GTA Handbook

Department of English: Lower Division Studies
(PDF version)

Introduction

Welcome to teaching in Lower Division Studies! Lower Division Studies comprises all first- and second-year courses (1000-2000 level) in the English Department, along with the Regents' Writing Preparation course (RGTE 0199). We design curriculum, suggest textbooks, and support instructors teaching Lower Division courses. Our work is foundational not only to the English department but to the university at large. Indeed, every student who begins a college career at GSU will take several of our courses. In three semesters, Spring 2003-Fall 2003, we offered approximately 305 first-year writing classes and 72 survey/introductory literature courses. Most of the students who take these courses don't major in English, and these courses may be the last they'll take in English. Thus, our teaching offers many students the most intensive instruction they'll receive during college in language theory, rhetoric, writing, and literature.

Our goal in Lower Division Studies is to offer the highest level of instruction for students in these courses. At the same time, we hope to provide instructors with a supportive environment in which to hone effective teaching methods and study the latest pedagogical research. Since the majority of these courses are first-year writing, all GTAs teach composition courses. Some, depending on their interest, concentration, experience, and expertise may also teach business writing, creative writing, and survey literature courses. The work you do with us is vitally important not only to the English department but also to the hundreds of students you'll teach.

This handbook is designed to address your needs as instructors of Lower Division courses. It covers information from the very practical workings of the department (who to ask what and where to find what you need) to the more theoretical and pedagogical (course syllabi, class activities and methods, and textbook ideas). We have worked hard to keep the material presented here practical and immediately useful. While this handbook supports a cover-to-cover reading, we've also included a Table of Contents and Index so you can locate needed information quickly. Please use the links to the left for this information as well as additional resources. Enjoy your experience teaching with us, and please know how much we appreciate your work.

The Lower Division Team

Dr. Baotong Gu, Director
Dr. Angela Hall-Godsey, Associate Director