Department of English

West Chester University

Contact Info
Dr. Vicki Tischio
532 Main Hall
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2822
VTISCHIO@WCUPA.EDU

Learning Outcomes/Objectives for the B.A. in English & the B.S. Ed. in English Education

Program Outcomes for the BA in English Major

Students will demonstrate an awareness of the conventions of particular textual genres by employing them in their own work and explaining them in other writers’ work.
Students will be able to recognize and apply types of criticism in their reading and writing of texts.
Students will be able to define and use theoretical terms and perspectives important in English Studies.
Students will be competent in selecting and evaluating information sources, both print and electronic, and employing those sources professionally in their own work.
Students will be able to write clear, grammatical sentences and well-organized texts that reflect an attention to audience and genre.

Based on the English Department’s mission and goals, the following knowledge and skills sets are central objectives of the undergraduate BA and BSEd English programs.

Content/Knowledge Objectives

Students will demonstrate the following:

Knowledge of the basic concepts, theories, and perspectives important to English studies, including rhetorical, interpretive, historical, cultural, social approaches to language and texts.
An understanding of the ways in which texts can reflect or shape the representation of historical and cultural circumstances.
Knowledge of creative and critical conventions of written discourses.
An understanding of language use and mechanics.
An ability to recognize rhetorical and generic traditions and innovations.

Critical and Analytical Objectives

Students will demonstrate the following:

The ability to apply various types of criticism in their reading of texts and writing of texts.
Knowledge of the conventions of particular textual genres by employing them in their own work and explaining them in other writers’ work.
The ability to use theoretical terms and perspectives important in English Studies.
The ability to analyze the ways in which written texts both reflect and help to construct such social categories as race, class, gender, and sexuality.

Written Communication Objectives

Students will demonstrate the following:

The ability to write clear, grammatical sentences and well-organized texts that reflect an attention to audience and genre.
The ability to construct and develop a thesis.
The ability to adhere to the conventions of logical argumentation.
Attention to appropriate language use and mechanics
The ability to support analysis with textual evidence.
The ability to convey an ethos appropriate to the purpose and genre of texts they compose.
The ability to present information in visually effective ways.

Information Literacy Objectives

Students will demonstrate the following:

The ability to evaluate information sources and employ those sources professionally in their own work.
The ability to identify the purpose and audience of potential resources (e.g., popular vs scholarly, current vs historical)
The ability to construct a search strategy using appropriate commands for the information retrieval system selected (e.g., Boolean operators, truncation, and proximity for search engines; internal organizational features such as indexes for books).
The ability to differentiate between primary and secondary sources, recognizing how their use and importance vary with each discipline.
The ability to evaluate information and its sources critically and to incorporate selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
The ability to summarize the main ideas to be extracted from the information gathered.
An understanding of the many of the ethical, legal, and socio-economic issues surrounding information and information technology. Specifically, they will demonstrate an understanding of intellectual property, copyright, and fair use of copyrighted material.