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English 5060.003: History and Theory of College Composition (Fall, 2007)
 
English 5060 is a 1-3 variable credit workshop-style course which provides an introduction to the history and contemporary theories of composition and rhetoric studies. We begin from the premise that good teachers are reflective teachers, and good teachers of writing are reflective teachers of writing. We will examine and reflect on the development of the field of composition over the last 40 years, focusing on seminal articles that represent the discipline. That is, we'll study readings about teaching basic writing, service-learning, online writing, revision, research writing, proofreading and editing, portfolios, and assessment rubrics within the context of composition in general and our composition program specifically. And just as the field of composition integrates new media tools in its construction, presentation, and assessment, so too will we.

Instructor
Dr. Rebecca Rickly can be reached at rebecca.rickly@ttu.edu, kairoshorses, or 806.742.2500 x268.  Office hours are T/TH 11-1, MW 2-4 pm, or by appointment in room 489. Class meets M/W at 12:30 pm in English/Philosophy 350. We will work with Dr. Rich Rice's section, as well.

Student Blogs


 Cathy
 Blackwell

Empowerment

Elizabeth
Bowen

Evaluation

 

Stephanie
 Franco

Literacy

Lacy
 Harvey *


 Seongeun
Jin

Multiculturism

Carly
 Laminack

Literacy

James
Ola

Commentary

 

Vicki
 Ronn

Process


 Janna
Stotz

Marginalization

 

Rebecca
Surovik *

Beatriz
Velez

Audience


Becky
Rickly

 

Looking for information on TOPIC/ICON?

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Learning Objectives
The objective of the humanities in general is to expand knowledge of the human condition and human cultures, especially in relation to behaviors, ideas, and values expressed in works of human imagination and thought. Through study in disciplines and subjects such as composition and rhetoric, students will engage in critical analysis and develop an appreciation of the humanities as fundamental to the health and survival of any society. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate thinking and skills related to:

  • Audience awareness. Students will analyze audience and purpose in rhetorical situations and make appropriate choices. Measurement: observation and analysis of artifacts produced.
  • Critical thinking. Students will become more conscious of their processes for planning, drafting, revising, and editing of writing. Students will take an active role in summarizing, synthesizing, and presenting course content. Measurement: completion of informal and formal writing assignments at a quality level. Completion of class editing and revising.
  • Diversity and multiculturalism. Students will generate the type and amount of information required by a given rhetorical situation. Measurement: active participation in classroom discussion and blogs.
  • Grammatical information presentation. Students will arrange material to elicit the intended audience's response achieve an effective tone and voice for a given rhetorical situation. Measurement: successful completion of an individual presentation.
  • Stylistic information presentation. Make stylistic choices appropriate for a given rhetorical situation. Measurement: successfully create and report on applications of core composition concepts through collaboration.
  • Communication skills. Understand how to present a proposal orally, using appropriate visuals. Measurement: successfully create, manage, produce, and report on artifacts through collaboration.
Requirements
I accept revisions on all work, but my time to offer substantial feedback gets limited as the semester draws on. Revised work may not increase in grade, but it will never decrease in grade. I reserve the right not to accept late work. Requirements:
  • Participate in class discussion and blog interactions over readings and ongoing work. Blog prompts are underlined. Each blog post is worth 1%, and class participation throughout the semester is worth 5%. Blog posts are due Sunday by midnight; blog post responses are due sometime a week or so later. Offer responses to at least two peers each week. (15%)
  • Lead a short class discussion over one required reading. Your selection is to be scheduled by the end of the first day of class. Email me the title of the reading you'd like to lead discussion over. (5%)
  • Write a 1-3 page reaction paper to Todd Taylor's Take 20. See this example (due 9/24). (5%)
  • Demonstrate the value of one core composition teaching concept from Keywords in Composition Studies in a 3-minute video presentation (due 10/10). Let me know which concept you'd like to tackle; we'll be reviewing many examples, but here is one on enthymemes. (10%)
      Kim (?), KimC (?), Valerie (?), Nimi (?), Kasey (?), Jean (?), Bob (coherence), Jessicca (?).
  • Complete a 20-page research paper/project with instructor and peer support over a composition-related theme (draft-1 due 10/29 by midnight in blog; final draft due 11/26 via email). Use source material. (30%)
  • Capture the video for one teaching concept and edit it down to less than three minutes. The video might be you teaching. If you'd like someone to video tape you, please contact a 5067 student (due 11/7). We'll spend class-time editing video, and the MuLL is open. (5%)
  • Create a hypermediated teaching philosophy which includes three main points with links to three artifacts that support each point. You must include a minimum of three artifacts, and they might include artifacts produced in this course. Components will be shared via blog. At least one of the three artifacts needs to be a videoclip. The philosophy is worth 10%, each artifact/reflection is worth 5%, and the entire philosophy as a unit is worth 5% (due 12/8). It will be presented as your final. (30%)
  • If taking 5060 for one credit, your requirements are attendance and readings and blog posts for the first 4 weeks, a hypermediated teaching philosophy essay, and attending the final.*

