Course Policies:  English 383/583-501, Teaching Writing:  Issues in Rhetoric and Composition.

Office Hours, Fall 2005:  Mondays 10-12; Tuesdays 5:45-6:15; Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30, 3:15-3:45; and by appointment.  Bates 103.

Phone number:  572-5336

e-mail:  brothermel@wsc.ma.edu

A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectation.

                             --Unknown

Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.

                             --Jacques Barzun

He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.

                             --Richard Henry Dann

Required Texts and Supplies:

  • Elbow, Peter and Pat Belanoff.  Sharing and Responding.  2nd Edition.  New York:  McGraw Hill, 1994.
  • Ed., Sonia Nieto.  Why We Teach.  New York:  Teachers College Press, 2005.
  • Warner, Mary L.  Ed.  Winning Ways of Coaching Writing:  A Practical Guide for Teaching Writing Grades 6-12.  Boston:  Allyn and Bacon, 2001.
  • A notebook or folder with loose leaf paper to use as a journal (separate from your course notebook).  

Course Description: With increased pressure to make the teaching of writing a top priority, teachers today often find themselves sorting through a confusing array of philosophies, designs, texts, and resources as they try to answer questions like the following: How do I provide students with meaningful feedback? What makes for effective assignments?  How do I balance the teaching of writing with other areas of instruction? Can I reach students of diverse cultural backgrounds? By focusing in on a number of such key pedagogical and theoretical issues, this course will help participants feel more confident in their roles as teachers of writing.  Just as important, this course will provide students with opportunities to strengthen their own writing as they reflect on how various composition and rhetorical theories inform their own writing processes.

Course Objectives:

1.        Understand, reflect on, and enter into current written and oral conversations about the various issues relevant to the teaching of writing in K-16 classrooms.

2.   Explore the relationship between our own work as writers and the ways in which we teach writing.

3.   Write with power and precision.

4.   Work collaboratively, coordinating writing and revision activities within a group.

Assignments: Undergraduate students are required to write three short papers and one longer documented essay (6-8 pages) in multiple drafts, and to give one 5 minute inquiry presentation. Graduate students are required to write four short papers and one long documented essay (10-12 pages), and to give one 5 minute inquiry presentation.  All students will be asked to keep journals, and to write in-class responses, reflecting on and responding to issues covered by this course. See the specific guidelines for the journals included in your course folder.  Note that journals will be picked up randomly.  All students will also compile and submit a writer’s portfolio at the end of the semester.

Out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date specified on the syllabus. Assignments handed in late will be marked down. All writing assignments (except the journal and in-class writing) should be typed and properly formatted using the MLA citation system. Any exceptions to the above guidelines must be discussed with me in advance of due dates.

Grading: Criteria for success will be discussed in conjunction with each assignment throughout the semester.  Your final grade will be based on the following point system:

Undergraduates:

  • Literacy Narrative:  100
  • Critical Research Review (on an assigned article related to your project topic):  75
  • Exploratory Research Essay: 100 
  • Documented Essay: 150
  • Formal Inquiry Presentation:  75
  • Participation:  200
  • Portfolio:  150
  • Journal and In-class Response Papers (1-2 out-of-class entries per week): 100
  • Sample Assignment:  25
  • Participation Self-Evaluation:  25

 

Graduates:

  • Literacy Narrative:  100
  • Critical Research Review (on an assigned article related to your project topic):  75
  • Exploratory Research Essay: 100 
  • Documented Essay: 150
  • Formal Inquiry Presentation:  75
  • Teaching Scenario:  50
  • Participation:  150
  • Portfolio:  150
  • Journal and In-class Response Papers (1-2 entries per week): 150

Total: 1000 points

Criteria for successful participation are as follows:

For a checkplus, the student will make frequent contributions to discussions several times per class meeting in a way that forwards the discussion effectively (helping to make the discussion more collaborative or constructive; encouraging others to participate by asking provocative questions or noting arguments or disagreements; listening to what others say and drawing on it for further comments); the students will have no more than one absence, and show excellent preparedness for class.

For a check, the student will make regular contributions (at least two times per class meeting) to discussion in a way that forwards the discussion effectively; the student will have no more than two absences; the student will usually show preparedness for class (be up to date on readings).

Students who speak rarely, or who do not demonstrate preparedness, will receive a checkminus.  Students with 3 or more absences may also receive a checkminus (see below note on attendance).

Attendance: Since the work that we will do in this class involves discussion and collaborative learning, attendance is vital. Your success as well as the success of the course depends upon your regular participation. Students with more than two absences may have their grades reduced; students with more than 3 absences will likely be asked to withdraw from the course.

