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 other professionals. 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.
Language and Literacy Program Requirements
The requirements for a Concentration 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 completing such a program.
Curriculum
Concentration with Thesis
Requires the permission of the Coordinator of Language and Literacy. All students choosing the concentration with thesis must complete the following coursework:
| 1. | ENGL 577 Foundations in Language and 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 without Thesis
Requires the permission of the Coordinator of Language and Literacy. All students choosing the concentration 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 21 hours at the 600 level. |
Apprenticeship
Language and Literacy students will serve two semesters of apprenticeship (three 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 a teacher's assistant in area K-12 schools. The apprenticeship will be completed in conjunction with students' enrollment in English 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 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.
Resources for Language and Literacy Students
Faculty
Jeffery Wiemelt, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Associate Professor and Concentration Coordinator
Areas of Expertise: Composition and Rhetoric; Linguistics and Grammar; TESOL
Joel Fredell, Ph.D., Indiana University
Professor
Areas of Expertise: Literacy, Historical Linguistics, Publishing Studies
Richard Louth, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Professor
Areas of Expertise: Composition and Rhetoric
Leilya Pitre, Ph.D., Louisiana State University
Assistant Professor and English Education Coordinator
Areas of Expertise: Methods and Pedagogy of Teaching Writing and Literature, Literary Analysis, Young Adult Literature
