Autzoo.1497 net.general utcsrgv!utzoo!henry Tue Mar 23 23:20:20 1982 grammar A quick comment on the problem of poor English communication: don't assume that forcing people to take more English courses is a solution. Most English courses are 80%+ literature. Reading Shakespeare may have some relevance to teaching people how to communicate effectively, but not an awful lot and it's rather indirect. The biggest reason why English courses, even in places where the split is supposed to be 50-50, are heavy on literature and light on composition is very simple: it's easier on the teachers. Teaching composition is hard; intelligent marking of composition assignments is quite hard. If you want people taught how to communicate, force them to take a course that is dedi- cated to that topic ONLY. This is particularly important if the courses are being given by another organization (say, the English department) over which you have no direct control. P.S.: Do not assume that English teachers know how to communicate effectively: THEY are often literature specialists. Be particularly suspicious of those who get the booby-prize job of teaching the first- year courses, especially the "service" courses given for the other departments. ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.