Readings
I recommend you pick up a copy of Rebekah Nathan's My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student. Nathan's ethnography reminds us who are students are and what motivates them. It's a quick read. Todd Taylor's DVD Take 20 will also be provided. Review the DVD throughout the semester when you have time. We will work extensively out of the following texts and QuickList:

A Teaching Subject: Composition Since 1966
(Harris)
- review -

Keywords in Comp Studies
(Heilker & Vandenberg)

Take 20
(Taylor)

The St. Martin's Guide to Teaching Writing
(Glenn & Goldthwaite)

Taylor's DVD and Glenn & Goldthwaite's text were provided by Bedford/St.Martin's.

Also, the following are "top listed" books for TA Training from Susan McLeod on the WPA Listserv (4/17/06). I have read each of these and would be happy to share information from them if you're interested:

  1. Duane Roen, Strategies for Teaching First-Year Composition, NCTE
  2. Irene Clark, Concepts in Composition, Erlbaum
  3. Cheryl Glenn et al., The St. Martin's Guide to Teaching Writing, Bedford/St. Martin's
  4. Ed Corbett et al., The Writing Teacher's Sourcebook, Oxford
  5. Erika Lindemann, A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers, Oxford
  6. Steven Wilhoit, The Allyn & Bacon Teaching Assistant's Handbook
  7. Victor Villanueva, Cross Talk in Comp Theory, NCTE
  8. Tina Good and Leanne Warshauer, In Our Own Voice: Graduate Students Teach Writing, Longman
  9. Richard Haswell and Min-Shan Lu, Comp Tales, Longman
  10. Shirley Morahan and T.R. Johnson, Teaching Composition: Background Readings, Bedford/St. Martin's
  11. Ira Shor, Empowering Education, U of Chicago P
  12. Richard Straub, A Sourcebook for Responding to Student Writing, Hampton
Other related texts worth exploring for your research paper (also coallated from McLeod):
  • David Bartholomae, Writing On the Margins, Bedford/St Martin's
  • Timothy Barnett, Teaching Argument in the Composition Course: Background
    • Readings, Bedford/St. Martin's
  • John Bean, Engaging Ideas, Jossey-Bass
  • Wendy Bishop, Teaching Lives: Essays and Stories, Utah State UP
  • Wendy Bishop and Deborah Teague, Finding Our Way, Houghton Mifflin
  • Lee Ann Carroll, Rehearsing New Roles, Southern Illinois UP
  • Russell Durst, Collision Course, NCTE
  • Lisa Ede, On Writing Research: The Braddock Essays, Bedford/St. Martin's
  • Peter Elbow, Writing With Power, Oxford
  • Joan Graham et al., Scenarios for Teaching Writing, Boynton/Cook
  • Richard Graves, Writing, Teaching, Learning, Boynton/Cook
  • Gail Hawisher and Cynthia Selfe, Passions, Pedagogies, and 21st Century Technologies, Utah State UP
  • Robert Leamnson, Thinking about Teaching and Learning, Stylus
  • Amy Lee, Composing Critical Pedagogies, NCTE
  • Ilona Leki, Understanding ESL Writing, Boynton/Cook
  • Cindy Moore and Peggy O'Neill, Practice in Context, NCTE
  • Nedra Reynolds and Rich Rice, Portfolio Teaching: A Guide for Instructors, Bedford/St. Martin's
  • David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen, Writing Analytically, Heinle
  • Frank Smith, Joining the Literacy Club, Heinemann
  • Josephine Tarvers, Teaching in Progress, Longman
  • Gary Tate et al., A Guide to Composition Pedagogies, Oxford
  • Lad Tobin, Reading Student Writing, Boynton/Cook
  • Ed White, Assigning, Responding, Evaluating, Bedford/St. Martin's
  • Anne Wysocki et al., Writing New Media, Utah State UP

Schedule
If reading selections are not available in your texts, they're in PDF through the schedule.

