Literature, university education and the making of English teachers

This chapter arises from a research project recently completed in Australia, which focused on the literary component of the school English curriculum, the assumptions about knowledge that are part of that and the role of literary knowledge in the development of English teachers. Any such inquiry must recognise the historical and contemporary challenges of epistemological issues for English in both school and university contexts. Many universities teach ‘English’ within diverse programs that include theoretical, historicist, archival, comparative, book history and language units as well as more traditional literature focused or thematic units. Some Professors of English have an active role in teaching secondary students at various local, specialist events such as public lectures on secondary set texts, lectures at English teachers associations, and similar, events, or workshops on topics of interest to secondary students and teacher.