Bachelor of English: Concentration in English Education at San Francisco State University

The English Department at SF State provides opportunities for students to study in a variety of subfields that make up the English major. Join us and become part of a racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse community of learners engaging in dialog between our histories and experiences, and new ideas and literacies.

English Education is a concentration within the English BA.  It allows students to develop the subject-matter knowledge (known as "subject-matter competency") required to enter credential programs to become English Language Arts teachers at the secondary level, in a middle or high school.  For this reason, the program includes a wide range of courses: in literature; in the theory and practice of literacy teaching and learning; and in linguistics, composition, and communication.  Students also complete 45 hours of service learning in local public schools. In addition to the 45-unit program, students choose one area of extended study (an "emphasis area") from the following choices: Literature, Linguistics, Creative Writing, or Theater Arts. Candidates pursuing an emphasis in the latter will earn a minor in Theater Arts as well as the English Education B.A. The program culminates with students creating a digital portfolio to reflect on, synthesize, and showcase their learning.

To gain a waiver from the state exam, the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET), students need to maintain a B level grade or above in all major courses.  Individuals who want to become teachers who do not fulfill the English Education concentration can establish English subject-matter competency by passing the CSET.

1. Students will be able to differentiate how language use varies across the contexts and genres of professional writing and rhetoric, literature, and linguistics. (Disciplinary Knowledge)
2. Students will be able to formulate and pursue methodologically sound lines of inquiry, effectively placing their ideas side by side the ideas of others, drawing persuasively on credible primary and secondary sources. (Research)
3. Students will be able to produce rhetorically effective texts across a range of digital, print, and multimedia formats. (Written Communication/Digital Literacy)
4. Students will be able to carefully read and critically examine the ways in which culture and global context affect language, literature, and writing. (Global Perspectives)
5. Students will be able to analyze language and texts in relation to the historical and social contexts in which they are situated. (Historical Thinking)
6. Students will be able to apply critical thinking, close reading, and rhetorical persuasion to engage productively and ethically in scholarly, civic, and professional communities. (Application & Engagement)

7. Students in the English Education concentration will achieve proficiency across English/Language Arts domains (Reading; Communications; Composition and Rhetoric; Language, Linguistics, and Literacy) as required for subject matter competency in English Education.

8. Students in the English Education concentration will demonstrate the pedagogical content-knowledge and dispositions appropriate for pre-service teachers.