Teaching English Undergraduate when your background is Film?

[Frozenroses]

Hi all,

I thought I would redirect this over here from the decisions board.... I have been offered a place on an English PhD course, with funding, however I will be required to teach first year English (teach not take seminars). My question to those who are already in English courses is - do you think its possible to pull this off when your background isn't English?

Thanks all

[turtlepower]

My SO taught a freshman comp course that centered around film. He called it Argument in Film and taught films like Milk, Precious, Waiting for Superman, Hard Candy, among others. He really enjoyed it.

[Frozenroses]

I don't think I get to make my own course, they are set out to a certain extent

[JeremiahParadise]

I think you can totally do it. If you're great enough to be admitted into a PhD program, you'll easily be good enough to teach introductory composition. In fact, I bet you'll find most of the subject matter to be sort of second nature at this point. Congrats and good luck!

[turtlepower]

Well, I think you'll be fine. Making a film is not unlike writing a paper. Decisions have to be made in the best interest of content in both cases. If you have strong textual analysis skills, you should be fine.

[Frozenroses]

Thanks both - this was actually just the reassurance I needed - I have found the prospect rather daunting - but now feel that its not an impossible task to undertake!

[RoundandRoundAgain]

I took an introductory comp course at my university (it was the third in a sequence) and our grad student used pop culture for most of our assignments. We read a really fantastic introductory pop culture anthology and wrote four papers overall. The first was a paper on a movie scene, the second and third were on movies or television, and only the fourth was on a novel.

I suspect it will be dependent on your department's guidelines for composition classes and how much freedom you have to shape your own curriculum, but it is possible with feeling more comfortable with film.

Edited February 20, 2012 by BattlingAnxiety

[perrykm2]

I don't want to sound horrible, but you're probably anticipating incoming freshman to whatever university being MUCH more competent writers than they actually are.

You've probably written 1000000 papers with a similar weight and structure as any paper for English Lit. These are little baby eggs that still need to learn to hold a pencil (an exaggeration, but you know.) I think you'll be fine, or just as fine as everyone else in your program.

[Frozenroses]

Tha above commen just made my day! Thank you xx

[jma310]

I don't want to sound horrible, but you're probably anticipating incoming freshman to whatever university being MUCH more competent writers than they actually are.

You've probably written 1000000 papers with a similar weight and structure as any paper for English Lit. These are little baby eggs that still need to learn to hold a pencil (an exaggeration, but you know.) I think you'll be fine, or just as fine as everyone else in your program.

Same not wanting to sound horrible but I teach english right now at a top-30 while doing my MA. i could write a paper on the anatomy of a worm with my degree in English/American studies better than most of these kids could write a 4 page expository paper on a text with fairly overt meanings.

[Frozenroses]

Thank you all for your reassuring words - I am probably more intimidated as I feel so inexperienced with teaching but I sincerely do feel like what was daunting has actually become a lot more realistic due to this thread - good luck with your applications those who are waiting still!

Edited February 20, 2012 by Frozenroses

[UMontanaGrad]

I entered grad school with a film and literature background. I was awarded a TA and ended up writing my whole master's thesis on implementing film into the composition classroom. You can totally do it.