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TTAC approves English field of study under alternative framework; modern language flexibility included
Summary
The committee unanimously approved an English field of study built on the alternative framework so four-year schools can require modern-language coursework; the recommendation will post for 30-day public comment and then go to the commissioner.
The Texas Transfer Advisory Committee unanimously approved a recommended English field of study that uses an alternative framework to accommodate modern-language requirements commonly present in four-year English degree plans.
Anna Hallziger, co-chair from Blinn College, told members the alternative framework "allowed us more flexibility and solved that problem almost immediately," referring to how the modern-language requirement prevented agreement under the original template.
The committee recommended composition I and II for the core curriculum and a discipline foundation that includes British Literature I and II, American Literature I and II, Technical and Business Writing and World Literature I. The recommendation asks that directed electives be set between 6 and 14 hours — an expansion from the default 12-hour maximum — to allow four-year institutions that require two semesters of lower-level language lab work to include those hours.
Mitzi Lauderdale of Texas Tech expressed concern about the number of lower-division English hours at some institutions and asked whether four-year representatives had discussed the implication for degree integrity. The co-chairs said the group considered that question and agreed the alternative framework provided a workable path forward. The subcommittee vote on the recommendation was unanimous, with 10 university and 8 community-college representatives approving it at the working-group meeting.
The TTAC approved the field of study in a roll-call vote and will post the recommendation for a 30-day public comment period, after which staff will collect directed-elective lists from four-year schools and forward the final packet to the commissioner for approval.
