MAJOR PROGRAM IN ENGLISH WITH
TEACHER CERTIFICATION
In preparation for teaching literature, writing, reading, and a variety of communication skills in grades 9-12, the English teaching major before exit must demonstrate the competencies necessary for a beginning teacher of high school English. These competencies are demonstrated through the required course of study and a carefully planned elective course sequence, and through a wide range of practicum experiences. The program in English certification is designed to provide for the following:
1. A study of language, including acquisition of language, dialect, levels of
usage, semantics, grammatical analysis, and the nature and development
of language.
2. Skills for analyzing, evaluating, and responding to a varied body of
literature: traditional and contemporary, adolescent and popular, oral,
Western and non-Western, and literature by women and minorities.
3. Skills and experiences in composition beyond the freshman level, including
advanced composition and/or creative writing and an introduction to
composition pedagogy.
4. An awareness of the impact of the mass media and technology, including
training in analysis and evaluation of verbal and non-verbal symbols
presented in both print and non-print materials.
5. Skills in the selection and use of instructional materials and strategies,
including the ways in which non-print and non-verbal media can
supplement and extend the experiences of print and verbal media.
6. Experiences in independent investigation and research of various kinds, and
skills in motivating pupils toward a similar kind of continuous and self-
directed learning.
7. Experiences in the methodologies of teaching reading, writing, speaking,
listening, and viewing.
8. A knowledge of adolescent psychological development and of the
sociological factors which affect it.
9. Experiences which provide for the blending of the theoretical and the
practical in planning for effective instruction; classroom management; and
assessment, diagnosis, and evaluation of students.
10. The beginnings of a professional attitude toward the teaching of English
through study and investigation of current research reflecting the state of
the art.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The department seeks to identify the teaching major early so that practicum
experiences may begin soon after matriculation and, if possible, before admission to the teacher education program.
Admission
1. Any student who has maintained a minimum overall grade point average of
2.5 and has completed English and speech courses in general education
(ENG 1301, 1302, 2301, 2302, and SPH 2341, and HUM 2310) with a
minimum grade point average of 2.5 may apply for admission.
2. Application is normally made when the student is enrolled in Education 2304
Sociological, Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education I.
3. Admission to the program is based upon departmental recommendation
following a review of the student’s record and a personal interview.
4. Before student teaching is permitted, the student must meet requirements of
sequential professional courses, general education and the major program.
Also, the student must obtain approval from an ad hoc screening committee
composed of instructors who can assess the student’s competencies for the
teaching of English.
5. Before exiting from the program, the student must demonstrate competence
in the discipline of English and in addressing pupil needs through informed
educational practices.
MAJOR PROGRAM IN SPANISH
OBJECTIVES
1. To develop proficiency in the fundamental language skills: listening,
speaking, reading, writing, and viewing.
2. To provide an in-depth study in the language, literature, culture, and
civilization of Spanish-speaking peoples.
3. To prepare majors to do research and study at the graduate level.
4. To prepare majors for a variety of careers and professions that require
knowledge of and fluency in Spanish.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
A. Admission. Any student who has completed general education courses and
who has attained a 2.0 average in Intermediate Spanish I and II will be
eligible to apply for admission to the program in Spanish.
B. Degree
1. The student must receive a grade of C or better in all courses taken for the
major.
2. Transfer credit may be accepted if the courses taken fit satisfactorily into the
plan for the major outlined at WSSU and if the student meets all other
requirements of transfer students, including the residency requirement.
3. Proficiency credit may be granted for intermediate courses if the student
passes specified departmental exams.
4. The student must pass a standardized oral proficiency test upon completion
of all major requirements.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The Spanish major requires a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 45 semester
hours of course work beyond the elementary level. In support of the major, students are required to take three semester hours of computer science (CSC 1306), three semester hours of philosophy or elementary statistics (PHI 2301 or MAT 2326), complete intermediate French and a minor.
NOTE: Spanish majors are required to have a minor. A minor in French is strongly urged.
MAJOR PROGRAM IN SPANISH WITH
TEACHER CERTIFICATION (K-12)
In preparation for teaching Spanish language and literature in grades K-12, the
Spanish teaching major before exit must demonstrate the competencies necessary for a beginning teacher. These competencies are demonstrated through the required course of study and a carefully planned elective course sequence, and through a wide range of practicum experiences.
The program in Spanish certification is designed to provide for the following:
1. The development of proficiency in four skills: listening, speaking, reading,
and writing.
2. Skills in the analysis of the linguistic components of the language, including
a study of its phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic
systems.
3. A study of the literature, history, and civilization of Spanish speaking people.
4. Skills in the selection and use of instructional materials and strategies,
including educational media and technology.
5. Experiences in the methodologies of teaching listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and viewing.
6. A comparative study of Hispanic language and cultures and of English and
American culture.
7. A study of the ways in which children, young adolescents, adolescents, and
adults learn first and second languages, and a knowledge of developmental
psychology.
8. Experiences which provide for the blending of the theoretical and the
practical in planning for effective instruction; classroom management; and
assessment, diagnosis, and evaluation of students.
9. The beginnings of a professional attitude toward the teaching of foreign
language through study and investigation of current research reflecting the
state of the art.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The department seeks to identify the teaching major early so that practicum
experiences may begin soon after matriculation and, if possible, before admission to the teacher education program.
Admission
1. Any student who has maintained a minimum overall grade point average of
2.5 and completed English, speech, and foreign language courses in general
education (ENG 1301, 1302, 2301, 2302, SPH 2321 or 2341, HUM 2310,
and SPA 2311 and 2312) with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 may
apply for admission.
2. Application is normally made when the student is enrolled in EDU 2304:
Sociological, Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education I.
3. Admission to the program is based upon the recommendation of the
department following a review of the student’s record and a personal
interview.
4. Before student teaching is permitted, the student must meet requirements of
sequential professional courses, general education and the major program.
Also, the student must obtain approval from an ad hoc screening committee
composed of instructors who can assess the student’s competencies for the
teaching of Spanish.
5. Before exiting from the program, the student must demonstrate competence
in the discipline of Spanish and in addressing pupil needs through informed
educational practices.
PLACEMENT AND PROFICIENCY EXAMINATIONS
AND RETROACTIVE CREDIT POLICY
Students who have completed at least two years of high school Spanish may
take the placement examination in an attempt to qualify for the intermediate level.
Students may also receive credit toward their major/minor by taking and
passing appropriate departmental proficiency examinations.
RETROACTIVE CREDIT POLICY
The Retroactive Credit Policy is designed to grant credit to students with
previous language study. Under this policy students who enroll in and successfully complete a course beyond the first course in the sequence (FRE 1311 or SPA 1311) receive credit for courses they by-passed up to 6 credit hours. Students receive credit towards graduation but no grade for the lower course(s). Retroactive credit is available only for the first language course in which a student enrolls and is given only when the student achieves a grade of C or better. Retroactive credit is not available if a student has received Advanced Placement or transfer credit in the language.
Students are advised to contact the Department of English and Foreign
Languages for guidelines concerning placement. Retroactive credit is applied for at the completion of the course.