English

Grammatical correctness, critical thinking skills, clear and uncluttered expression and incisive commentary are all parts of English.  Each can be perfected by simple inculcation.  Yet, English is also much more than these:  it is philosophy given life.  As such, English is an experiential discipline.  Life is, in essence, part of the text from which the student ‘reads into’ all literature.  Poetry, short stories and novels are without life until read:  the text is then an interaction is between two lives, essentially, that of the written work and that which is written into the student.  Philosophy exists largely unto itself, but literature exists within life, both that of the fictive world, and that of the ‘real world.’  A good tutor, therefore, demands basic grammatical and critical skills, but also seeks to relate what is read or written to the student’s life.  The critical mind is not passive, but interactive.

Courses I am comfortable teaching: