Spring 2017 Mondays, 6:00-8:30
ENGL 7392 Writing and the Teaching of Writing
Prof. Chris Gallagher E-Mail:
[email protected] Phone: 617-373-2193 Office: 420 Renaissance Park Office Hours: 5-6pm Mondays and by appointment
Course Description
The Work
This course provides Northeastern English Department graduate students with disciplinary and professional preparation to teach writing at the university level. It will focus on three primary questions: How do people learn? How do people learn writing? How can we best teach writing based on those understandings? Or, more expansively, how can we design environments, materials, and practices that help students learn about writing and develop as writers?
Engaged Participation: This is a graduate seminar; our class time will be devoted mainly to discussion and activities. I expect everyone to contribute regularly and productively. I also expect everyone to help shape a learning environment that promotes this level and quality of participation by all members and is free of all forms of harassment or discrimination. This kind of learning environment features open discussion and inquiry, confrontation of difficult questions and controversial ideas, and respect for cultural, linguistic, and intellectual diversity.
Note: This course is required of firstyear PhD students. It is open to MA students may enroll with permission of instructor. Fulfills Rhetoric and Composition requirement for PhD. Fulfills elective requirement for MA.
Required Texts In addition to shorter pieces posted to Blackboard, we will read three books together (available at the university bookstore):
Activities and assignments are designed to help students develop both a theoretical understanding and practical materials for the teaching of writing at Northeastern and elsewhere.
Weekly writing: Each week through March you will draft or revise at least three double-spaced pages of writing to share with peers as we experiment with multiple forms of peer feedback online and in class. Sometimes this will be assigned writing and sometimes you will decide what to submit. This writing will not be graded throughout the semester, but your preparation for and participation in these workshops and feedback activities is a substantial portion of your grade for the course (see below).
I will provide handouts on the following: Writing History (P1): a narrative of your own writing history, with special attention to how you developed as a writer. Rhetorical Analysis (P2): a rhetorical analysis of a piece of institutional discourse at Northeastern that shapes writing instruction.
Ambrose et al. How Learning Works. Wiley 2010.
Observation Report (P3): A description and analysis of a classroom session of a writing course, preferably at Northeastern.
Adler-Kassner and Wardle. Naming What We Know. Utah State UP 2015.
Theory-and-Practice Demonstration (P4): an in-class demonstration of the implications of a particular concept or learning principle as it applies to the teaching of writing. As part of your t-a-p, you will choose a text for the class to read and discuss; see calendar.
Leki, Undergraduates in a Second Language. Routledge 2007.
Writing and the Teaching of Writing
Syllabus and Assignment Sequence, Annotated (P5): a complete syllabus for a firstyear writing course and sample assignments, with rationale.
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Learning Goals
Policies & Resources
By the end of this course, students will be able to
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: I am committed to creating classrooms in which students with disabilities are fully accommodated. Resources for students with disabilities are available through the Disability Resource Center, 20 Dodge Hall, 617.373.2675, 617.373.2730 TTY, http://www.northeastern.edu/drc/
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articulate a personal theory of learning informed by experience and professional literature articulate a personal theory of writing informed by experience and professional literature understand and explain a variety of pedagogical approaches to teaching college writing understand and explain how global and local contexts—including institutional factors, student demography, available technologies, cultural ideas about writing, economic and political forces, etc.— shape college writing instruction create effective classroom materials, including syllabi and assignments, informed by current theory and practice in rhetoric and composition
Class Structure Each week, we will engage in at least two activities: 1. Discussion of readings, drawing on our weekly blogging. 2. Writing groups, where we will experiment with a variety of feedback and workshopping strategies. Some class sessions will also involve student-led theoryand-practice activities. See the schedule below.
