The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that led to the incorporation of English as an organized discipline at the College of William and Mary.;In order to assess reasons for the unprecedented consideration given the study of English in 1888, it was necessary to examine the English-related studies in the predominantly classical curriculum at William and Mary during the nineteenth century. An attempt was made to determine first why English was not recognized as a subject in the curriculum before the College was closed in 1881 and then why English was established as a discipline when the College was reopened in 1888. It was concluded that a systemized study of English did not develop at the College of William and Mary before 1888 because the study of English as a distinct and separate language was perceived neither as a necessary part of the traditional curriculum nor as a curricular offering which would improve the financial health of the institution.;It was hypothesized that a professorship of English was established and a systemized study of English was inaugurated at the College of William and Mary in 1888 because the Commonwealth of Virginia appropriated funds for a program of teacher education at the College.;The data support the hypothesis that English became an organized field of study in 1888 primarily because the College developed a program of teacher education, which required a study of the English language, in order to secure financial support from the Commonwealth of Virginia.;Further study is needed to examine: (1) whether English remained primarily a servant to practical studies, (2) the role and emphasis on English in current programs of teacher education, and (3) the pattern of development and relative emphasis on English-related studies in the twentieth-century curricula of American colleges.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:wm.edu/oai:scholarworks.wm.edu:etd-1534 |
| Date | 01 January 1982 |
| Creators | Brown, Jane Agnew |
| Publisher | W&M ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | William and Mary |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects |
| Rights | © The Author |
Page generated in 0.0023 seconds