Day

 

topic

(1)8/27

Composition as a Research Field. Today we will examine the syllabus and the books, and we will answer questions. Readings to the right should be read before class. Come to the first class having read the Foreward to Harris and Bedford/St.Martin's brief history. Once a week for the first ten weeks you'll have a blog post due. Respond to at least two other students' blog posts each week as well. By the end of the day email me the name of the reading you'd like to present to the class. Glenn Blalock, a composition scholar, recently posted this email to the WPA listserv. You might be interested in subscribing to this listserv as part of this course in order to listen in on the ongoing conversations of WPAs across the United States. Know that this course should be considered separate from your obligations for the composition program (if you're working as a CI or a DI), even though work in this class will inform your work there; that is, your performance in this class does not effect your evaluation by the composition program, nor does your performance for composition impact your assessment in this class.

(2)8/29

Composition Paradigms. Again, please read the bulleted readings to the right before class. If you have any trouble reading any PDF, please let me know. Blog prompt for this week: What are the 3 most important concepts in composition would you say? These concepts might play a role in your teaching philosophy, so you might think of this question as what are the three most important beliefs about your own teaching do you have? Consider joining the professional development meeting tomorrow from 5-6pm in 306. Dr. Rice will be talking generally, with others, about expectations in graduate-level courses.

(3)9/5

Plagiarism and Sources. How is ICON a system's approach to teaching composition? What are the benefits of this system? What are the limitations? What happens when the system gets behind? Technology is influencing our culture and academe is every way. Technology should be seeing as teaching and learning tools rather than research-only tools.

(4)9/10

Grammar and "Error." Janna will lead us in discussing the phenomenology of error.  By the end of the day email me the core writing concept from Keywords that you would like to create a "video" of. You might use Camtasia, iMovie, MovieMaker, PowerPoint voiceover, or some combination.

(5)9/12
  • "Why I (Used to) Hate to Give Grades" (Bloom) [Glenn/Goldthwaite]
  • "Frequency of Formal Errors in Current College Writing, or Ma and Pa Kettle Do Research" (Connors & Lunsford) [Glenn/Goldthwaite]

Error Continued. Vicki will lead us in a discussion of "Ma and Pa Kettle". BOLOG topic: We've talked some in class about how teachers in ICON are facilitators. What do they facilitate? How is what they're doing similar to writing center approaches to teaching writing?

(6)9/17

Error Continued. I've mentioned there is statistical information about what jobs are available, etc. They can be found through http://www.ade.org. And, while this is more the role of your professional development work with Dr. Grass and others, it is important to think about the type of job you want and to review the job information list to see what qualifications are listed. Knowing where you want to go helps you think about what you need to do now, which might include, for instance, specific topics on papers you'd like to write in your graduate courses. Composition is a field that includes action research, and English studies in general does as well.

(7)9/19

Proofreading, Editing, Grammar. Stephanie will lead us in a discusstion of Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching for Grammar.  What is a philosophy of composition or a philosophy of teaching? Are there different types of philosophies? What teaching and learning strategies do you think might go into your philosophy?

(8)9/24

Distributed Assessment, Hybrid Models, Validity, Reliability, and Transfer. Take 20 reaction paper due. What are the "7-Deadly Sins" when it comes to grammar? Right now in 1301 we're moving into revision. Might think about ways, too, to teach revision as we progress through the readings this week. Do you think this strategy helps foster deep revision? What is the banking model? How might rubrics foster revision? How can technology enhance our existing pedagogies rather than us changing our pedagogy to fit the available/accessible technologies? Take control over the technology in order to wield it usefully and seamlessly. Networked learning spaces require us to inhabit those spaces in order to really make meaningful connections through them. The hardware, ultimately, is relatively inconsequential. Do with what tools we have. Interaction using computers can work well for some, but might not work well for others; important not to make assumptions. But, also important to challenge students (and teachers) to try new forms of communication, as such new forms are becoming more the norm outside of academe. Technological literacy is here to stay, and some aspects SHOULD be taught in composition. Other aspects are not necessarily part of composition. We can transform and extend and develop community and voice in productive ways. The cost of technology can be daunting, but the value in savings over the long run can be staggering.

(9)9/26

Assessment Matters. James will lead us in a discussion of Reliability and Validity in the age of Convergence. What is it that we're teaching that makes a difference? What transfers beyond the classroom? This is a question that many are wanting to know. See this article in the Washington Post recently, for instance. As you begin to think about what your research project/paper will be for this class, you might spend some time again with the Bedford Bibliography. Blog Prompt:  What is the "End of Composition"?  How do we get there?  What are the principles of good writing instruction that will get us there? 

