Chapman University
Fall 2017
English 582: composition pedagogy and research practicum
Instructor Information:
- Ian Barnard, Ph.D.
- Office: 428 N. Glassell #104
- In-Person Office Hours: M 2:30-3:30 p.m., W 11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m., and by appointment
- Email Office Hours: [email protected]
Introduction
Welcome to English 582! This graduate seminar is a continuation of English 580: Teaching Composition. You will expand and deepen your engagement with composition theory and pedagogy. In addition, you'll initiate your professional development as a college composition teacher by developing your own original research in the field. The course is also designed to support your current teaching. Course prerequisite: English 580. This course is a requirement for all English Department Graduate Teaching Associates who are teaching English 103 this semester.
Required Texts:
@ = available for purchase at the University Bookstore
# = on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
You will need one of the following texts (book groups will be assigned in class):
Recommended Books (available at the University Bookstore):
# = on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
In addition, I may post articles on Blackboard for you to read. You will also find your own readings as you do research for your Collaborative Book Group Presentation and your Action Research Project. I'll post additional resources for you on Blackboard.
Course Requirements:
As is common practice in graduate seminars, I will determine your final course grade holistically, based on your fulfillment of the following course requirements:
Course Policies:
Chapman Policies:
Welcome to English 582! This graduate seminar is a continuation of English 580: Teaching Composition. You will expand and deepen your engagement with composition theory and pedagogy. In addition, you'll initiate your professional development as a college composition teacher by developing your own original research in the field. The course is also designed to support your current teaching. Course prerequisite: English 580. This course is a requirement for all English Department Graduate Teaching Associates who are teaching English 103 this semester.
Required Texts:
@ = available for purchase at the University Bookstore
# = on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
- Adler-Kassner, Linda, and Elizabeth Wardle, eds. Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies @
- Lynn, Steven. Rhetoric and Composition: An Introduction @
- Stocking, S. Holly, et al, eds. More Quick Hits: Successful Strategies by Award-Winning Teachers @
You will need one of the following texts (book groups will be assigned in class):
- Baca, Damián. Mestiz@ Scripts, Digital Migrations, and the Territories of Writing #
- Brooke, Collin Gifford. Lingua Fracta: Toward a Rhetoric of New Media
- Helms, Jason. Rhizcomics: Rhetoric, Technology, and New Media Composition
- Inoue, Asao. Antiracist Writing Assessment Ecologies: Teaching and Assessing Writing for a Socially Just Future
- Jarratt, Susan, and Lynn Worsham, eds. Feminism and Composition Studies: In Other Words #
- Lutkewitte, Claire, ed. Mobile Technologies and the Writing Classroom: Resources for Teachers
- Rhodes, Jacqueline, and Jonathan Alexander. Techne: Queer Meditations on Writing the Self
- Ruiz, Iris D., and Raúl Sánchez, eds. Decolonizing Rhetoric and Composition Studies: New Latinx Keywords for Theory and Pedagogy #
- Ruiz, Iris D. Reclaiming Composition for Chicanos/as and Other Ethnic Minorities: A Critical History and Pedagogy #
- Sullivan, Patrick, and Christie Toth, eds. Teaching Composition at the Two-Year College: Background Readings
- Wilson, Maja. Rethinking Rubrics in Writing Assessment #
Recommended Books (available at the University Bookstore):
# = on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
- Heilker, Paul, and Peter Vandenberg, eds. Keywords in Writing Studies
- Kirsch, Gesa, and Patricia A. Sullivan, eds. Methods and Methodology in Composition Research #
In addition, I may post articles on Blackboard for you to read. You will also find your own readings as you do research for your Collaborative Book Group Presentation and your Action Research Project. I'll post additional resources for you on Blackboard.
Course Requirements:
As is common practice in graduate seminars, I will determine your final course grade holistically, based on your fulfillment of the following course requirements:
- Action Research Project: Individually or with one or more colleagues from this class, you will develop an action research project where you explore a question about the teaching of composition in the class that you or a colleague are teaching or with students you are tutoring. The final project which discusses your research question and conclusions will be 15-20 pages of text (plus links, images, and other digital components if you choose) or a comparable scholarly digital project, and will engage with appropriate scholarly sources. Cite sources and include a Works Cited list following MLA style (or another scholarly style). Your target audience is college composition teachers and composition scholars (not just the members of our seminar!). The Action Research Project includes the following components, due at different times during the semester: 1) A proposal for your Action Research Project (due on Sep. 10); 2) IRB submission 3) An annotated bibliography of scholarly sources on your topic (due on Sep. 24); 4) A conference proposal submitted for the College English Association annual conference in St. Petersburg, Florida in April 2018 (due on Oct. 29); 5) A draft of your final project (due on Dec. 1; you will get feedback on your draft in a conference with me); 6) Your final revised project (due on Dec. 11).
