Students who have completed the Traditional Track of the English major at Valdosta State University will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and skills.

Content Standard 1

General statement of knowledge and/or ability

[Educational Outcomes 1 and 2]

Performance Standards

 Guidelines for evaluating performance

Assessment Methods

Activities used to assess student performance

Students will be able to use the conventional vocabulary of literary analysis to write effective close readings of poetry, fiction, and drama.

Expert Proficiency--

The expert close reading meets the following criteria:

• it offers fresh, supportable insights into a literary work without the direct aid of secondary materials;
• it establishes connections among multiple literary features, such as imagery,  figurative language, sound, prosody, narrative elements and/or stage conventions;
• it takes into account reconciled and unreconciled tensions in the work;
• it acknowledges how a specific work resists as well as submits to genre conventions;
• it effectively uses brief quotations to support its claims;
• it is cogent and clearly organized;
• it employs conventional literary terms accurately and appropriately;
• it uses varied, sophisticated sentences; 
• it is essentially free from mechanical errors; and
• it contains no serious grammatical errors.

Minimally Acceptable Proficiency--

The minimally acceptable close reading meets the following criteria:

• it makes supportable, logically consistent assertions about a literary work, and it focuses on that work’s overall theme or effect;
• it establishes connections among several literary elements but may ignore one or more significant features;
• it may make only cursory references to the effect genre has on the work’s meaning;
• its support may be marred by repeated instances of undigested quotations and/or superficial analysis;
• its organization may be rudimentary;
• it may use a general rather than a precise critical vocabulary : (e. g. “ main character” rather than “protagonist” or “repeated sound” rather than “assonance.”)
• its style is clear though undistinguished; and
• its errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage are not frequent or severe enough to obscure meaning.

Non-proficiency--

The non-proficient close reading has any one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree or  several of these to a lesser degree:

• it may fail to make a clear, supportable assertion about a work’s meaning, it may present a statement of fact as a thesis, it may make contradictory claims, or it may make an insupportable claim its thesis;
• it may refer to only one or two literary  elements;
• it may ignore or misinterpret the effect that genre has upon a work’s meaning;
• it may make few if any specific references to a work, or it may offer long quotations without meaningful analysis and explanation;
• it may stray from its thesis or offer evidence that fails to support its claims;
• it may fail to use standard literary terms, or it may use these terms inaccurately;
• its sentences may be overly simplistic, unnecessarily tangled, or otherwise difficult to read;
• it may contain several errors of grammar, usage, or mechanics frequent or severe enough to hinder its meaning.

Students will write an undocumented close reading in ENGL 2060 and/or upper-division courses.

Students will put together a portfolio of their written work in ENGL 4900

Students may take quizzes over conventional literary terms in ENGL 2060 and/or 3060.

Students may write explications of literary works in examinations in upper-division courses.

Content Standard 2

General statement of knowledge and/or ability

      [Educational Outcomes 2 and 3]

Performance Standards

 Guidelines for evaluating performance

Assessment Methods

Activities used to assess student performance

Students will be able to write insightful research-based analyses of literature that draw upon both primary and secondary sources.

Expert Proficiency--

The expert research-based analysis meets all of the following criteria:

• it makes fresh, insightful observations about literary works;
• it incorporates a wide range of scholarly and critical sources and may include scholarship from outside the field of literary studies;
• it demonstrates an accurate awareness of literary history and/or critical context;
• it effectively integrates original close readings and secondary materials;
• it effectively synthesizes secondary sources written from different critical perspectives and/or engages in critical dialogue with one or more secondary sources;
• it is clearly organized and rhetorically effective;
• it employs varied, skillfully constructed sentences;
• it uses precise, economic, and idiomatic diction and avoids excessive jargon;
• it has few or no deviations from the grammar and conventions of Standard English; and
• it adheres to the conventions of MLA format with few if any deviations.

