Teaching of Writing (Graduate Certificate) | English/Secondary Education | English & Philosophy | College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Curriculum & Requirements

Teaching of Writing Certificate, Graduate and Post-Master’s

Justin Young, Program Director

EWU graduate students in good standing who intend to pursue college teaching careers may complete the Certificate in the Teaching of Writing program while working toward their graduate degrees. The Certificate program provides an education in composition theories and pedagogies, including areas of curriculum development, assessment practices, research design, grammar instruction, and teaching and/or tutoring. Credits earned as part of the certificate program may also be counted toward students’ graduate requirements upon approval from their advisor.

Individuals who already have master’s degrees and who have significant experience in education, literature, communications, business, or technology may also pursue this program.

Any course substitutions must be approved by the current English Composition director before being submitted to the Graduate Programs Office.

Required Certificate Courses
ENGL 511	COMPOSITION PEDAGOGIES: THEORIES AND PRACTICES	5
ENGL 520	SEMINAR IN RESEARCH METHODS AND DESIGN	5
ENGL 568	TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION: PRACTICE, THEORY AND PEDAGOGY	5
ENGL 573	HISTORY OF RHETORIC (or an approved substitution)	5
or ENGL 575	CONTEMPORARY RHETORICAL THEORIES
ENGL 560	APPLIED LINGUISTICS	5
or ENGL 564	PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION
ENGL 695A	INTERNSHIP: TEACHING COMPOSITION	3-5
or ENGL 695E	INTERNSHIP: WRITER'S CENTER
Total Credits		28-30

Catalog Listing

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who earn a Teaching of Writing Graduate Certificate at EWU should be able to do the following:

develop research-based plans for the assessment of student writing in a college-level writing course;
produce a curriculum for a college composition course based on current best practices in the field of composition and rhetoric;
write a research-based essay focused on a pedagogical issue in the field of composition, suitable for submission to a graduate scholarly conference or publication.

Sample Courses

ENGL 511. COMPOSITION PEDAGOGIES: THEORIES AND PRACTICES. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: graduate standing.
In this course emphasis is placed on the students’ own reading and writing processes as they summarize, analyze and synthesize composition theories and practices. First-year teaching assistants and first-year alternate teaching assistants are required to enroll in the course winter quarter.

Catalog Listing

ENGL 520. SEMINAR IN RESEARCH METHODS AND DESIGN. 5 Credits.

This course examines a range of research methods needed to write a thesis or research project. Students will learn how to design and conduct research related to their discipline. The course includes an introduction to finding primary and secondary sources, creating literature reviews, and citing references. Students will also learn how to evaluate sources, using databases to access print and online journals.

Catalog Listing

ENGL 575. CONTEMPORARY RHETORICAL THEORIES. 5 Credits.

In-depth survey of contemporary rhetorical theories - e.g., developmental rhetoric, process rhetoric, new romantic rhetoric, conceptual rhetoric, neo-classical rhetoric.

Catalog Listing

ENGL 564. PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION. 5 Credits.

This course includes analysis of grammar, structure, and usage of American English and varieties of World Englishes with a focus on error recognition, analysis, and correction within the context of learners’ writing. This is a writing-intensive course for English teachers who must demonstrate mastery of written English, edit their own writing, and develop teaching materials for a variety of levels and settings. Issues of writers’ voice, heritage, region, first language, dialect, and identity are addressed.

Catalog Listing