|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Course Description
This course serves as an introduction to academic discourse&emdash;the ways of reading, writing and thinking valued in colleges and universities. We will focus our discussion of the academy around the idea of history. History is an academic discipline, of course, and we will discuss the "problem" of how to represent and understand the past through writing. In addition to being a way of writing about the past, history is also always present in our writing, as every writer is directly or indirectly influenced by others. Thus we will discuss the relations between a writer and the past, including the past represented by other books, traditions and conventions of writing. We will read histories in essays from the textbook Ways of Reading and in the Oberlin Archives and we will "see" history by visiting the Allen Memorial Art Museum. The central histories in the course, though, will be the ones we make ourselves through a series of writing projects.
Course Materials
Course Goals
To receive credit in this course you must demonstrate the following by the end of the term: 1.) significant improvement in your writing over the course of the semester; 2.) the ability to think critically, as reflected in your responses to readings and peer review; 3.) the ability to write confidently, effectively and mechanically correct essays; 4.) the ability to revise extensively and substantively, and 5.) an understanding of academic discourse (i.e. research requirements, conventions of argumentation, voice and organization). You must also fulfill course requirements listed below.
Course Procedures
Class Meetings: Some Thursday classes will be held in the Biggs computer lab in Stevenson Hall. All other classes will be held in the assigned classroom.
Class Discussion: This is a small class, emphasizing interaction between students. There will be little lecturing. Therefore, the students in the class are responsible for much of the success of our discussions. I expect everyone to participate in each class meeting. Not only is participation a responsibility of any student who enrolls in a small course, but being willing and able to express yourself orally in public helps improve your ability to express yourself in writing as well.
Reading Assignments: You will be asked to read only a few essays. But each essay you will read will be lengthy and difficult. One of the goals of this course is to make you a better reader (the only way to become a good writer!), and one way to do this is to read very carefully. Therefore, you will be asked to read each essay at least twice, and to be able to talk about the readings in depth, both in writing and class discussion.
Writing Assignments: The course is divided into four units. For each unit, you will write one first draft and one final draft of an essay. You will also be asked to complete reading responses or other informal writing to be posted on the class listserv, accessible through Mulberry. In addition, you will write two reflective essays, one at mid-term and one at the end of the semester. With each unit, the essays will become more demanding (requiring outside research or longer length, for example).
I will not comment on every assignment you complete; instead, I will assess the work you've done for the course by evaluating your portfolio, submitted at the end of each unit. Portfolios include all writing done for the unit, including peer review critiques (but not class notes or handouts). Therefore, keep all the writing you complete for this course, including notes towards your first drafts, intermediate revisions, thoughts written on coffee-ringed napkins, etc&emdash;it all counts!
The "Third Hour": This is a three credit course, but it only meets two hours a week. The third hour of this course will consist of peer group meetings, individual conferences, and "field trips" to the museum, library, etc.
Conferences: I will meet with each of you individually at least once per unit. During conferences, we will discuss questions you have about a particular piece of writing you are currently working on, whether that be a first draft, revision or reading response. You must bring a piece of writing to conference (and not just show up to "talk about what you're thinking of doing"). Every Monday morning, I will post a sign-up sheet for conferences on my office door. If you'd like to meet with me that week, sign up for an available time. I suggest you check my office door early in the week you'd like to meet. You may also request an appointment for another time if necessary. Some weeks there will be more conference times available than others (for example, the week before a revision is due I will have many slots available, while the first week of a unit I may have only a few).
Peer Group Meetings : I will divide the class into small groups of about three students. You will be asked to meet with your group outside of class time to discuss each others' writing and reading responses. You will prepare for meetings by reading each others' work, posted to the class listserv. You will then prepare written responses to your classmates' essays. These comments will be included in your peers' portfolios. Your group may stay the same all semester or change after each unit. Peer review comprises a central component of the course&emdash;you can't become a good writer until you are a good reader of others' writing--and your serious and engaged participation in commenting on the writing of your peers is central to your success in this course.
"Field Trips": Some units will require you to explore campus resources, such as Oberlin College Archives or the Allen Memorial Art Museum, outside of class time.
Course Requirements
To qualify to receive credit in this course, you must complete ALL assignments, including readings, essays and peer critiques.
