42 Enrollment in ENGL 6820
In addition to textbooks, curriculum, access to Canvas, and other resources, first-year GIs receive two more forms of formal training during their first semester of teaching. The first form of formal training takes place in a one-week, all-day training pedagogy workshop that occurs the week before the semester begins. This workshop/orientation is mandatory and part of the work students complete for their GIship.
The second form of training occurs during their first semester. GIs must enroll in 6-9 credit hours of graduate credit (two-three courses), with one of those courses being the Practicum in Teaching English (ENGL 6820).
From the GI Contract:
“This course, taught by the Director of Composition is an introduction to teaching writing, designed specifically for graduate instructors teaching in the English Department Composition program. It focuses on the theory and practice of teaching writing, specifically ENGL 1010, but the course also prepares Graduate Instructors for further teaching responsibilities.”
All Graduate Instructors are required to take English 6820 the first semester of their GIship. This course will introduce GIs to a variety of key theoretical and pedagogical approaches to the teaching of composition. These theoretical lenses include critical race theory, queer theory, decolonial scholarship, and critical disability studies; pedagogical approaches will come from both key scholars in the field and our combined lived experiences. For more information, please refer to the English 6820 Syllabus or contact the Director of Composition.
