Re: the 'logic' of training tutors thru' EN

[Sara Kimball <skimball@uts.cc.utexas.edu>]

Virginia, our course is E368c: "Writing Center Internship" (E for
"English"), though its departmental
home is an autonomous writing program not officially connected with
English.  The writing program (Division of Rhetoric and Composition) was
split off from English in 1992,but the "E" reflects its historical
origins. We've recently had our request to
change the prefix of our courses from "E" to "RC" for Rhetoric and
Composition" turned down by the Dean's office.

One big reason to have a tutor-training course as part of the English
curriculum (and all of the Division's courses, including the writing
center internship now count as part of our English major) is that it's a
useful course for future teachers. I get good people who sign up for the
course because they want practical experience working with student
writers. Heck, in some more ideal world than
the one I live in, I'd have all undergraduate precertification majors
spend some time working in the writing center.

An advantage to a non-E prefix, however, might be that it would make the
course more atractive to non-English majors.  Our undergraduates are often
a good source of non-English department types of expertise.

Is there any possibility of combining the two advantages by
crosslisting/double-prefixing the course?

Sara Kimball
UT Austin

On Wed, 5 Nov 1997, VIRGINIA JOHNSON-7372 wrote:

> Hello and please help if you can.
> 
>    My instition's educational policy committee has brought a 
> recommendation before the faculty senate which proposes 
> (among other things) that our tutor training course be 
> removed from the English curriculum and be given a new prefix.  
>     For many reasons, that may ultimately be a 
> good thing for our Center (which is both writing and 
> reading/learning center), but EPC's rationale states that "there
> is no logical reason for designating [Tutor Training] as part 
> of the English curriculum."
>     I have clear ideas about the logic of having two courses that 
> focus primarily on writing theory and pedagogy be part of the English 
> curriculum, but what I need are examples of places where Writing 
> Center peer tutors are trained in courses that have English 
> department designations.  
>      If you would just e-mail me the name of course and department 
> designation and institution, it would help me address this notion.  
> Unfortunately the Senate meeting is tomorrow and I just uncovered a 
> copy of the recommendation yesterday, so time is short.
>      Thank you.
>      Virginia Johnson
>      Director Reading/Writing Center
>      Augustana College
>      Rock Island IL   61201
>      rwjohnson@augustana.edu
>      
> 
>