The UST Department of Literature is a university-wide general education department responsible for the supervision of the students’ foundational knowledge in literature, arts and humanities. It situates itself in an organizational structure consisted of a higher office at the top—the Office of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs while working alongside with all of the degree-granting units in the university. This structure facilitates the vertical articulation aligning literature and humanities-based courses and faculty on the line of specialization for the purpose of providing uniform formats in pedagogy across the colleges in the university. Following this course was the articulation of the General Literature Curriculum with the Faculty of Arts and Letters and the Graduate School.  In this regard, the UST Department of Literature, together with the deans of the Faculty of Arts and Letters and the Graduate School, runs the literature programs from the undergraduate to post-graduate  level.

 

History

In 2004, then Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Dr. Armando de Jesus assembled a group of professors who would comprise a university-wide Committee for Literature with an end view of creating a separate department for literature and humanities-based courses.  Prior to this, these courses were subsumed in the Department of Languages.  In 2006, the proposal to put up university-wide departments for general courses was approved by the administration. One of the departments constituted was the Department of Humanities, which was tasked to oversee and develop the following general education courses: World Literatures, Philippine Literatures, Art, Man and Society and Logic. In 2010, Philosophy was separated from Literature. Beginning the academic year 2010-2011, the Department of Humanities was renamed Department of Literature. Since then, the Department of Literature has begun functioning both as university-wide department under the Office of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs  and a professional department under the Faculty of Arts and Letters, paving the way for vertical articulation of general education and professional programs.

 

Mission

The Department envisions to uphold excellence in literary instruction, research and publication, and community and extension services by encouraging among students critical thinking, enabling them to engage in literary scholarship and production, and empowering them to become catalyst of social transformation.

 

General Objectives

• Provide relevant and innovative pedagogies in literature

• Engage in cutting-edge literary scholarship and production

• Promote and realize a research agenda that result to excellent, original and relevant researches

• Empower communities through programs that promote literacy and literary expression

• Develop Thomasian literature graduates who are competent, committed, and compassionate

 

Specific Objectives

• Develop the students’ communicative competence

• Foster awareness and understanding of the different literary genres and forms

• Cultivate an appreciation for the creative and critical writing processes

• Broaden insights on human nature,  life,  and culture as exemplified in the different literary genres in various literary texts

• Encourage the students with aptitude for creative writing to explore the different literary genres

• Embark in research endeavours which result to publication in local and international journals

 

Vision

Guided by the Thomasian ideals of competence, commitment and compassion,  the Department of Literature envisions to sustain its status as a leading center of higher learning in literary  and cultural studies, as well as creative writing by producing graduates who are adept in literary scholarship, creative writing,   and  literary pedagogy.

 

Administrator

Asst. Prof. Luciana Urquiola, Ph.D. 
Chair

 

Services Offered

The Chair of the university-wide Department of Literature coordinates and ensures the standardization and implementation of the departmental course offerings within the General Education curriculum. He/she also participates in the recruitment and development of the Faculty in the specific discipline of the Department. The following are the specific duties and responsibilities the Chairperson renders as a service to the department.

• Oversees the programming and implementation of the course offerings of the Department common to the Collegial units in consonance with the mission/vision of the University and the CHED mandate on the general education curriculum.

• Reviews and updates the course offerings with regard to course content, subject sequence, pre-requisite courses, instructional materials and reference textbooks.

• Participates in the hiring procedure either through the process of consultation or in the actual screening of faculty applicants.

• Serves as liaison among Deans for needed Faculty.

• Organizes In-house training and continuing education programs for the faculty.

• Develops and directs programs for the Faculty to improve their professional qualifications, to do research and extension services and to write for publication.

• Recommends the procurement of Library materials, recent textbooks, references and publications for the discipline.

• Establishes academic and professional linkages for the Department.

• Prepares the budget for the Department.

• Prepares year-end report on the activities of the Department.

 

Contact Information

General Education Department of the Academic Affairs
Department of Literature                                                                  
UST Main Building
Telephone: 4061611  loc  8428