Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1878 [PAGE 160]

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160

INSTRUCTION.

The plan of instruction embraces, besides the ordinary text book study, lectures and practical exercises in all the departments, including original researches, essays, criticism, proof reading, and other work intended to illustrate the studies pursued, and exercise the student's own powers. It is designed to give to all the students voice culture and a training in elocutionary practice. A prominent aim will be to teach the right use of books, and thus prepare the student for self-directed investigation and study, which will extend beyond the curriculum of his school and the period of his graduation. W i t h this view, constant use of the already ample and continually enlarging stores of the library will be required and encouraged. As a farther aid in this direction, members of the advanced English classes are expected to act as assistant librarians. In this service they are able to obtain much valuable knowledge of the various departments of English literature, of prominent authors, and the extent and scope of their writings. Of special value as an incentive to, and the means of practice in, English composition, should be mentioned T H E ILLINI, a monthly paper edited and published by the students of the several colleges, each of which is appropriately represented in its columns. A printing office has been provided for in the mechanical building, and a press with the requisite supply of type. The Library is well supplied with works illustrating the several periods of English, American, French and German literature, as also those of ancient literature. It contains at present over ten thousand well selected volumes, and is constantly growing by purchase at home and abroad. Valuable American and foreign periodicals are received regularly in the reading room, a list of which is given on page 8.

SCHOOL O F E N G L I S H A N D M O D E R N L A N G U A G E S .

E N G L I S H LANGUAGE AND L I T E R A T U R E .

Studies of the School.—In the arrangement of the studies the endeavor is to present a thorough and extended drill in grammatical and philological study, and in the authors and history of the English language, affording a training equivalent to the ordinary studies of the classical language. This drill extends through three years of the course, but may be shortened according to the ability and preparation of the student. T h e first two terms of the first year are given to a general survey of the whole field of British and American literature from the middle of the sixteenth century to the present time. All the real representative writers come into notice, and representative specimens from the writings of each are carefully read in class. Moreover, each student is required each term to read the entire work of some classic author