Programs and Areas

Second Year Writing Program

So You Want to Teach English 367?

What follows is a practical guide to getting certified to teach the most interesting and fun composition course at OSU. Unlike English 110, in which you teach a standard curriculum from an established syllabus, English 367 gives you the opportunity to design your own course around a theme and readings of interest to you. While there are some specific requirements that all 367 courses must meet (more about them later) you will have a broad canvas on which to paint your own composition course.
Introduction || Overview || Steps to Qualify || Teaching 367.02 to 367.07 || Special Circumstances

Introduction To Teaching English 367

English 367 is the second of two composition courses that the University requires all undergraduates to take (the first is English 110). Because English 367 is a higher level course (generally taken by students in their second or third year), it offers texts and ideas that are more challenging and thought-provoking than you would find in a first-year writing course. And because it is writing course, students can expect to build on the skills they learned in the first-year writing course to improve composition, analysis, logical construction of arguments, coherence, and cohesion.

Most sections of English 367 (including .01 and .02) fulfil the University’s "diversity" requirement, meaning that the course furnishes students with a view of the multi-faceted cultures, identities, and perspectives that comprise the "American experience," including issues of race, culture, ethnicity, region, economic class, social rank, sexual orientation, religion, ability, politics, and so forth. Students will learn to analyze their own perspectives as well as the perspectives of others and articulate them in well-reasoned, expository prose.

The OSU English Department provides roughly twenty courses of English 367 per quarter (less in the summer), relying primarily on graduate students to fill the bulk of these offerings.

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To Teach The Course: An Overview

Every quarter, the program director for English 367 submits a list of certified instructors to the Vice Chair, and from that list she (or he) selects who will teach what and when. If you want to teach English 367, your goal is to get your name on that list. Of course, just because your name is on that list doesn’t automatically guarantee you will teach a section on any given quarter. However over 20 sections are offered every quarter (less in the summer, of course), so chances are once you get on the list you’ll be teaching 367 in no time!

The certification process is a two-step: you begin by becoming conditionally certified, and then after you meet a second set of criteria you become fully certified. Conditional certification requires that you attend the Introductory Workshop, typically offered on Friday mornings, the third or fourth week of the quarter. Becoming fully certified takes anywhere between two months to about a year, but during that time you are still eligible to teach. However, if you do not become fully certified after one year of attending your initial Introductory Workshop, your certification will be put on hold until you finish certifying yourself.

As you may or may not know, there are seven sections of 367. Section 01 is the general section, section 02 is the literature section. These two form the bulk of the English departments offerings. Sections 03 to 07 are more specialized and are offered at most once each quarter. Regardless of which section or sections you want to eventually teach, everyone who teaches English 367 must first take the 367 Training Workshop (it is offered once a quarter, four times a year). You will have to teach at least one section of 01 before you will be considered for other sections.

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Steps To Becoming Fully Qualified

The course director will keep a careful record of your certification process, and as you make each step it is a good idea to keep in proximal contact to be sure that your certification is being properly documented. After you have attended an Introductory Workshop, you’ll have a few other steps to accomplish:

Submit a course description for review.
WHEN: By the fourth week of the quarter you wish to begin teaching

The course description is a one-page description of your course goals and expectations, with a preliminary list of texts and other materials you wish to include for the class you will eventually teach. Since the first course you teach will be section 01, your course description must be for that course, even though you intend to teach different sections in the future. If you do qualify to teach another section of 367, you will have to submit a course description for it.

The course director and/or one or more of the graduate assistants will review your course description to make sure that you have covered all requirements for English 367. They will give you feedback, sometimes highlighting ambiguous areas, potential problems, even requesting changes if your description warrants them.
Submit a syllabus for review.
WHEN: Within the first week of every quarter you teach

Like the course description review, the syllabus review is a chance for the program director to make sure that your course meets all of the requirements of the course. As mentioned above, the course director and/or one or more of the graduate assistants will review your syllabus.

For every quarter you teach English 367 you will have to submit a syllabus.
Have someone observe you teach.
WHEN: During the first quarter you teach 367

Any one of the follow people are qualified to observe you: the program director, either of the graduate assistants, a fully certified English 367 teacher who has taught 367 at least twice. They will then submit their report to the program director. Feel free to discuss the observation with the observer as well as the program director.
Attend at least two Writing Program Forums each year that you teach.
WHEN: During the first quarter you teach 367

At various times throughout the year, the Writing program director offers Forums. The subject of these workshops vary: use of media in the classroom, pedagogical methodology, handling difficult or controversial material, and so forth. Although you are required to attend at least two, you may of course attend more if you wish!

Once you meet all these criteria you will be considered fully qualified.

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Teaching Sections 367.02 To 367.07

Once you receive conditional certification, it is an easy step to get yourself on board to teach other sections of 367. First, decide which sections you would like to teach, then determine if you are eligible to teach them. To be considered to teach sections 2 to 7, you must have completed two courses above the 700-level that relates to the section you wish to teach. The English 367 program director (and his assistants) have a form that you can fill out detailing the course you wish to take and the courses you have taken that qualify you to teach those sections. After you submit this form and your qualifications are found to meet the criteria, you will become certified to teach other sections of English 367.

Although you do not need to attend any additional Developmental Workshops in order to teach additional sections of English 367, you will have to submit a course description for each new section you wish to teach.

Here is a list of sections 02-07 and their descriptions (as taken from the 1998-1999 OSU Course Offerings Bulletin).

367.02 The U.S. Experience as Reflected in Literature Discussion, analysis, and writing about issues presented through the diverse voices of U.S. literature. Ideal for those who specialize in literature.

367.03 African-American Voices in U.S. Literature Discussion, analysis, and writing about issues presented through the African-American literature. Ideal for those who specialize in African-American studies.

367.04 English in the United States Discussion, analysis, and writing about issues related to the use of English in the United States. Ideal for those who specialize in linguistics.

367.05 The U.S. Folk Experience Discussion, analysis, and writing about U.S. folk culture with a concentration on individual life stories. Ideal for those who specialize in folklore.

367.06 Composing U.S. Communities Discussion, analysis, and writing about how rhetorical discourse helps to define, sustain, and challenge American society. Ideal for those who specialize in rhetoric.

356.07 Issues of Diversity in U.S. Workplaces Communication Discussion, analysis, and writing about issues of diversity as they affect communication in the U.S. workplace. Ideal for those who specialize in business and technical writing.

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Special Circumstances

"The Introductory Workshop takes place while I am teaching/in class." This shouldn’t be a problem, since Workshops are held on Friday mornings, but if there is a conflict, contact the program director or assistant director and they will find a time to schedule a meeting with you. This is best done as close to the beginning of the quarter as possible, preferably before the fourth week of the quarter.
"The Pedagogy Forums take place while I am teaching/in class." No problem either. Several workshops are offered every quarter, so chances are good that two will fall in a time slot that works for you. If, however, for any reason none of these times seems to work out, contact the program director or assistant director and they will find a way to share the information with you or otherwise get you informed.
"I have taught English 367 in the past" or "I feel I am already qualified to teach English 367" If you already have experience teaching equivalent courses at other universities, if you have work experience that has already given you the background that the certification process is designed to provide, or if you’ve taught English 367 in the past and are returning to OSU for whatever reason, you may not have to go through the entire certification process. Contact the program director to find out whether you can waive all or some of the certification requirements.

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