Recommended Resources Bedford Online Bibliography for Teachers of Writing: http://bb.bedfordstmartins.com/ Rebecca Moore Howard Bibliographies: http://www.rebeccamoorehoward.com/bibliographies
Academic Honesty/Integrity: NU policies regarding academic honesty and integrity may be located at http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/ and are elaborated in your Graduate Student Handbook under the Student Code of Conduct. Because academic dishonesty undermines the very spirit of academic inquiry and argument, my policy is to take full advantage of university sanctions. Writing Center: The Northeastern University Writing Center offers free and friendly tutoring and for any level of writer, including help with conceptualizing writing projects, the writing process (i.e., planning, researching, organizing, drafting, and revising), and using sources effectively. The Writing Center has two locations: 412 Holmes Hall (617-373-4549) for advance appointments and 136 Snell Library (617373-2086) for last minute appointments. Online appointments are also available. Hours vary by location. To make an appointment or learn more about the Writing Center visit our website at www.northeastern.edu/writingcenter. Questions about the Writing Center can be directed to Brigid Flynn, Assistant Director, at
[email protected] or Belinda Walzer, Writing Center Director, at
[email protected].
Grading I expect you to attend each week. One absence will not affect your grade, but two absences (or instances of lateness) for any reason will reduce it one notch (from an A to an A-, for instance, or an Ato a B+). If you miss more than two classes, you should consult with me, as you may be in danger of failing the course. Weekly writing must be prepared for class each week. Workshops and feedback activities cannot be made up. Other late work will lose a grade per day (not class period—day). Your final grade will be determined as follows: n
CompPile: http://comppile.org/search/comppile_main_search.php
n n n n n n
Writing and the Teaching of Writing
Weekly in-class participation: 15% Weekly writing and workshop/feedback participation: 15% Writing History: 15% Rhetorical Analysis: 15% Observation Report 10% Theory-and-practice demonstration: 15% Syllabus and assignment sequence: 15%
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Tentative Schedule Note: I have posted PDFs of readings on our Blackboard course site under Course Documents. Date Jan 9
Topic
Reading Stenberg & Lee
Jan 16
MLK DAY
Jan 23
§ § §
Jan 30
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Brandt, “Sponsors of Literacy” Brodkey, “Writing on the Bias” Villanueva, “Inglés in the Colleges” chapter of Bootstraps Grant-Davie, “Rhetorical Situations and their Constituents” Devitt, “Generalizing about Genre” Johns, “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice” WP Blackboard--syllabi
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Ambrose et al., Intro-2 Leki, intro, 2, 3
Feb 13
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Ambrose et al., 3-5 Leki, 4 & 5 PRESIDENTS’ DAY
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Ambrose et al., 6-end Leki, 6-end SPRING BREAK
Feb 27 Mar 6 Mar 13
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Apr 3
Adler-Kassner & Wardle, Part I Sample Observation Reports Adler-Kassner & Wardle, Chs. 6, 7, 11 • Adler-Kassner & Wardle Chs. 9 & 13 • Demonstration T-a-P reading: Welch, “Sideshadowing Teacher Response” T-a-P readings TBD
Apr 10
T-a-P readings TBD
Apr 17
PATRIOTS’ DAY
FRI, Apr 21
T-a-P readings TBD
Mar 20 Mar 27
Writing and the Teaching of Writing
Notes Introductions; course and student goals For peer response: Open
P1: Writing history draft (with writer’s note)
For peer response: Writing history draft
Bring a piece of institutional discourse to analyze in class
Writing Program Philosophy & Aims
Feb 6
Feb 20
Due
P1: Writing history (with revision memo) P2: Rhetorical analysis draft
For peer response: Open
P2: Rhetorical analysis
For peer response: Open
For peer response: Rhetorical analysis draft
For peer response: Open P3: Observation report draft P3: Observation report
For peer response: Observation report draft For peer response: Open T-a-P demonstration demonstration (Chris) P4: T-a-P demonstrations: P4: T-a-P demonstrations:
P5: Syllabus & assignment sequence
P4: T-a-P demonstrations:
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Writing and the Teaching of Writing
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