Attendance and Late Papers: This course is designed to be extremely interactive, because I think the best way to learn how to write well is to be able to read what other people like you are writing, to talk with them about your writing, and to write together. Unfortunately, such a class can only work if we're all always prepared and we're all in class at the same time. Therefore, the following policies must be upheld for the class to work well, and for you to get the most out of it.
Attendance: Peer group meetings and individual conferences count as "classes" for attendance purposes. In my experience, students who miss more than four "classes" are not able to complete the work required to receive credit and will receive a No Entry for the course. If you do miss a class or peer group, it is your responsibility to find out what was done during the class and complete all necessary work before the next class meeting or peer group. I suggest you contact other class members, through e-mail or other form of communication, for this information.
Late Papers. In this course, all of the work we do in this course centers around a specific paper assignment, whether that involves peer reviews, in-class discussion of the essays, or individual conferences. Often, essays are distributed to others for scheduled discussions or discussed in class on the due-date. Therefore, no first drafts will be accepted late, and no final draft will be accepted more than three days late.
Writing Requirement
Students whose writing meets Oberlin's "Criteria for Proficiency" (see separate handout) by the end of the course may earn a writing certification credit. However, such certification is not automatically awarded for passing the course. One exception is for students who have passed EXWR 100 ("Basic Writing") and then pass this course: they earn one certification credit automatically.
Credit/No Entry
A few words about what taking a Credit/No Entry course does and doesn't mean. It does not mean that the course requires less work than a graded course--you earn three hours for this course as you do for others. It does not mean that if you do most of the work and try real hard that you will receive credit: to receive credit in this course, you must fulfill all the requirements above and complete all the course goals listed above. Students meeting all course requirements may still not receive credit if they haven't fulfilled the course goals.
What CR/NE does mean is that you must be self- rather than grade-motivated to do well. It means you can take more risks in your writing, because you don't have to worry about the specter of grades. It means I don't have to read your work and compare it to some predetermined standard, or to the essays by the other students in the course. It means we can focus on what's important: improving our writing. Students can request a written evaluation to be included with their transcripts. Forms are available at the Registrar's office.
UNIT 1: The Personal Past
|
Week 1 |
|
|
Feb. 9, 11 |
Introduction; Read "Introduction: Ways of Reading" pp. 1-18 |
|
|
|
|
Week 2 |
|
|
Feb.16, 18 |
Read Auster, "Portrait of an Invisible Man, pp. 49-99; Peer Group |
|
|
|
|
Week 3 |
|
|
Feb. 23, 25 |
Essay #1 due; Peer Review ; Read Percy, "The Loss of the Creature, pp. 562-582 |
UNIT 2: Seeing Past, Seeing the Past
|
Week 4 |
|
|
Mar. 2, 4 |
Revise Essay #1 [Auster]; Portfolios due; Read Berger, "Ways of Seeing," pp. 105-138; Art Museum Trip |
|
|
|
|
Week 5 |
|
|
Mar. 9, 11 |
Essay #2 due [Percy, Berger]; Peer Review |
|
|
|
|
Week 6 |
|
|
Mar. 16, 18 |
Revise Essay #2; Midterm Retrospective Essay; Portfolios due |
UNIT 3: Writing History, I
|
Week 7 |
|
|
Mar. 30 |
Read Tompkins, "Indians": Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History" pp. 673-694; Peer Group |
|
|
|
|
April 2 |
Class Cancelled for Passover |
|
|
|
|
Week 8 |
|
|
April 6, 8 |
Essay #3 due [Tompkins]; Read Limerick, "Empire of Innocence," pp. 502-522; Peer Review |
|
|
|
|
Week 9 |
|
|
April 13, 15 |
Revise Essay #3 [Tompkins]; Portfolios due; Library visit |
UNIT 4: Writing History, II
|
Week 10 |
|
|
April 20, 22 |
Research week |
|
|
|
|
Week 11 |
|
|
April 27, 29 |
Essay #4 due [Limerick]; Peer Review |
|
|
|
|
Week 12 |
|
|
May 4, 6 |
Revise Essay #4 [Limerick] |
|
|
|
|
Week 13 |
|
|
May 11, 13 |
Final Retrospective Essay; Portfolios due |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