When I compute grades at the end of the semester, numbers will correspond to the following letters (i.e., 925 and above equals A, 900-924 equals A-):

  • A = 925
  • A- = 900
  • B+ = 875
  • B = 825
  • B- = 800
  • C+ = 775
  • C = 725
  • C- = 700
  • D+ = 675
  • D = 625
  • F = 624 and below
  • Checkplus = 93
  • Check= 80
  • Checkminus=67

Scholastic Dishonesty: Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Plagiarism may lead to failure for the course and/or suspension from the college.  All cases will be reported to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.  See the college's policy on plagiarism in the current course catalogue or the gold brochure on scholastic honesty that you received in English 101.

Tentative Course Syllabus

This schedule covers due dates for major reading and writing assignments. There will be additional reading and writing assignments. All reading assignments are in the two course texts unless otherwise specified.

  • September 6: Welcome! Introduction to the course.  Why write?  Why teach writing?  Telling our stories. Teacher identity.  Invention work for literacy narratives.  HW for September 13: Read Rose, Avery, “Our Smart Little Girl” (handouts in folders); read in Nieto ix-11, 23-30, and 127-133 and in Elbow and Belanoff 3-16.  Working on first draft of literacy narrative.
  • September 13:  First formal draft of literacy narrative due (bring three copies to class).  Building community.  Writing workshop.  Conceptions of literacy.  Exploring the writing process.  Writing practice inventory.  HW for September 20:  Read Fishman and Elbow (handouts), and Nieto 105-113 and 117-126  Final draft of literacy narrative due September 20.
  • September 20:  Literacy narrative due.  Perspectives on the composing process.  Invention and prewriting.  Introducing the research project.  HW for September 27:  Read Perl, Flowers, and Hairston (handouts).  In Warner, read Shannon 105-121.  Bring a tentative project idea to class.
  • September 27:  Composing process continued.  Research project discussed.  Beginning the inquiry process.  What does rhetoric have to do with the teaching of writing?  HW for October 4: Read Corbett and Halloran (handouts).  Read in Warner, Klintworth on 28-42, and Griffith (handout).  Research project proposal due October 4.
  • October 4:  Research project proposal due.  Rhetoric and the teaching of writing.  Analyzing discourse and its occasion.  Audience and invention.  Discussion of review assignment (make arrangements to pick up article).  The writing workshop—motivating writers to revise.  HW for October 18 (no class on October 13):  Writing research review, first formal draft due October 18.  Read Boerst, Wesley, and Dean (handouts); and in Warner, piece by Warner on 15-27.
  • October 11:  No Class.  Tuesday runs on a Monday schedule for DGCE students.
  • October 18:  First formal draft of research review due (bring 3 copies to class).  The revision process—helping students move towards focus.  Teaching form/genre.  Sample student essays—responding to them.  Group response to our own writing.  The source bibliography.  HW for October 25:  Reading Lindemann (handout) and in Nieto 142-149.  Revising research review, due October 25.
  • October 25:  Research review due.  Designing assignments.  Extending the research process—compiling a bibliography and writing and exploratory essay.  HW for November 1:  Read Conner, Morgan, and piece on argument (handouts) and in Warner, Bellman 210-234 for November 1.  Working on bibliography, due November 1, and exploratory essay, due November 8. 
  • November 1:  More on designing and sequencing assignments.  Experimenting with genre.  Bibliography due—group discussion interrogating sources.  HW for November 8:  Exploratory essay, due November 8.  Read Tan and Baldwin (handouts) and in Nieto 87-96 and 134-142
  • November 8:  Exploratory essay due.  Working with diverse populations of students.  Teaching scenario.  HW for November 17:  Read in Warner, Honegger 87-104, and Madigan/Alvarez 122-142.  Writing documented essay, portion of first formal draft due November 15.
  • November 15:  Portion of first formal draft of documented essay due.  Working with diverse populations.  Group work on drafts.  Sign up for in-class conferences for week of November 22.  HW for November 29:  Read Gilyard, Delpit, and Weaver (handouts) and in Nieto 169-177.  Working on documented essay, final draft due by December 2 in my office. 
  • November 22:  In-class conferences.
  • November 29:  Teaching grammar in relation to writing instruction.  Responding to and evaluating student writing.  HW for December 6:  Prepare inquiry presentations.
  • December 6:  Inquiry presentations.  Portfolios assigned.  HW for December 13:  Read in Warner, Honegger 42-66, and Tchudi 176-193 and in Nieto 189-220.  Reading on new technology (TBA).  Write teaching/writing scenario (graduate students). 
  • December 13:  Writing Assessment.  New technologies.  Teaching scenarios.  Discussing the writing portfolio.  HW for December 13:  Prepare inquiry presentation.

 

Writing portfolio due in my office, Bates 103, by 5 pm Monday the 19th.