(10)10/1

Growth.   What impact has the 1966 Dartmouth Conference had on English studies? (Have you seen this tutorial video on videoing? The MuLL has others available.)

(11)10/3

Holistic and other growth pedagogy.  Beatriz will lead us in a discussion of Moffett.  Have you see Online Communication Studies Resources for Rhetorical Studies? Blog Prompt:  Given what you've read for this week (or even from previous weeks), what puzzles you?  What are you wrestling with?  What questions do you have that others might be able to answer/help you wrestle with? 

Please offer your blog post question(s), and then answer at least two other students' questions from another section(s). Please try to answer a question that hasn't been answered yet in the blogs. Thanks.

(12)10/8

Commentary and Power. Consider watching Daphne Ervin's teaching video. What are some of the best strategies you've seen used in commenting as a document instructor?

Reader 1 comments

Reader 2 comments

(13)10/10

Control. Your 3-minute core composition keyword video is due. Please email it me by the end of the day to rebecca.rickly@gmail.com, or bring it to class or by my office. Thanks. It's important to think about where you've been, where you're at, and where you're going as a reflective teacher. Blog Prompt:  Choose one of the following:  How can we facilitate service learning (or SHOULD we)?  What is Teaching?  What makes a "Perfect Teacher"?  Or, given all we've read and discussed (and all of your experiences in TOPIC), how is your Teaching Philosophy evolving?

(14)10/15

Creating Discursive Moments. Becoming critical consumers of information, interfaces, and curriculum.

(15)10/17

Voice. Cathy will lead us in a discussion of Power through Voice. Blog Prompt:  Does "voice" that resonates compete with or enhance "academic voice"?  How can we write successfully as "academics" and still have voice? Or, you can talk about how important you think voice is in teaching/grading:  how do you teach "voice"?  How do you assess it?

(16)10/22

Voice and Assessment.  The WPA listserv recently shared this interesting discussion on syllabus building. Here are key exchanges.

(17)10/24

Audience and Discourse Communities.  We'll talk about teaching portfolios today. Recently in The Washington Post an interesting article about plagiarism and Turnitin.com was printed. Might be of interest. High school students rebelling. Also, The CCCC Position Statement on teaching, learning, and assessing writing in digital environments might be of interest. It's located here. Blog Prompt:  Using the "double entry" method, observe something and describe it (NOTE:  try NOT to observe an academic experience; might be too political).  Then, reflect on those observations.  Communicate both in your blog--and we'll talk in class about how a reflective activity like this one might/might not be a good experience for students.

(18)10/29

Empowerment. First draft of 20-page paper due in blog. The first draft can be around 10 pages long, double-spaced. Peer response required. Please respond critically to others' papers in their blogs. The more papers you read the better. The questions we'll work on for today's peer response:

  1. What is your peer's thesis? What's good about it, and what does it lead you as a reader to believe?
  2. What is one thing that works really well in this essay?
  3. What is one thing that could use improvement?
  4. Other?

(19)10/31

 

Re-envisioning Product and Process.   I mentioned I-Search papers in class recently. See Site-1 or Site-2 for more information. It's often used in secondary education, but it's also used in FYC. Blog Prompt:  Post your draft, and preface it with HOW you would like readers to respond--what do you want them to help you with?  Remember, if you're doing a video, we need to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how you're doing it.

(20)11/5

Post-Process Theory. Have you seen MyCompLab yet? Shall we watch some of the videos during class?

(21)11/7

 

Action Research and Ethnography.  Seongeun will lead the discussion over Moss.  Your teaching video is due. Please upload it to the streaming server, email it to ricrice@gmail.com, submit it during class, or stop by the MuLL. Please keep reading one another's paper drafts in our blogs. Blog Prompt TBA.

(22)11/12
  • TBA.
  • TBA.

TBA. TBA.

(23)11/14

Social-Construction Theory.

(24)11/19

Group-Work. Elizabeth will lead us in a discussion of Emig.  TBA.

(25)11/26

Workday. Final draft of your research paper is due by midnight via email. You might import the video that you need on one specific machine so as to maximize your in-class time with editing video. While you're waiting for the machine to import and render, consider working on your document instruction or chatting with me about your final work for the course.