Minimally Acceptable Proficiency--

The minimally acceptable research-based literary analysis possesses most of the following characteristics:

• it makes defensible claims about literature, but these may be trite or strained;
• it draws from multiple secondary sources, but some of these may be inadequate for the writer’s purpose: sources that are unjustifiably dated or un-refereed; sources drawn from a narrow range of books or journals; or general discussions and/or reference books;
• it presents support from primary as well as secondary sources, but its independent close readings may be superficial or excessively ingenious;
• it may distort the primary work’s historical and/or critical context;
• it may unsuccessfully synthesize criticism written from different critical perspectives, and/or it may fail to engage in meaningful critical dialogue with secondary sources;
• it is rhetorically cogent but often predictable;
• its sentences are clear but may lack variety;
• its vocabulary is generally correct but inexact and may be marred by undigested jargon;
• it may possess occasional problems in grammar or mechanics significant enough to distract from the writer's purpose; and
• it may vary occasionally from correct MLA format.

Non-proficiency--

The non-proficient research-based literary analysis has any one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree or several of these to a lesser degree:

• it may fail to make meaningful assertions about literary works, it may present indefensible claims, or it may simply report on a work or author without offering an interpretation;
• it may draw from few secondary sources;
• it may significantly misinterpret primary and secondary sources;
• it may fail to offer any independent close reading of a work;
• it may fail to support its claims with textual evidence;
• its organization may be redundant or incoherent;
• it may contain enough tangled or incoherent sentences or instances of inappropriate diction to hamper communication;
• it may contain errors in grammar and usage that are frequent and serious enough to undermine the writer's credibility; and/or
• it may follow MLA format only loosely, if at all.

Students will include at least one research-based interpretation of literature in their ENGL 4900 portfolios.

Students will write research-based analyses of literature in upper-division literature courses.

Content Standard 3

General statement of knowledge and/or ability

[Educational Outcome 3]

Performance Standards

 Guidelines for evaluating performance

Assessment Methods

Activities used to assess student performance

Students will be able to use standard research tools, including print and electronic bibliographies, to find pertinent critical and scholarly discussions of literary works, history, and theory.

Expert Proficiency--

Students with expert proficiency in literary research meet all of the following criteria:

• they can identify multiple bibliographic sources, including  periodical indexes (e.g., MLA Bibliography Online, Poole’s Index to Periodical Literature) general bibliographies (e.g., McGill’s Bibliography of Literary Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism), genre-specific bibliographies (e.g., English Novel Explication, Dramatic Criticism Index, Guide to American Poetry Explication, Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication), and author-specific bibliographies.
• they can distinguish among the types of content found in different serial literary biographies (e.g., American Writers, Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography) as well as critical biographies of single authors;
• they can adhere to all MLA conventions for citing print and electronic texts parenthetically as well as use correct format for such features as indirect quotations;
• they can use correct MLA bibliography form for a wide range of print and electronic sources as well as properly use such features as cross-references and content notes; and
• they can prepare concise, informative annotated bibliographies.

Minimally Acceptable Proficiency--

Students with minimally acceptable research skills meet the following criteria:

• they can identify several print or electronic bibliographies and indexes, but this knowledge may be limited to general indexes only;
• they can name two or more literary biographies but may have only sketchy knowledge of how these works differ in content;
• they can adhere to MLA format for parenthetical citations and bibliographical entries for frequently used sources but may be inexpert in less commonly used ones;
• they can prepare an annotated bibliography, but it may contain minor distortions or misrepresentations of sources, ignore important information, or present irrelevant information.  

Non-proficiency--

Students who are not proficient in literary research demonstrate one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree or several to a limited degree:

• they  may be able to name only one or two print or electronic indexes;
• they may be unable to name and/or describe the content of any literary biographies;
• they cannot adhere to MLA format for parenthetical citations or bibliographical entries for frequently used sources; and/or or
• they cannot prepare an annotated bibliography that accurately summarizes the content of secondary source material.

