Herb,
   My sense is that things haven't changed very much--see, for example,
Susan Peck Macdonald's article in a recent 3 C's on the Erasure of
Language, which points to a progressive loss of knowledge about
language within the discipline, largely because of the widespread
belief that teaching grammar is harmful and/or that language is learned
without direct instruction. Depending on the kind of student (or range)
you are expected to teach, there may be a sense that "error" has to be
attended to, but there's a sense that error correction is mundane and
not at all what composition (or real writing) is all about. In many
places, saying you have a great interest in grammar may evoke the same
sort of misunderstandings you mention below--it's an old way, not a new
one, often a reductive understanding of writing and the teaching of
writing, at least in their minds. "Correcting" can replace revising and
often does.
   If someone asked me how grammar fits within composition, I would talk
about that history--how process approaches had to do war with product
and error focused approaches, but that now we need to integrate an
approach to grammar in harmony with higher order concerns, one that
pays respect to the meaningfulness of form. Effective, purposeful
writing happens in and through the sentence, and it is important for
sentence level choice to be in harmony with the evolving purposes of
the text; once we understand that, then grammar and writing are no
longer at war.    >
   Even if writing within conventions is at issue, I think knowlege about
language is important; I don't think this mastery is simply acquired.
   On either end, as questioner or as candidate, you are walking through a
minefield. It is made dangerous largely because Macdonald is right;
most people in the discipline know very little about language.

Craig


Steve,
>
>
>
> I agree completely, and perhaps the preparation of comp/rhet PhDs has
> changed in recent years so that your questions would be received
> sympathetically and with a depth of knowledge that would make them worth
> asking.  In my experience, asking questions like yours of composition
> faculty candidates has more commonly elicited a pained patience with a
> senior faculty member who maintains the archaic and empirically
> falsified belief that grammar has any relevance to the teaching of
> writing.  If the day has in fact come when the typical job candidate in
> composition has a sufficiently sophisticated command of the subject to
> address in an informed manner the questions you pose, we have been much
> more successful than I could have hoped in changing the training of
> composition faculty.
>
>
>
> Herb
>
>
>
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 1:47 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Interview Questions?
>
>
>
> Herb,
>
> I think you should ask directly about the candidates's work and
> experience.  I am sure you want someone who not only values grammar but
> also can teach it well?
>
> How do you teach grammar as a part of composition?
> Where and how do you address it?
> What grammatical areas do you find students need help with most these
> days?
> How much does grammar count when you grade compositions?
> How do you assess grammatical understanding of your students?
> How would you explain the use of commas in a series to a student?
> What have you found works with students who seem to have difficulty
> understanding a grammatical concept?
> How do you make grammar interesting as many students find it dull?
> What do you think are the top 10 grammatical/mechanical topics students
> MUST master before they graduate?
>
> Ask to look at some compositions the candidates have corrected. Ask to
> see samples of their own writing.
>
> Etc.
>
> Steve Cohen
> The Allen-Stevenson School
>
>
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