The MA Program in Literature at AU offers several opportunities for interested students to study and engage in the practice of teaching.
Teaching Composition
The two-semester course sequence, Teaching Composition, is designed for students who wish to teach English.
- During the first semester, students take a course that serves as a theoretical and practical introduction to teaching college writing.
- The second semester is dedicated to a practicum in which each student is paired with an instructor of College Writing who acts as a mentor. Students learn from their mentors and develop their skills in lesson planning, evaluating students’ work, and leading classes. By the end of the course, students will have created a teaching portfolio, which includes a statement of teaching philosophy, a proposed course with syllabus, and a sample of their lesson plans, writing assignments, and graded student papers.
- Students who complete the Teaching Composition sequence are invited to apply for positions as adjunct instructors of College Writing at American University.
- Please see additional information about the Teaching Track.
Merit Awards (Graduate Assistantships)
Students who receive merit awards have the opportunity to gain teaching experience by working as teaching assistants for faculty members or as writing consultants in AU’s Writing Center. Students may choose to work for up to twenty hours per week, for which they are compensated on an hourly basis ($12.00/hour in 2003-04), typically divided between these two kinds of experience.
- As teaching assistants, students work closely with a faculty member and assist the professor in carrying out such responsibilities as grading papers and creating exams.
- As writing consultants in AU’s Writing Center, graduate students assist undergraduate and other graduate students at any stage in their writing process, including offering feedback on ideas, identifying areas for improvement, and coaching clients in sharpening their editing skills.
Both opportunities provide students with the chance to take part in the preparation and practice of teaching and offer valuable experience to those interested in pursuing a career in the field.
Writing Center Consultants
The Writing Center at AU provides a place where undergraduate and graduate students can receive helpful ideas and feedback on their writing from their peers. Each year, new and continuing graduate students are selected to work in the Writing Center as writing consultants. This opportunity provides valuable training and preparation for consultants who wish to teach writing. New writing consultants participate in a four-week training orientation. After completing the orientation, consultants work alongside clients—typically for five to ten hours a week—to assist them at any stage in their writing, including offering clients feedback on ideas, identifying areas for improvement, and coaching in strengthening a thesis or improving editing skills. Through this experience, writing consultants become better readers and writers, not only of others’ work but also of their own writing.