Students may take an examination on research tools and methodology in ENGL 2060.

Students will include research essays in their 4900 portfolio.

Students in ENGL 3060, 4900, or other upper-division courses may present a research plan that identifies which bibliographic sources they have used and explains why they have used these sources.

Students in ENGL 3060, 4900, or other upper-division courses may compose an annotated list of works cited for research projects.

Content Standard 4

General statement of knowledge and/or ability

(Educational Outcomes 1 and 4]

Performance Standards

 Guidelines for evaluating performance

Assessment Methods

Activities used to assess student performance

Students will be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of British literature.

Expert Proficiency--

Students with an expert knowledge of British literature meet all of the following criteria:

• they can identify all major literary periods, all major literary movements, and many minor movements in British literary history;
• they can describe all salient characteristics, dominant genres, major and/or representative authors, and governing aesthetics for all major literary periods, all major literary movements, and many minor movements in British literary history;
• they can discuss how selected authors interrogate as well as reflect prevailing movements;
• they can identify important political, social, and cultural movements and describe some of the effects these movements have had upon at least two periods of British literary history; and
• they can describe the transition between at least two literary periods in some detail.

Minimally Acceptable Proficiency--

Students with minimal proficiency in British literature meet most of the following criteria:

• they can identify all major literary periods, most major literary movements, and some minor movements in British literary history;
• they can outline the salient characteristics, dominant genres, governing aesthetics , and some major and/or representative authors for all major literary periods and most major literary movements;
• they can discuss how selected authors reflect prevailing movements;
• they can identify some important political, social, and cultural movements and describe some of the effects these movements have had upon at least one period of British literary history; and
• they can discuss some similarities and differences between at least two literary periods.

Non-proficiency--

Students who are non-proficient in British literature demonstrate one the following problems to an extraordinary degree or several to a lesser degree:

• they cannot identify all major literary periods and only some major or minor movements in British literary history;
• they can accurately identify most of the salient characteristics, dominant genre, governing aesthetics, and major and/or representative authors for only some major literary periods and/or movements;
• they cannot discuss how selected authors reflect prevailing movements;
• they cannot identify some important political, social, and cultural movements and describe some of the effects these movements have had upon at least one period of British literary history; and
• they cannot discuss, with detail and accuracy, some of the similarities and differences between at least two literary periods.

Students will pass ENGL 3110 and 3120 with a grade of C or higher.

Students may prepare notebooks, take exams, and/or write formal essays focusing on key elements of literary history as a part of upper-division classes in British literature.

Content Standard 5

General statement of knowledge and/or ability

(Educational Outcomes 1 and 4]

Performance Standards

 Guidelines for evaluating performance

Assessment Methods

Activities used to assess student performance

Students will be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of American literature.

Expert Proficiency--

Students with an expert knowledge of American literature meet all of the following criteria:

• they can identify all major literary periods, all major literary movements, and many minor movements in American literary history;
• they can describe all salient characteristics, dominant genre, major and/or representative authors, and governing aesthetics for all major literary periods, all major literary movements, and many minor movements in American literary history;
• they can discuss how selected authors interrogate as well as reflect prevailing movements;
• they can identify important political, social, and cultural movements and describe some of the effects these movements have had upon at least two periods of American literary history; and
• they can describe the transition between at least two literary periods in some detail.

Minimally Acceptable Proficiency--

Students with minimal proficiency in American literature meet the following criteria:

• they can identify all major literary periods, most major literary movements, and some minor movements in American literary history;
• they can outline the salient characteristics, dominant genre, governing aesthetics, and some major and/or representative authors for all major literary periods and most major literary movements;
• they can discuss how selected authors reflect prevailing movements;
• they can identify some important political, social, and cultural movements and describe some of the effects these movements have had upon at least one period of American literary history; and
• they can discuss some similarities and differences between at least two literary periods.

