:
*There is no information available for enrollment along demographic lines for the English department specifically. Demographics for McAnulty College of Liberal Arts
Retention
2) Describe quality and type of advising and mentoring activities for students. Each tenured/tenure-track faculty member:
In addition, many faculty members:
3) Discuss any notable diversity initiatives, outreach for minority students and faculty, efforts to support recruitment and retention. Please see the following faculty profiles in the Appendix, Evaluative Criterion 1, for relevant research and teaching in diversity: Callanan, Engel, L. Kinnhan, Michael, Mirmotahari, Suh The English department’s commitment to diversity is evident in recent faculty hires; faculty course offerings; faculty research interests; and faculty service to the department and University. Faculty Hires: Recent faculty hires have reflected the Department’s commitment to diversity (See Appendix, Evaluative Criterion 1, for more information on these faculty members’ research and teaching areas)
Diversity in the Curriculum: The English Department defines a commitment to diversity in the English curriculum by teaching “texts by authors from groups that have been historically excluded from, or minimally represented in, the study of British and American literature.” These include texts by women, by authors who focus on national minorities or refugees, and by sexual minorities. Courses fulfilling the “Literature and Diversity” 400-level requirement include: Spring 2005
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
Fall 2006
Spring 2007
Fall 2007
Spring 2008
Summer 2008
Fall 2008
Spring 2009
Fall 2009
Spring 2010
Fall 2010
The English Department has also had a close relationship to the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. In addition to launching this interdisciplinary certificate program (Linda Kinnahan and Magali Michael), English faculty have held the following positions.
Evaluative criterion 3—Student Learning Outcomes Committee: Suh (chair), Howard, Beranek, Brannen 1) Describe your assessment processes and show how assessment of student learning outcomes has resulted in changes in the curriculum, teaching methods, or resource allocation (budget, personnel, staff or faculty time). Since 2004, the English undergraduate curriculum has undergone dramatic changes. At that point, the curriculum had not been substantively revised for years; new courses had been simply added to the existing structure on an as-needed basis, while old courses that had not been taught for years--sometimes decades--remained on the books. Further, there was no clear distinction between 200- (introductory) and 300-level (intermediate) courses, and often no distinction drawn between these and some 400-level (advanced) courses. Moreover, the existing curriculum did not reflect the teaching interests and abilities of the recent new faculty hires. With this in mind, the Undergraduate Studies Committee then in place sought to bring some form to the major and English curriculum. The aim was threefold:
In order to meet these goals, the committee:
English 300W (Critical Issues in Literary Studies) The primary aim of this course is to provide a gateway or transition course from introductory to advanced-level studies in literature. By design, the course description was left rather broad, so that individual faculty members could bring to the table the sorts of issues and texts that they felt were best suited to their own expertise. English 300W introduces students to literary study as a critical discipline, and its rationale is rooted in the Department’s belief that students entering the major must develop the skills required to pursue literary study as an intellectual discipline. While each individual professor may use different strategies in teaching the course, the general guidelines and objectives are consistent from section to section. The course requires students to:
Literature and Diversity, 400-level requirement This requirement was added to the 400-level American and British requirements already in place. The idea that students should take a course in literature and diversity arose from the faculty’s belief that understanding of the discipline necessarily entails knowledge of texts by authors from groups that have been historically excluded from, or minimally represented in, the study of British and American literature. Professors may select various approaches in teaching these courses, but principal objectives include the following:
Senior Seminar, 400-level requirement The Senior Seminar is taken by English majors during the second semester of their Junior year or during their Senior year. Seminars are capped at 15 students. These courses prepare students for the self-initiative that is expected in graduate studies and other professional endeavors. The seminar course requires:
Recent Senior Seminars include:
See Appendix, Evaluative Criterion 1, Course Descriptions for full list. Writing Studies Concentration The new Writing Studies concentration within the English major responded to the faculty’s growing sense that the English major needed a writing option to add to the literary emphasis, since many undergraduates were seeking their degree to gain practical, concrete skills that employers looking at their transcripts could readily identify. The undergraduate committee was charged to create a concentration out of the writing courses then on the books: business writing, technical writing, and creative writing in the major genres (poetry, fiction, drama). There was a recognition that within this concentration, there would be students who wanted the more readily marketable skills available in the technical and creative writing courses and those who wished to use the writing emphasis to pursue an MFA or other advanced degrees in writing. Over the years, the department has added multiple levels of the creative writing workshops as well as science writing courses and courses in writing for the web. The creative writing courses have expanded as well to include creative non-fiction and memoir writing. The Film Studies concentration The Film Studies concentration, was instituted in Fall 2005 as several conditions converged:
In Spring 2010, the Department undertook an agreement with the Modern Languages Department to cross-list film courses. The number of students choosing a film concentration remains small, about six or seven, but enthusiastic. Since its inception, the concentration has sent two students to graduate film studies programs (NYU and Columbia). Assessment tools These curricular changes and new concentrations have been developed largely on the basis of faculty assessments of the program rather than on assessments of student learning. Formal assessments of student learning have been largely confined to UCOR 101 and 102 (first-year writing courses). In these assessments, a sample of final papers are taken from classes across the board, and then read by a committee, in order to determine whether the program is meeting its goals. UCOR 101 was last assessed in this way during Fall 2007 and UCOR 102 in Spring 2009. A second assessment tool is the first-year paper contest which is held each semester; the winners are published in the First Year Writing magazine. Since instructors nominate the papers to be judged, this tool does not assess all levels of the program as a whole, but it does allow faculty to note the level of our best first-year writers. Student learning outcomes have also begun to be assessed by two new methods: annual assessment reports to the Dean written by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Chair (see Appendix, Evaluative Criterion 3), which started in 2009-10; and surveys of students taking Senior Seminars, which started in Fall 2009. (See Appendix, Evaluative Criterion 3, for data from these surveys) 2) Provide as much information as possible about the placement of students after graduation and alumni satisfaction within the program for the preceding 5 years. Data does not exist. The general university alumni survey asks questions about the core curriculum; mission and identity; and student life. The university has only recently established a section of this survey to elicit opinions and reflections about the major. The Undergraduate Studies committee recently submitted their desired questions to the Assistant Dean of the College in Fall 2010, with hope that they will be included in the general survey starting in 2011. Information about career placement of English major alumni would thus be more available. What we do know now is what many of the Class of 2010 and Class of 2011 would like to achieve. (See Appendix, Evaluative Criterion 3, for survey information) Evaluative criterion 4—Program/Curriculum Planning and Review Committee: Engel (chair), Newberry, St. Hilaire, Watkins 1) Describe the processes employed by the faculty for curriculum review, planning, and revision. The Undergraduate studies committee is charged with discussing, developing, and formulating new/revised programs or new/revised requirements for the major—decisions to initiate such discussion come from University requested reviews and/or from consensus by the faculty that changes should be considered. The committee then presents their suggestions/formulations to the faculty at a faculty meeting where the proposals are discussed, debated, and eventually voted on (often going back to the committee one or more times for further revisions). Interdepartmental programs and dual major programs are usually established through liaison with the involved schools or departments. The department has generally left minor adjustments in requirements for these dual programs to the discretion of the Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies. Decisions on what English undergraduate courses to offer in any given semester are made in accordance with the Department’s responsibility to offer courses that satisfy requirements of the University, the various schools on campus, and the English major. 2. Discuss how the curriculum provides sufficient depth and breadth for the baccalaureate degree. Duquesne’s undergraduate English program curriculum is a blend of traditional and contemporary approaches to literature. Breadth for the baccalaureate degree The English major offers courses in a wide range of British, American and World literature, and concentrations that teach a breadth of skills: literature, writing, and film studies. Regardless of concentration, students achieve a breadth of knowledge in the following ways:
Literature concentration students also achieve breadth of knowledge with four 400-level advanced courses (in British Literature, American Literature, and Literature and Diversity), which require students to encounter canonical and non-canonical literature, including marginalized voices within literary study. The Writing concentration curriculum helps students achieve breadth by requiring courses in at least two genres (poetry, fiction, drama, screenwriting, playwriting, science writing, and others). The Film Studies concentration typically offers a range of genre courses, historical approaches, and theoretical approaches. In addition, at least one course in film production is required (to be taken at Pittsburgh Filmmakers). Depth for the baccalaureate degree The major provides depth for its students by requiring more intensive study within specific literary periods at the 400-level. 400-level courses provide depth of knowledge since they:
The Senior Seminar continues this progression into more detailed study; here the expectation is that students will be responsible for generating a more significant portion of the course content (in the form of discussion, presentations, etc.) and that they will engage in more intensive research to create presentations and a substantial research paper. 3. Describe learning opportunities for students beyond the classroom and how those interactions support the learning goals for the program. Beyond the classroom, numerous opportunities exist for undergraduate students to extend or enhance their learning. Each semester, the English Department (sometimes in conjunction with McAnulty College and/or other departments) invites an eminent literary scholar or culturally prominent writer to give formal presentations and to meet with students in informal settings. Visits by such authors are widely announced, and students are encouraged (and, on occasion, required) to read a particular book, essay, or collection of poems in order to acquire a measure of background and thereby integrate the public presentations with the written work. Speakers from the past years have included a diversity of scholars and creative writers:
The department also sponsors a number of other opportunities outside the classroom:
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