| Spotlight On: Texas A&M-Commerce: English 571 |
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English 571: Introduction to Composition Studies
Shannon Carter, Associate Professor of English
The goal of English 571 is to introduce graduate students to the field of composition studies, thus extensive use of the National Conversation on Writing just seems to make sense.
Our focus was on the ways which the lived experiences of writing might differ from many representations of writing in the media, public policy, and public discourse. The course integrated NCoW in two ways: (1) by inviting writers from across campus to talk about their work as writers and (2) by requiring students to contribute to NCoW in any way they wished.
Assignment/course details:
Calendar:
Course webpage:
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Assignment description:
Texas A&M-Commerce now serves as institutional home for the National Conversation on Writing, a collection of interviews, videos, audio texts, image-based texts, and other artifacts that somehow contribute to the national conversation on writing and writers. Think of this as similar to Storycorps (http://www.storycorps.net) for writing and writers. You’ll hear much more about this as the semester wears on, though you might find the information attached to be particularly useful.
You’ll also be involved with a sample contribution (from recording to submission) on September 3, which should be informative and productive as well. In short, there will be loads of support for this contribution. During a class period in November (see schedule), we will conduct interviews based on the NCoW interview script. You may contribute those interviews to NCoW, or you may choose to submit your Final Project instead. Or something else entirely. Or all of the above. Submit something to NCoW. That’s the only requirement. Exactly what you submit (or even how much) is entirely up to you |
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Guest Lecture: Underworld: The Other Side of Here (Some of Our Conversations on Writing
Kathryn Jacobs, Professor of English, Susan Stewart, Assistant Professor of English, and Jordana Hall, MA Student in English
http://www.ncow.org/browse/video/ncow-underworld.html [Opens in new browser window]
Joint lecture for graduate courses in composition theory (Carter) and creative writing (Jacobs) at Texas A&M-Commerce. Professors Jacobs and Stewart (writers) with and Hall (illustrator) describe what really happens when writers collaborate. They discuss the writing process in composing their young adult book, Underworld: The Other Side of Here and how collaboration influenced the creation of the story. Underworld includes images, prose, and poetry. Contributes to the national conversation on writing by revealing the impact of collaboration on writing processes, including the ways in which composing collaboratively and in multiple modalities (images/prose/poetry) informed one particular project. |
Guest Lecture: Words and Pictures
Mike Odom, Painter and Art Critic (for Art Forum, among others)
http://www.ncow.org/browse/video/odom.html [Opens in new browser window]
Artist Michael Odom lectures on the combined effects of writing and art, specifically how his art contains written texts (including weather and geographical maps) and how those texts contribute to the artistic process. After his presentation there is a short question and answer session that describes his art projects and the direction that his style has taken through writing. Contributes to the national conversation on writing by sharing on writer’s composing processes (writing with paint, writing with images, writing with symbols). |
Student Contribution: Do the Write Thing
Sylwester Zabielski (videographer, creator, and producer), Shannon Carter, Melinda Bobbitt, Hui-Chun (Theresa) Hsiung, Melissa Gantt, Angela Kennedy, Helen (Melissa) Knous, Melinda (Mindy) Nobles (with Pandora), Marcario (Ben) Romero, Brandi Davis Westmoreland
Access: Coming soon
Graduate students in introduction to composition theory course describe their experiences as writers both in and beyond the academy. Subjects discussed include early writing experiences, writing for academic purposes (class, dissertation, presentations), writing with sound (music), blogging, and writing in English as a native speaker of another language. |
Student Contribution: Into the Light
Contributor: Jane Holcomb
Video or http://www.walkingintothelight.net [Both open in new browser window]
Illustrates the ways in which my academic writing and creative writing have changed as a process, one informing the other and, inevitably, vice versa. Furthermore, I conclude that my process is still evolving.
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Student Contribution: “A New, Twisty-er Form of Composition”
Randy Kirsch
Access: [Opens in new browser window]
Based on a two-hour interview with my cousin Andrew, who is autistic. Because he finds it anywehre from difficult to downright impossible to communicate in certain ways he has developed other ways to express himself and what he has absorbed from school as well as his general environment. He uses pipe cleaners (“twisties”) from craft stores to build characters and animals from books, TV, and his own imagination. The results are quite remarkable and offer insight into how his brain functions. I feel the insight can lead to alternative teaching methods in composition at a much earlier level than even first-year composition but may in time make teaching writing at the college level less challenging in some ways.
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Student Contribution: Jailhouse Journal Entry
Tonia A. Taherzadeh
Access: [Opens in new browser window]
This loose leaf paper journal entry was written by my then 18-year old nephew from jail. It’s a lyrical street savvy reflection on his life and how he was living. He says, “I should be a follower so it never happens again.” Since his time served, he’s gotten better and is now a successful man with a home and family living clean and good and happy.
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Student Contribution: Difficulties Learning English
Hui-Chun (Theresa) Hsiung
Access: [Opens in new browser window]
Offers an example of how one international student worked to understand course materials not available in her native language (Mandarin). Two pages from a course text and a third listing of key translations, this contribution displays reader’s notations in her native language alongside the English language of the text itself. Artifact contributes to the national conversation on writing by illustrating the ways in which second language learners might negotiate the new language in academic contexts. |
Student Contribution: Title: Students Speaking Out
Macario Ben Romero
Video [Opens in new browser window]
Interviews with basic writing students and instructors at two different community colleges in Texas, asking several students and some writing teachers about their experience in a writing program and as writers |
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