Certificates
Studies in Children's and Adolescent Literature & Culture
The Department of Literature and Languages offers a Certificate in Studies in Children’s and Adolescent Literature and Culture. The certificate, consisting of 15 hours of graduate study, provides students with a solid foundation for analyzing children’s and adolescent literature and will enhance their understanding of and capacity to teach the cultural, ideological, and historical nature of children’s and adolescent literature in primary, secondary, and post-secondary settings.
The individuals who will most likely be interested in this program include the following: English K-12 educators who are required to engage in graduate work for professional development or who desire to enhance their understanding of the literature produced for their students; post secondary educators who are interested in teaching or initiating courses in children’s and adolescent literature in community college settings; students who already have a graduate degree but would like to further specialize in the study of children’s and adolescent literature and culture; adults who do not necessarily wish to enroll in a traditional graduate program but who nonetheless want to engage in intellectual activities that contribute to their understanding of children’s and adolescent literature and culture.
In order to earn the certificate, students students must be registered as either an M.A. or M.S. candidate or as a Non-Degree student or as a Certification Student and successfully complete the following courses.
Required Coursework:
Eng 504: Picture Books, Graphic Narrative, and the Art of Images: Three semester hours.
An examination of the historical, cultural, ideological, aesthetic, material, and critical contexts that influence and produce picture books and graphic narratives written for young readers, including a study of how words, images, and institutions shape our response to those texts'.
Eng 505: The Invention of Children's Literature and Childhood: Three semester hours.
A survey of the historical development of children's literature in relation to its cultural, intellectual, and political contexts. Could include how British and American writers changed paradigms for and perceptions about "childhood" and "children's literature" by developing literature that entertained and instructed young readers, as well as how conditions of print culture, political change, and social status influenced the delivery and reception of the genre.
Eng 506: Problems in Adolescent Literature: Three semester hours.
An overview of the various problems associated with adolescent literature including the "problem novel" and "new realism," how adolescent literature is defined, issues associated with censorship, and the problems adolescents experience in the texts.
Eng 507: Narrative Transformations in Literature for Children and Adolescents. Three semester hours.
A study in the adaptation or appropriation of familiar or traditional story forms such as folk and fairy tales into more contemporary narrative forms including novels and film.
Eng 508: Constructing Reality and Reconstructing History in Children's and Adolescent Literature: Three semester hours.
An overview of historical fiction and realistic literature that emphasizes the cultural and social milieu that produced the texts as represented by the genres. Particular attention will be paid to the construction of history and the social realities addressed in the texts, including ethnic, racial, and global considerations.
Book-It Blogspot
Also be sure to visit: Book-It Blogspot & Zine: A Refuge for Young (And Young-at-Heart) People Who Love Books and Reading
Illustrations on this page are by W.W. Denslow for L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. From top to bottom: "A Little Cowardice in Everyone", "Oiling the Tin Woodman", and "And Away We Go!"
Certificate in TESOL
In addition to the enhanced professional status that the Certificate in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) brings, the Certificate will enable the holder to meet the 18-hour SACS requirement to teach at the College level. Courses are offered at the Mesquite Metroplex Center, the TAMU-Commerce main campus, and through Two-Way Interactive Distance Education. There is no campus residency requirement for this Certificate, and it is available to degree- or non-degree-seeking students.
The course work for the 19 semester-hour Certificate in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) includes the department's five basic TESOL courses:
- English 501 Structure of the English Language
- English 555 General Linguistics
- English 557 Teaching English as a Second Language
- English 558 Sociolinguistics
- English 562 Psycholinguistics
In addition, a candidate would take a one-hour Practicum and one elective course (3 semester hours) chosen from the following courses in the Department of Literature and Languages:
- English 559 Language and Culture in the Classroom
- English 571 Teaching Reading and Writing
- English 579 Style and Stylistics
- FLL 511 Teaching a Second Language (Taught in Spanish)
The Practicum
This is a one-credit hour TESOL-specific practicum. Practicums will be arranged through the TESOL faculty in the Department of Literature and Languages once a student has completed fifteen (15) semester hours.
Distance Education
At present English 501, English 555, English 557, English 558, English 559, and English 562 are available through Two-Way Interactive Distance Education. English 571, English 579 and FLL 511 are regularly available on the Commerce campus only.
Graduate Certificate in Film Studies, Department of Literature and Languages
The Graduate Certificate in Film Studies is an 15-hour program for those who want to pursue an extended investigation of major issues in cinema (directors, genres, literature and film, film theory, national cinemas, historical movements, critical approaches, and themes). Students completing the program will be equipped to contribute to scholarship in the field and to teach film courses on the college level or work in cognate disciplines.
Coursework for the Certificate requires 5 Film Studies courses:
- English 510 Introduction to Film Studies
- English 530 History of Narrative Film
- English 610 Studies in Film Genres
- English 620 Adaptation: Film, Literature, and Other Influences
- English 710 Film Theory and Criticism
- English 720 Special Topics in Film Studies (e.g., Cult Films, Clint Eastwood: Director and Actor, The Films of John Ford, Australian Cinema)
Please contact Dr. Gerald Duchovnay, 903.886.5265 or Gerald_Duchovnay@TAMU-Commerce.edu for more information about the courses or the certificate.
