English 676
Spring 2007
Shannon Carter
112 Hall of Languages
903-886-5492
http://faculty.tamuc.edu/scarter/archive/
* * *
Required Texts:
Carter, Shannon. Literacies in Context.
Dunbar-Odom, Donna. Defying the Odds: Class and the Pursuit of
Higher Literacy.
Sustein, Bonnie Stone and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater.
FieldWorking:
Yancey, Kathleen Blake. Reflection in the Writing Classroom.
(plus a handful of additional
articles, most of which are/will be made available online)
Overview and Goals: Generally, this course is designed to support your
teaching of the composition students populating our various programs (Basic
Writing/First-Year Composition), teaching that takes place in two, deeply
integrated and equally important learning spaces--the
So the subject of English 676
is teaching and writing and the teaching of writing. To that end, we will spend
much of our time reading about and writing in response to the projects assigned
in English 102 (through Literacies in
Context and FieldWorking)
and reflecting on these projects and our students’ various literacies as
displayed/articulated via these projects (through Defying the Odds and Reflection
in the Writing Classroom, among other reading and writing assignments).
As with English 675, our
first priority is your tutoring/classroom experiences and concerns. Bring those
concerns so we can discuss them together and try to come up with some viable
answers (or at least commiserate, which almost always helps); bring your
student essays so we can mark them together; bring your successes so we can
celebrate together. That’s what we are here for. Whatever we do, it is
important to remember that we are working from the assumption that theory
cannot be separated from practice, nor practice from
theory. Teaching is complex; our seminar will continue to honor that
complexity.
Grades: Like
English 675, 676 is an S/U course.
Requirements: Along with weekly reading assignments, you will
develop a handful of the very same writing projects assigned to your English
102 students (specifically, WA1 [LC,
page 39], WA2 [LC, page 113], and a
Research Proposal [see http://faculty.tamuc.edu/scarter/archive/research_proposal.htm]
for a mini-ethnography you will not be expected to write up but will be
required to research), one or two (short!) position papers and—as your final
project—a series of activities (complete with handouts) future English 102
instructors/tutors can use to guide their students through one or more of the
projects assigned in the current English 102 sequence.
Again, here’s a breakdown of
the writing projects you will be required to complete this term—
o
WA1 (see LC, 39)
o
WA2 (see LC, 113)
o
Research Proposal
(http://faculty.tamuc.edu/scarter/archive/research_proposal.htm)
o
Position Paper(s)
(additional information available soon)
o
Final Project:
Classroom Activities (complete with handouts and a description for future
English 102 instructors/tutors about how to best make use of them)
It is an absolute requirement
that you come to class prepared and ready to talk about the readings and about
your experiences in the
Attendance: Of course, attendance is required. If you must miss a
class, contact me before class. Because this is a graduate-level class and is
very much a class in “professionalism,” attendance is extremely important.
Examinations: There will be no examinations in the colloquium.
Communication: If at any time, you are unclear about the goals of the
colloquium, are troubled by any aspect of your teaching or your performance in
the colloquium, or just want to talk about stuff in general, please see me.
Contact me via email. Give me a call. The primary purpose of English 675 and
676 is to support you and your teaching.
Student Conduct: All students enrolled at the University shall follow
the tenets of common decency and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive
learning environment. In addition, you are requested to turn off your cell
phones before entering the classroom. Common courtesy says you do not receive
or answer calls during class. If there is an emergency that requires you to
leave your phone on, talk to me about it beforehand and switch the phone to
vibrate so you don't surprise me when you leave class to take a call and you
don't interrupt class when the call comes in. Also, Instant/Text Messaging is
off limits.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Statement: Students requesting accommodations for disabilities
must go through the Academic Support Committee. For more information, please
contact the Director of Disability Resources and Services,
*
* *
Tentative
Calendar
I include here only the first
two weeks of this course. Within the next week or so, I will complete our class
schedule, which will be made available to you online at
http://faculty.tamuc.edu/scarter/archive/676_syllabus.htm.
LC=Literacies in Context; FW=FieldWorking;
DO=Defying the Odds; RWC=Reflection in the Writing Classroom
Week 1 (1/16)
Discuss: LC,
1-2
Week 2 (1/23)
Due: WA1
Discuss: LC,
Chapter 3; FW, Chapter 1
Week 3 (1/30)
Due: WA2 (LC,
page 113)
Discuss: FW,
Chapter 2-4
Week 4 (2/6)
Discuss: LC,
Chapter 4
Week 5 (2/13)
Discuss LC,
Chapter 5; FW, Chapter 5
Week 6 (2/20)
Due: Draft of Research Proposal
Discuss: Yancey, Delivering
College Composition: The Fifth Canon (Chapter 1)*
and RWC, Chapter 1-2
Week 7 (2/27)
Due: Revised Research Proposal
Discuss: FW,
Chapters 6-7; RWC, 3-5
Week 8 (3/6)
Discuss: RWC,
Chapters 6-end; FW, Chapter 8
Due: Position Paper 1
Week 9 (3/13)
Discuss: DO,
1-3
Week 10 (3/27)
TBA
Week 11 (4/3)
Discuss: DO,
4-end
Week 12 (4/10)
Discuss: Celebration of Student Writing and *“Young Scholars Affecting Composition: A Challenge to Disciplinary
Citation Practices” (Robillard,
Week 13 (4/17)
Due: Position Paper 2
Week 14 (4/24)
Due: Final Project (Classroom Activities)
Week 15 (5/1): continued