Texts, Assignments, etc.  (Follow this link)

Syllabus (Click on the date to see what we'll be doing in class that day):
 

February 2	February 9	February 16	February 23
March 1	March 8	March 15	March 22
March 29	April 5	Monday Ap. 10	April 19
April 26	May 3	Punctuation made simple	"World lecture hall"

Feb. 2 (Wed): Introduction: to the course, the texts, and each other. Sign up for presentations. Brief writing workshops (about 30 minutes each, followed by a break): 

1. (i) How would you characterize writing?  (An art, a craft, a skill, or something else.) 

(ii) How do you think undergraduates can improve their writing? (List and explain.) 
(iii) What role can writing (composition) classes play in this improvement? (Explain.)
(iv) How might we best characterize the role of the writing teacher?  (Mentor, tutor, coach, model, colleague, expert, lecturer, guardian of standards, gatekeeper, something else--Please explain how you interpret the terms that you use in your answer.) 
(v) How are your answers to these questions reflected in your present teaching or ideas for future teaching?
2. Describe the teacher who had the greatest impact on you. What did he or she teach you about teaching? How has this person influenced your ideas about teaching and learning? 

Feb. 9 (Wed): The History of Composition Instruction--and a question about its future. (Sharon Crowley, Composition in the University, chapters 1-6.)  Complete the reading before class and type up your annotated bibliography entry and your position paper ready to hand in at the beginning of class.  [Hint: You can use material from your annotation at the beginning of your response paper.].

Feb. 16 (Wed): Continued…(Crowley, chapters 7-12.)   Complete the reading before class and type up your annotated bibliography entry and your position paper ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Feb. 23 (Wed): Another History of Sorts--and the question of ideology. (Lester Faigley, Fragments of Rationality, Chapters 1-3.)   Complete the reading before class and type up your annotated bibliography entry and your position paper ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Mar. 1 (Wed): Continued… (Faigley, chapters 4, 6-8.)   Complete the reading before class and type up your annotated bibliography entry and your position paper ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Mar. 8 (Wed): One Vision of the Future: "Post Process Theory," "Post social epistemic rhetoric," and the politics of separating theory and practice. (Readings from me.)   Complete the reading before class and type up your annotated bibliography entry and your position paper ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Mar. 13--20    Spring Recess -- no classes

Mar. 22 (Wed): Pedagogy for the 21^st Century: Teaching technique and empowering students. (George Hillocks, Ways of Thinking.)   Complete the reading before class and type up your annotated bibliography entry and your position paper ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Mar. 29 (Wed): Developing theory & practice I--The first step: thinking about your role as teachers. (Rankin, Seeing Yourself As A Teacher.)   Complete the reading before class and type up your annotated bibliography entry and your position paper ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Apr. 5 (Wed): Developing theory & practice II--Considering your goals and designing writing assignments. (Howard & Jamieson, The Bedford Guide, 45-72, 95-116.)
The position paper for this week is as follows:

Briefly summarize what you have learned about the writing process. You already have some sense of process theory from our earlier readings, but now it is time to revisit theory and apply it to pedagogy. Should we teach writing as a process? How does revision fit into this system? Look at the example of a staged assignment in the reading from Anson et al. (35-43). Do you think it would be effective? Try to formulate a position about what kinds of comments and suggestions will help student writers. Finally, to exemplify the theory you have developed here, write comments designed to help the authors of "Nineties Racing Challenge" (Scenarios, page 72-3) and "Scheduling my Time" (page 75) revise these pieces. You may suggest that they refer to the Longman Handbook for Readers and Writers if necessary. Assume that this is the first draft and the finished paper is due in one week. When you have written your comments, summarize briefly how they connect with your paper. (You might find it helpful to imagine the marked up papers as handouts at a conference or workshop.)

