Methods of Teaching Literature and English Composition

This seminar offers practical support for Graduate Student Instructors beginning to design and teach Reading and Composition (R&C) courses on the UC Berkeley campus. Together and in dialogue with other instructors, we will explore a spectrum of theories and practices related to teaching literature and college composition, while testing and critiquing these against our own expanding experiences as students, writers, and teachers.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Develop a repertoire of adaptable materials and handouts useful in the R&C classroom
• Design a complete R&C syllabus that matches your teaching goals
• Provide constructive feedback to peers on teaching
• Identify effective means of assessing and improving your own teaching
• Contribute to conversations in our department and on the UC Berkeley campus about how and why we teach R&C
• Reflect on your R&C pedagogy and explain how your choices foster student learning

Course Projects

• Teaching Journal (Total of five entries over the course of semester)
• Complete R&C Syllabus
• Teaching Demonstrations/Handouts (Two over the course of the semester)

 Readings

Readings will include excerpts from Writing Analytically (WA), the Teaching Guide for GSIs published by the GSI Teaching and Resource Center, short articles posted on bCourses, and sample R&C materials from instructors in the Comparative Literature Department.