Welcome to the Department of English, Speech, and Foreign Languages at Texas Woman's University, one of the founding departments when the university began in 1903. The history of the department is long and rich. With a Ph.D. program in Rhetoric, our department is a center for the study of literature, language, and writing. We offer a series of courses on writing, literature, and foreign languages, as well as English language courses for international students. Our activities in classes, in the Write Site, and in our organizations, such as ERGO, reflect our commitment to preparing and empowering students for participation in our society's discourses. In addition, we offer the following programs of study:
Dr. Phyllis Elmore, Professor of English, North Lake College, will be the speaker for the 2010 Joyce Thompson Memorial Lecture. The title of Dr. Elmore's address is "Can I Get a Witness? Fannie Lou Hamer's Transformative Democracy." The lecture is free and open to the public, and will be held in Room 101 of the Library on 9 November at 2:30.
Workshops for Teacher Certification Students
Each semester ESFL offers two workshops for teacher certification students. The presentations for Fall 2010 will be: “Join NCTE, Join TCTELA!” by Dr. Hugh Burns on Oct.14 from 3:30 - 5:00 in CFO 907, and “Guidelines for Diversity Discussions: When Things Get Hot" by Dr. Genevieve West on Nov. 12 from 1:00 - 2:30 in CFO 907.
Plato and Poetry in The New York Times
Plato's Republic and his examination of the popular uses of poetry remain pertinent, according to a recent article in The New York Times. Professor Alexander Nehamas writes: "Children in ancient Athens learned both grammar and citizenship from Homer and the tragic poets. Plato follows suit but submits their works to the sort of ruthless censorship that would surely raise the hackles of modern supporters of free speech. But would we have reason to complain? We, too, censor our children’s educational materials as surely, and on the same grounds, as Plato did."
