Expanded Statement of Institutional Purpose:
Mission StatementThe mission of the Department of Language and Literature is to provide a liberal education for all university students. Faculty strive to create an atmosphere of learning, free inquiry, critical thinking, creativity, and clear and honest communication in all contacts with students. In addition to offering general education courses in humanities, writing, foreign languages, and literature, the Department seeks to prepare its majors and minors for the world at large by increasing the depth of the liberal education they have gained through their general education courses. Activities of this department will:
Goal Statement
Language & Literature provides all university students basic courses in writing, literature, and foreign languages. The Department provides its majors with a program of English, American, and world literature, methods classes for teaching of language, composition, and literature, and a program in creative writing. Finally, the Department offers students opportunities to serve as tutors in the writing lab and to become members of national honor societies.
Intended Outcomes/Objectives
A. Composition [note: these objectives are taken from the state-wide committee on writing standards and assessment. Circe Chamberlain has been attending these meetings.]
1. Students will be able to adapt their writing for different purposes, audiences, and composing situations.
2. Students will be able to write for different disciplines.
3. Students will demonstrate critical and analytical thinking in their writing.
4. Students will be bale to use the syntax and the mechanics of edited American English appropriately.B. Literature
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of primary texts, both canonical and noncanonical.
2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of literary history, genres, periods.
3. Students will be able to apply current critical thinking to primary texts.
4. Students will demonstrate an ability to write and speak about literature critically.
5. Students will be prepared for entrance into secondary school teaching, graduate school, or other professions where their unique skills are required.
6. Students will have the opportunity to present papers and to submit papers for publication.
7. Students will have the opportunity to collegiality among their peers and faculty.C. Languages: Students will:
1. Demonstrate basic proficiency in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing appropriate to their language level.
2. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the cultures and histories of the target language areas.
3. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of literature and the primary literary movements of the target language.
4. Demonstrate critical and analytical thinking in oral and written form in the target language.
5. Be prepared for entrance into graduate school, teaching, or other professions where their unique skills will be required.
6. Develop skills that will permit them to be more active participants in the world community.
7. Be able to develop a more humanistic and accepting attitude toward other people, cultures, and religions.D. Creative Writing
1. Students will have experience writing original work in several major categories: poetry, nonfiction, fiction, playwriting.
2. Students will produce polished work to submit for publication in at least one genre.
3. Students will understand the process of submitting work for publication.
4. Students will be conversant with the literary traditions out of which their own work grows, through the study of primary texts in their literature courses.
5. Students will have the opportunity to gain experience in editing and publishing an on-campus literary journal.
6. Students will be prepared for entrance into graduate school; for positions in publishing, writing, or editing; and for other areas where their unique skills are required.
7. Students will have the opportunity to take part in a community of writers, through events with invited writers, open reading, classes, and work on the literary journal.Assessment Criteria and Activities:
Entire Department:
1. A senior exit interview/survey tied to departmental goals.
2. An alumni survey, already instituted.
3. Course activities that enable students to demonstrate the specific skills they have learned.
4. Senior Thesis/project implemented in capstone courses.
Specific Areas:
1. Composition
A. Course activities that enable students to demonstrate specific skills they have learned.
B. State-wide standard self-assessment writing assignment.
1. Given at the end of a student's second course in composition
(English 2110).
2. Standard in all English 2110 curriculum.
3. Assessed by a committee independent of the classroom and English department.
4. Assessed by a committee with a standard rubric based on the goals and objectives listed above (see Intended Outcomes/
Objectives - Composition)
2. Literature: Senior level (4000) are capstone courses for English majors.
3. Languages: Senior level (4000) courses are capstone courses for French/German/Spanish majors and minors.
4. Creative writing: Students will turn in a senior portfolio of work to be judged by a member of the creative writing faculty. The portfolio will begin with a critical statement concerning the student's own aesthetic project and relationship to literary tradition. Following will be a collection of twenty-five pages of poetry, or fifty pages of prose or drama, or a combination of the two.Implementation
A. Composition:
1. A pilot assessment program will be in effect in English 2110 classes during spring semester, 2000. This program is a state-
wide plan devised by composition faculty in Utah's higher
education system.
2. A representative to the state-wide committee of English
composition will meet and report findings, recommendations,
and policies established by that committee.
B. Literature: Literature faculty will meet to determine criteria for senior capstone courses.
C. Languages: Literature faculty will meet to determine criteria for senior capstone courses.
D. Creative Writing
1. Language and Literature will devise a method to tack declared majors.
2. Students will be provided with a worksheet that will advise them about what is expected in their senior portfolio and how it will demonstrate the program's objectives have been met.
3. Faculty judging portfolios will be provided a statement of evaluation criteria.Process
1. Language & Literature committee on assessment devises rough draft assessment plan, week of Nov. 15-19.
2. Language & Literature Assessment Committee solicits/receives response and suggestions for revision from all faculty members.
3. Draft assessment plan submitted to Assoc. Provost Michael Richards: Nov 19.
4. Language & Literature Assessment Committee will meet in Spring 2000 to finalize implementation of assessment plan
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Last Update: Friday, June 06, 2003 |  |