Read "The Intelligent Design of Writing Programs: Reliance on Belief or a Future of Evidence?" (Anson)

(26)11/28

Workday. Seongeun will lead the discussion over Moss and "Ethnography and Composition: Studying Language at Home" (Moss)

You might import the video that you need on one specific machine so as to maximize your in-class time with editing video. While you're waiting for the machine to import and render, consider working on your document instruction or chatting with me about your final work for the course.

(27)12/3

Workday. TBA.

(28)12/5

Elizabeth will show off her portfolio, and we will show of several of our 3 min. videos, etc.
 

Required Final.  Final examination in room 303 from 10am-12pm on DECEMBER 8.

 

Academic Honesty and Appropriate Behavior
We are committed to academic integrity in all its practices. The faculty value intellectual integrity and a high standard of academic conduct. Activities that violate academic integrity undermine the quality and diminish the value of educational achievement. Cheating on papers tests or other academic works is a violation of College rules. No student shall engage in behavior that, in the judgment of the instructor of the class, may be construed as cheating. This may include, but is not limited to, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty such as the acquisition without permission of tests or other academic materials and/or distribution of these materials and other academic work. This includes students who aid and abet as well as those who attempt such behavior. Further, you are expected to follow "netiquette." Please review Department of English "Ethics in English: A Guide for Students." Further, you are expected to follow "netiquette." See, also, the WPA's statement about plagiarism.

Assignment Expectations

Grade Range
A: 92.5-100%
A-: 89.5-92.4
B+: 86.5-89.4
B: 83.5-86.4
B-: 79.5-82.4
C+: 76.5-79.4
C: 73.5-76.4
C-: 69.5-72.4
D+: 66.5-69.4
D: 63.5-66.4
D-: 59.5-62.4
F: 59.4-0.0

The following is a general description of expectations for assignments:

  • A. Your project is of impeccable (or almost impeccable) quality in both content and format design, with no major weaknesses in any area. It provides adequate information that users need and effectively fulfills the intended purposes. Presentation is of professional quality. There are few if any mechanical errors.

  • B. Your project is of high quality in most of the major areas. It fulfills the user's needs and your intended purposes quite effectively. Presentation is quite professional. There are only a few mechanical errors.

  • C. Your project is of reasonable quality in most areas. It fulfills the user's needs and your intended purposes to a large extent, although major deficiencies are observable. Presentation is of semi-professional quality. There are some mechanical errors, but not to the extent of seriously affecting readers' comprehension.

  • D. Your project is of acceptable quality in most areas. It fulfills the user's needs and your intended purposes to some extent, but major deficiencies exist in several areas. Presentation quality is acceptable but low. There are a significant number of mechanical errors.

  • F. Your project is unacceptable in quality. It does not fulfill the user's needs or your intended purposes. Major deficiencies are observed in most areas. Presentation quality is poor, and there are too many mechanical errors.
Advice
Be reflective in peer response and the revising process (be wholehearted, sincere, and responsible), and think in terms of process as opposed to product. That is, instead of dictating an authoritative "answer" or "solution" to a peer's particular point (or lack thereof), suggest a useful question that will allow for an opportunity to think beyond the immediate example or problem or issue. Tutors are available in the writing center, and I am often available to work with you on anything course-related. Know that this course should be considered separate from your obligations for the composition program (if you're working as a CI or a DI), even though work in this class will inform your work there; that is, your performance in this class does not effect your evaluation by the composition program, nor does your performance for composition impact your assessment in this class.

Some Policy Clarifications

  • Special needs. We seek to provide effective services and accommodations for qualified individuals with documented disabilities. If you need an accommodation because of a documented disability, you are required to register with Disability Support Services at the beginning of the semester. If you will require assistance during an emergency evacuation, notify your instructor immediately.
  • Late work. Late work may be penalized one letter grade per day. Know that assignments are subject to change.
  • Attendance. If you are absent, do not check your email regularly, or do not participate online you obviously cannot meet certain opportunities to learn. Also, peers' learning is disrupted. If it is clear that you are not committed to participating to this key element of the course, your grade may be reduced, or you may be asked to drop the course. Instructors may administratively withdraw a student from class enrollment for attendance and disciplinary issues with the approval of academic affairs. For attendance issues, the enrollment withdrawal may be initiated within the 60 to 75% time-period of the course. The registrar's office will notify the student if this action occurs. Regarding the observance of a religious holy day: a student will be excused from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day and the time necessary to travel for this observance. The student will not be penalized for the absence and will be permitted to take an exam or complete an assignment missed during the excused absence. No prior notification is required.