Non-proficiency--

Students who are non-proficient in American literature demonstrate one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree or several to a lesser degree:

• they cannot identify all major literary periods and only some major or minor movements in American literary history;
• they cannot accurately identify most of the salient characteristics, dominant genre, governing aesthetics, and major and/or representative authors for only some major literary periods and/or movements;
• they cannot discuss how selected authors reflect prevailing movements;
• they cannot identify important political, social, and cultural movements and describe effects these movements have had upon at least one period of American literary history; and
• they cannot discuss, with any detail and accuracy similarities and differences between at least two literary periods.

Students will pass ENGL 3210 with a grade of C or higher.

Students may prepare notebooks, take exams, and/or write formal essays focusing on key elements of literary history in upper-division American literature classes.

Content Standard 6

General statement of knowledge and/or ability

[Educational Outcome 1]

Performance Standards

 Guidelines for evaluating performance

Assessment Methods

Activities used to assess student performance

Students will be able to explain and consistently apply an interpretative methodology beyond close reading.

Expert Proficiency—

Students with expert interpretive proficiency meet all of the following criteria:

• they can identify and explain the major tenets and  foundational assumptions of two or more interpretive approaches beyond close reading;
• they can discuss and illustrate the strengths and the limitations of at least two interpretive approaches;
• they can independently apply at least two critical approaches to unfamiliar works in order to generate interesting and original insights;
• they can synthesize insights from at least two different critical methodologies;
• they can identify at least four major theorists and the critical methodologies they employ.

Minimal  Proficiency—

Students with minimal interpretive proficiency meet the following criteria:

• they may be able identify multiple interpretive strategies but can adequately explain the major tenets and assumptions of one, or they may be able to demonstrate only a cursory knowledge multiple methodologies;
• they may be able to discuss the strengths and limitations of only methodology, or they may be able to discuss only strengths or only weaknesses for two or more methodologies;
• they can apply only a single critical methodology beyond close reading;
• they cannot synthesize insights from more than one critical methodology into their own interpretations;  and/or
• they can identify only one or two major theorists and the critical approach each represents or employs.

Non-proficiency

Students who lack interpretive proficiency demonstrate one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree or several to a lesser degree:

• they may be unable to identify more than one interpretive methodology beyond close reading, or they may seriously misrepresent the major  tenets and/or assumptions of one or more critical approaches;
• they may be unable to discuss either the strengths or weaknesses of a single methodology;
• they may be unable to apply a single critical approach beyond close reading with any facility or thoroughness; 
• they may be unable to synthesize insights from a single critical methodology into their own interpretations; and/or
• they may be able to identify only one major theorist and the critical approach (s)he represents or employs. 

In English 3060, students may write a brief position paper describing the major tenets of at least one critical methodology. 

Research papers included in the 4900 portfolio may demonstrate their familiarity with multiple critical approaches.

Core Curriculum Content Standard 6 [Literature]

General statement of knowledge and/or ability

(See ABAC Sophomore Literature Course Outcomes #1 and 2; VSU Core Curriculum Content Standard #5)

Performance Standards

 Guidelines for evaluating performance

Assessment Methods

Activities used to assess student performance

Students will be able to use their knowledge of genres, movements, and conventions to interpret works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and/or drama.

Expert Proficiency--

The expert literary analysis is distinguished by the following characteristics:

• it exhibits a keen sensitivity to the nuances of both literal and figurative language;
• it posits clear, original, and insightful relationships between language and theme, central idea, or dominant impression;
• it accurately assesses the effect that genre has upon several elements of at least one work, including language, style, characterization, and/or structure of a literary work;
• it accurately assesses the impact of one or more literary movements upon multiple elements of a work; 
• it identifies meaningful deviations from the conventions of genre or literary movement;
• it may discover patterns of dissonance as well as of unity in literary works;
• it is well organized; uses fresh, precise, and idiomatic vocabulary; and has few if any deviations from the conventions of Standard English.

