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

 

 

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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