ABOUT E316 AND THE FRC

English 316 is the only course at UT-Austin that fulfills the humanities core requirement. With the exception of Plan II Honors students, every undergraduate at the University must receive E316 credit in order to graduate. The course enrolls students from every school and college at UT, who enter it with varying levels of preparation and motivation. Faculty teach the three main variants of E316 (British Literature, American Literature, and World Literature) primarily in large lecture sections of 150-400 students, but the English department also offers smaller sections that carry the UGS Writing Flag.  E316 is designated as a survey course that explores literary works drawn from a broad historical range of the national (or multi-national) body of work being studied. Within that general framework, instructors have full discretion in choosing course readings, assignments, and assessment methods. Writing Flag sections must adhere to the flag criteria articulated by UGS. The same holds for American Literature sections that carry the flag designated for Cultural Diversity in the United States.

The Faculty Resource Commons (FRC) was created to foster a spirit of collaboration and provide a virtual space to share pedagogical resources for teaching E316.  Under the Course Architecture heading, you will find sample syllabi, teaching policy and philosophy statements, and assignment templates from faculty who have taught E316 within the last two years.  Under the Content Resources heading, you will find historical and biographical resources for framing lectures and a wide range of audio-visual resources, from author interviews and poetry readings to film clips connected to course readings.  The Pedagogy heading is divided into two sub-headings—Lecture and Discussion. Under the Lecture heading you will find classroom activities appropriate for both large and small E316 sections focused on “flipped classroom” techniques such as group work and active learning activities.  Teaching Assistants will find a range of materials designed to help them create innovative and engaging lesson plans and activities under the Discussion tab.