Minimal  Proficiency—

The minimally proficient literary analysis is distinguished by the following characteristics:

• it recognizes important instances of figurative language and accurately interprets literal language;
• it makes clear if occasionally trite connections between language and theme, central idea, or dominant impression;
• it points out one or more connections between literary genre and the language, style, characterization, and/or structure of a literary work;
• it discusses at least one way in which a literary work reflects the concerns of a literary movement; 
• it discovers at least one significant pattern of repetition in a literary work; 
• it is cogently organized, uses everyday words accurately, and its errors in sentence structure, grammar, or the conventions of Standard English are not serious enough to hamper communication significantly.

Non-proficiency

The non-proficient literary analysis is distinguished by the following characteristics:

• it may ignore or misrepresent important instances of figurative language or seriously misinterpret literal language;
• it may make vague, contradictory, or vague connections between language and theme, central idea, or dominant impression;
• it may fail to point out one or more connections between literary genre and the language, style, characterization, and/or structure of a literary work;
• it may not discuss at least one way in which a literary work reflects the concerns of a literary movement; 
• it may fail to discuss at least one significant pattern of repetition in a literary work; 
• it may not be cogently organized, it may use everyday words inaccurately, or its errors in sentence structure, grammar, or the conventions of Standard English are  serious enough to hamper communication significantly.

In ENGL 2060, students will write at least one or more out-of-class essays that analyze works of literature.

Core Curriculum Content Standard 7 (Literature)

General statement of knowledge and/or ability

(See ABAC Sophomore Literature Course Outcomes #6 and 7; VSU Core Curriculum Content Standard #5)

Performance Standards

 Guidelines for evaluating performance

Assessment Methods

Activities used to assess student performance

Students will be able to use their knowledge of a variety of cultural and historical contexts to interpret works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and/or film.

Expert Proficiency--

The expert literary analysis is distinguished by the following characteristics:

• it accurately places a literary work within at least two different contexts, including philosophical or religious concerns, national or regional awareness; expressions of cultural identity, and/or experiences of cultural conflicts;
• it specifically and accurately compares and contrasts social and political visions competing in the same and/or different works;
• it cogently analyzes some of the ways that literary works comment upon social traditions, institutions, and assumptions;
• it recognizes multiple ways in which at least one literary work resists or promotes social change; 
• it is well organized; uses fresh, precise, and idiomatic vocabulary; and has few if any deviations from the conventions of Standard English.

Minimal  Proficiency—

The minimally proficient cultural and historical analysis is distinguished by the following characteristics:

• it places a literary work within at least one context--including philosophical or religious concerns, national or regional awareness, expressions of cultural identity, and/or experiences of cultural conflicts--with basic accuracy;
• it identifies some conflict of social and political vision present in the same and/or different works;
• it offers some discussion of at least one way that literary works comment upon social traditions, institutions, and assumptions;
• it recognizes at least one way that at least one  literary work resists or promotes social change; 
• it is clearly organized, uses everyday words accurately, and its errors in sentence structure, usage, and the conventions of Standard English are not serious enough to hamper communication significantly.

Non-proficiency

The non-proficient cultural and historical analysis is distinguished by the following characteristics:

• it may not place a literary work within at least one context--including philosophical or religious concerns, national or regional awareness, expressions of cultural identity, and/or experiences of cultural conflicts--with basic accuracy;
• it may not identify some conflict of social and political vision present in the same and/or different works;
• it may not offer discuss at least one way that literary works comment upon social traditions, institutions, and assumptions;
• it may not recognize one way in which at least one literary work resists or promotes social change; 
• it may have serious organizational problems, use everyday words inaccurately, and/or its errors in sentence structure, usage, and the conventions of Standard English may be serious enough to hamper communication significantly.

In ENGL 2060, 2110, 2120, 2140 and/or 2140, students will write at least one in-class or out-of-class essay that includes some analysis of cultural and historical context.