English

The Ruff Scholarship, a generous annual donation from Jim and Walta Ruff, is actually multiple scholarships. It supports current and prospective teachers studying in the CSU English Education program. Multiple awards for up to six credits of tuition may be made annually. Applicants must demonstrate how they will use the funds toward professional development or their degree.

Eligible applicants include individuals in any one of the three following categories:

1.) Employed, full- or part-time, as an English language arts teacher in a public school or
2.) Current undergraduate or graduate students who are within 30 credits of completing their degree and have financial need or
3.) Undergraduate or graduate students who will be student teaching in the spring and in need of financial assistance to reduce the number of hours outside of student teaching that they would work to pay tuition.

We seek applicants with the desire to achieve any or all of the following goals:

• deepen and broaden their knowledge in areas relevant to their teaching
• critically engage with literacy studies, literary scholarship, academic and creative writing, and/or teacher inquiry
• revitalize their work with students, especially those from historically marginalized or underserved populations
• connect to a professional community with shared interests

• begin or continue a graduate degree in English

Applicants who self-identify as members of marginalized populations are strongly encouraged to apply. The application deadline for Fall 2025 is May 19, 2025.

We offer several graduate-level English courses in the late afternoons (starting at 4pm or later) once per week.

Fall 2025

E633 – Special Topics in Writing and Rhetoric: Storytelling for Social Justice | 3 credits | 05:00 - 07:30 PM | W | Cindy O'Donnell-Allen

This course focuses on the rhetorical function of narratives in U.S. culture over time, as conceptually framed by Bell’s “Storytelling for Social Justice” model (2019). Students will critically examine and problematize widely-circulated, public-facing narratives across varied genres that address "justice," broadly defined (e.g., the American Dream), and will uncover and generate counter-narratives that center resistance and transformative social change. All programs welcome.

Spring 2026

E632 – Professional Concerns in English Education: Critical Approaches to Diverse Young Adult Literature | 3 credits | 05:00 - 07:30 PM | Day TBD | Ricki Ginsberg

This course engages students in the study of some of the most controversial and frequently censored critical theories and diverse young adult texts. Moving beyond traditional literary criticism, we will explore frameworks such as critical race theory, queer theory, postcolonial theory, and other theories that challenge dominant narratives and power structures. Students will be offered choices in the young adult texts that they will read in this course, and assignments will be adaptable to reflect each students’ own interests, communities, and goals. Through student-centered pedagogical approaches, this course fosters a collaborative learning environment that values multiple ways of knowing and being. Assessments will also prioritize student choice, allowing for deep integration of course content into each student’s academic, creative, and professional goals. Local teachers not enrolled at CSU are welcomed to enroll in the course, and students from all programs are enthusiastically invited.