Apr. 11-15 I will be out of town at the CCCC. Make up class to be determined…

Make up class--¿Apr. 10 (Mon)?: Developing theory & practice III--Responding to writing. (Anson, Scenarios, 100-46; Howard & Jamieson, The Bedford Guide, 76-92 & 208-229.) Bring Anson & Schwegler, The Longman Handbook to class. 
The position paper for this week is as follows:

Read the scenario "I Prefer Not To" (pages 84-87 of Scenarios for Teaching Writing). What would you do in that situation? Now read "The Good Family" (page 66-67) and consider the questions following it. Write comments on Nahomae’s paper (use a Xeroxed and enlarged version) so that she could revise it and begin to learn some of the grammatical structures she needs to learn. Finally, write a brief analysis of your response, explaining the position you adopt in regard to writing responses in general and to ESOL and developmental students in particular. You may use Rhea Sorkon’s experience with Binh Cho in your discussion if it seems relevant.

Apr. 19 (Wed): Developing theory and practice IV--Teaching writing using computer networks. (Readings from me.)  Complete the reading before class and type up your annotated bibliography entry and your position paper ready to hand in at the beginning of class.

Apr. 26 (Wed): Developing theory and practice V--The Practicalities of Teaching. (Anson et al. Scenarios for Teaching Writing.) Read pp. 78-79, then read the following scenarios and think about the questions following them:

• "Chill out Gringo Fool" (82-84)
• "Young at Heart" (87-88)
• "A Student Trashes an Office Mate" (88-89)
• "Coco Feels Raped" (90-91)
• "Swearing Up and Down" (91)
• "Collaboration or Collusion?" (92-96)

• New teachers: Based on your reaction to these readings, what kinds of problems do you imagine encountering as a first time college writing teacher (or a teacher in another environment)? How will you handle them? Which of the scenarios would you find it most difficult to deal with? Why? What do you learn from this fear? How do the readings we have done and the theories we have discussed so far this semester make you feel about teaching? What general pitfalls do you imagine? What delights? What makes you the most nervous? What makes you the most excited? Consider all of these questions and answer whichever ones you feel like answering!
• Experienced teachers: To what extent do these readings reflect your experiences? What kinds of problems did you encounter as a first time writing teacher? How did you handle them? Which of the scenarios would you find it most difficult to deal with? Why? What do you learn from this fear? What advice would you give to those experiencing them? How do the readings we have done and the theories we have discussed so far this semester make you feel about your teaching experience? What general pitfalls do you imagine as you plan your classes every day? What delights? What makes you the most nervous? What makes you the most excited? Consider all of these questions and answer whichever ones you feel like answering!

May 3 (Wed): Last class--Developing theory and practice VI:  Planning courses, designing syllabi, and evaluating textbooks.  In class writing assignment. On Feb. 2 you each spent 30 minutes writing on the following questions: 
(i) How would you characterize writing?  (An art, a craft, a skill, or something else.) 
(ii) How do you think undergraduates can improve their writing? (List and explain.) 
(iii) What role can writing (composition) classes play in this improvement? (Explain.)
(iv) How might we best characterize the role of the writing teacher?  (Mentor, tutor, 
      coach, model, colleague, expert, lecturer, guardian of standards, gatekeeper, 
      something else--Please explain how you interpret the terms you use.) 
(v) How are your answers to these questions reflected in your present teaching or 
     ideas for future teaching?
I am now returning what you wrote.  Please reconsider the Feb. 2 questions and your answers to them and respond to the following questions:
(i) Discuss the answers you'd give today in light of the readings and discussions we've 
     had in this class. (Refer to specific texts and discussions in your answer.)
(ii) Have your opinions changed since the first week of the course? If so, please explain
      how and why.  If they have not changed, please discuss the ways that they have
     been challenged or confirmed this semester, and the reasons that you ultimately 
     rejected the challenge.  (Be specific about texts and discussions in your answer.)
(iii) What have you learned from comparing your position now to your position eight 
      weeks ago?

Finally, you get to evaluate the course and tell me what I should do next time I teach it!