Collection, 2002-2017, includes prints from digital files for the Central Michigan University’s (CMU) Language Arts Program, maintained by Dr. Susan Griffith. Files include meeting minutes, agendas, bylaws, correspondence, curriculum notes, projects, planning, evaluations, and data reports (including graphs, statistics, chi square charts). The material is organized in original order, which includes many folders with multiple sub-folder layers within the original folder. Because material was printed, the original digital files received from Dr. Griffiths were not retained.
Commonly used abbreviations include: MTTC, LA, LAP, SWOT, ELLW, and PECC. MTTC stands for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification. LA is Language Arts and LAP is Language Arts Program. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats analysis and is frequently seen in the papers relating to the Language Arts Program four-year review. ELLW stands for the English Language, Literature, and Writing program. PECC stands for Professional Education Curriculum Committee.
Biography:
Dr. Susan C. Griffith was an associate professor in Central Michigan University’s (CMU) English Language and Literature Department, 2003-2017. She earned her B.S. in Education from CMU in 1973, her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1978, and her Ph.D, from Lesley University in 2001. She taught at CMU for fourteen years, holding chair and council positions in the Language Arts Advisory Council, the Language Arts Interdisciplinary Council, and the Language Arts Faculty and Staff Council. Her teaching expertise included Literature for Children and Young Adults (English 381), International Literature for Children and Young Adults (English 481), Poetry for Children and Young Adults (English 485), Cultural Pluralism in Children's Literature (English 582), Writing in Elementary and Middle Schools (English 315), and Seminar in Children’s Literature (English 681). Dr. Griffith has been active in scholarship and publication since 1982. Her research interests include creative arts in learning, social justice themes in children’s literature, the life and legacy of Jane Addams, the role of reflection in teaching, and writing in elementary and middle school. Dr. Griffith retired in the Spring of 2017. (This information is from the collection.)
Organizational History:
In 2017 Central Michigan University’s (CMU) English Language and Literature program is an interdisciplinary program which offers a multitude of undergraduate and graduate degrees. The program, under the title of English Language and Literature, according to CMU bulletins, has existed since 1897. For teaching majors, undergraduate degrees include a B.A. or a B.S. in Education with concentrations such as world literature or creative writing. Non-teaching English majors have similar concentrations, and learn skills such as logic, communication, interpretation, editing, summarization, and critical thought. The program is offered as a major and as a minor at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, the program is offered as an M.A. degree with four specializations, including English language and literature, creative writing, children’s literature, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. The current faculty chair (as of Fall 2017) is Dr. Melinda Kreth. The current director of Applied Linguistics is Dr. Catherine Hicks Kennard. The Graduate Coordinator is Dr. Desmond Harding. Other current faculty have a wide range of background, degrees, and teaching specialties, with the majority holding doctorates in their respective fields.
The department supplies students with a variety of extracurricular activities and grants, including research based scholarship and the English Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta. The department also oversees the Writing Center, founded in 1978, and is dedicated to supporting a culture of writing in the University community and to providing a collaborative environment that assists writers in developing writing strategies and skills across disciplines and beyond. The department’s goals are increase the interdisciplinary skills of its students through critical thought and writing, the promotion of clear, critical, creative, communication; working and thinking independently; collaborating with colleagues and clients; and interpreting and analyzing text, speech, and data. The department belongs to the College of Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. (This information is from the collection.)
