Graduate Teaching Assistants

The General Education English Office provides support for faculty who teach first-year writing courses, including graduate teaching assistants. Once they have fulfilled programmatic requirements, Master’s level GTAs are eligible to teach ENGL 1010 (Expository Writing) and ENGL 1020 (Research and Argumentative Writing), while Ph.D. level GTAs are additionally eligible to teach ENGL 2020 (Themes in Literature and Culture), ENGL 2030 (The Experience of Literature), and other courses as needed. GTA placements often vary from semester to semester and are based on departmental need and current enrollment. If you would like more detailed information about MTSU’s English GTA Program, including information about graduate stipends and specific programmatic requirements, please consult the English Graduate Student Resources Page.

Here in MTSU’s English GTA Program, GTAs serve as instructors of record and can design classroom assignments and syllabi in line with department objectives. Even though every section will not be taught in exactly the same way, students with different teachers will meet the same objectives, and our approach to teaching writing is grounded in rhetorical theory and the WPA Outcomes​. GTAs also participate in an annual orientation before the Fall semester and peer-led reflection groups during the Fall and Spring semesters. In these reflection groups, GTAs can share their teaching experiences and discuss a variety of professionalizing topics. GTAs also have a shared office space, which is located in Peck Hall 304A. We encourage GTAs in the program to embrace a spirit of exploration, to experiment in their teaching, to try something new, and then seek feedback from students and colleagues about the new venture.