Hello, all —
As I was doing this week's reading, I found myself concentrating really intently on some of the example writing prompts that John Bean uses in "Engaging Ideas." Maybe I was just trying to convince myself that I remember how to solve basic mathematical and scientific problems, but these examples made me think about the various students we'll have when we're teaching English 1000.
I suppose I understand that as an English course, it would only make sense for the course to use literature (whether written, spoken, or visual) as primary texts. I also understand that writing clearly and concisely will be a necessary skill for students whatever degree they pursue. Still, our future students are going to be in disciplines across the curriculum. How can we (or how do any of you) plan to incorporate materials that "matter" to more students than just those who will go into English Studies?
If a student goes into something like Agricultural Science (for example), what if those professors discourage the writing skills we teach? I know this is kind of an extreme example, and if the student learns to write well, chances are the professor will not tell him/her to change the style. It's been years since I wrote a "science paper," so I'm not sure how differently these students would be expected to structure writing for their majors. And this is probably a bias of mine, but I think it's a lot easier to find an opinion on a piece of literature than to disprove the Pythagorean Theorem. Whether or not it's easy to structure your thoughts into a logical argument is another story, but I'm pretty sure we've all been through that by now.
Also, on the topic of persuasion, my days as an undergrad in Indiana have persuaded me to cheer for the Colts to win the Superbowl :)
Cheers!
Katie Z.
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4 comments:
Katie,
I think you've raised an interesting and complex problem. It's certainly one I've struggled with in the Writing Lab last semester. I worked extensively with a student in the Physical Therapy program who constantly rebuffed my suggestions because, in her words, she had to write 'scientifically, not English majorish'. I really didn't even know what that meant! While I was attempting to demonstrate that a logical argument was necessary no matter what topic, she felt her instructor wanted the sparest, simplest paper possible (which I felt left out many important facets of a strong argument).
While I'm still not sure exactly how to incorporate more materials that "matter" to non-English Studies students, I did see an interesting assignment from a TA last semester that attempted to bridge that gap. The assignment dictated that the student compare 2 classes he/she was enrolled in, and write how those 2 disciplines influenced/helped/illuminated the other. The student could compare, for example, her Biology 1 class and a history course. The assignment thus allowed the student to write about his/her interest (i.e. biology) within the confines of English 1000. Assignments like this one, which allow the student to peruse an area outside literature, might be one way of incorporating materials that "matter".
Go Colts! (Seeing as I know next to nothing about football, I am easily persuaded by your enthusiasm. I like the Superbowl mostly for the commercials and the nachos).
Liz
I have also wondered about this. While I love literature and wish my students did, too, I'm pretty sure that much of what fascinates me will bore them. But, on the other hand, they will need to be able to write well no matter what field they go into, so English 1000 is important for them.
In an effort to make the subject matter more applicable to their lives, I'm hoping to focus on cultural/social/political issues that are important right now. I intend to integrate literature to some extent, but I want it to be literature that deals with these issues. I'm hoping that my students will feel strongly about some issues and will be willing to write about them, although I'm sure there will be some who will be bored no matter what.
I'm not too worried about having their science teachers unteach them all of the wonderful things I intend to teach them. I think that good writing is pretty much always good writing, no matter what field you're in. Knowing how to write a scholarly paper will serve them well, even if the format and details are somewhat different in their field. They will always need to know how to structure an argument logically and how to write clearly.
Katie,
I, too, often wonder about incorporating outside interests since most students do not enjoy literature or writing. It is easier to do as you go along I discovered while teaching. Once you get to know your students and their interests, it is easier to bring in examples in discussion which may affect several of the students. I plan to have my students fill out an interest card along with all of the contact information.
One other thing I discovered when teaching goes along with what Curzan and Damour mention in chapter 2: students will respond to enthusiasm. It is contagious and they can't help but enjoy the class even if literature and writing is not their main interest. The more interested and interesting you are, the more the students will participate and enjoy despite themselves.
I, too, am for the Colts in Super Bowl XLI. I've stood by them for more than a decade, and I am still with them. Go Colts! Winnaþ folan!
And I also think it is important to consider how our students will use the skills that they develop in English 1000. I do not expect many of them to use their critical thinking skills to solve some problem in Beowulf. Some of our students may never take another English class again.
Thus, I think that we should try to make assignments that the students find relevant to their lives. That's why I like the English 1000 assignments in which students analyze something someone said to them or write about the subtext of a newspaper article. By making assignments that are obviously relevant to life outside the university, English 1000 teachers can develop more student interest in the work.
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