- Collaborative Book Group Presentation: You and another seminar member will give a collaborative presentation on Oct. 23 or Oct. 30 on a book about the teaching of composition selected from the list above. Your presentation includes three components: 1) Selective summary and overview of your book; 2) Your selective critical analysis of the book, with special attention to applications/implications for teaching college composition; 3) An interactive component where you engage class members about your book (we’ll discuss examples in class). The presentation (including interactive component) should last no longer than 30 minutes. I’ll evaluate your presentation on the quality of your summary/overview and analysis of your text, how well you present your ideas, your ability to engage class members, how well you collaborate with your presentation partner(s), and your ability to keep to the time limit. If you include slides in your presentation, do not read the slides aloud to the class during your presentation!
- Teaching Observations (see Observation Protocol on Blackboard): Each observation comprises a pre-observation meeting, the observation, and a post-observation debriefing. The course includes two types of teaching observations: peer observations, and observations by me. If you are teaching English 103, you are required to be observed by me and at least one peer. If you are teaching something else or tutoring, you have the option of being observed by me and/or peers. All seminar participants are required to observe the teaching/tutoring of at least two colleagues in this class. If you are teaching a hybrid course, you have the option of having one of your peer observations done for a Friday online class. As an observer, you have the option of doing one of your observations for a colleague’s Friday online class. The observations of your teaching/tutoring must take place on different days. If possible, don’t observe someone at the same time that another class member is observing. Do not schedule observations on days when a teacher is spending most of the class time showing a film or listening to student presentations! These observations are not evaluative. They are designed to engage you in practice-based discussions of (your) teaching/tutoring and of teaching composition in general. The quality of your teaching/tutoring does not impact your grade for this course. All observations must be completed by October 22.
- Other Course Requirements: Read all assigned texts carefully and critically, and participate vigorously in seminar discussions. You will also participate in Blackboard discussions in class and outside of class on the assigned texts and other topics (we’ll discuss criteria for these discussion posts in class). Please bring your laptop to all class meetings. Since this is a discussion-based seminar, attendance is crucial, and I expect you to attend all seminar meetings. If you miss more than two classes, your final course grade will be adversely affected. Chapman University “recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20 percent of the course should be failed.”
Course Policies:
- Email Protocol: I acknowledge all email messages within 48 hours. If you email me but don’t get a response, I haven’t received your email. Feel free to email me concerning any questions you have about the course or about your work. Do not email your work to me for feedback; I’d be happy to discuss your work with you in person.
- Classroom Dynamics: I do not spend much time lecturing and expect you to participate vigorously in the many discussions around which the seminar is organized. We all teach and learn in this course--I do not believe in a one-way transmission of “knowledge” from instructor to students. I don’t have all the answers, and I look forward to learning as much as teaching in this course. You should direct your questions and comments in class to your colleagues as much as to me. I encourage you to talk in class.
Chapman Policies:
- Equity and Diversity: Chapman University is committed to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Students and professors are reminded to show respect at all times as outlined in Chapman’s Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Any violations of this policy should be discussed with the professor, the Dean of Students and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy.
- Students With Disabilities: In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either permanent or temporary, that might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Services. If you will need to utilize your approved accommodations in this class, please follow the proper notification procedure for informing your professor(s). This notification process must occur more than a week before any accommodation can be utilized. Please contact Disability Services at (714) 516-4520 if you have questions regarding this procedure, or for information and to make an appointment to discuss and/or request potential accommodations based on documentation of your disability. Once formal approval of your need for an accommodation has been granted, you are encouraged to talk with your professor(s) about your accommodation options. The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.
- Academic Integrity: Click here to read Chapman University's policy on academic integrity. Feel free to discuss any concerns with me.
tentative schedule
Readings marked * are on Blackboard
Week 1: 28 August 2017
Week 2: 4 September 2017
No class--Labor Day holiday
Week 3: 11 September 2017
Week 4: 18 September 2017
Week 5: 25 September 2017
Week 6: 2 October 2017
Week 7: 9 October 2017
Week 8: 16 October 2017
Week 9: 23 October 2017
Week 10: 30 October 2017
Week 11: 6 November 2017
Week 12: 13 November 2017
(Anti-)Thanksgiving Recess
Week 13: 27 November 2017
Week 14: 4 December 2017
Week 1: 28 August 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; introduction to the course; review syllabus; seminar member introductions; overview of Action Research Project; guest speakers
- Homework Assignments: Read Lynn, Rhetoric and Composition: An Introduction; Blackboard Post #1 due by 4 p.m. on Sep. 5; respond to at least two colleagues' Blackboard Post #1 by 4 p.m. on Sep 11; post your proposal for your Action Research Project on Blackboard by 4 p.m. on Sep. 11; bring your three presentation preferences to class
Week 2: 4 September 2017
No class--Labor Day holiday
Week 3: 11 September 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; discuss reading and Blackboard posts/responses; discuss proposals for Action Research Project; sign up for observations by me; work on IRB proposals
- Homework Assignments: Submit your IRB proposal
Week 4: 18 September 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; discuss previous reading and Blackboard posts/responses; discuss More Quick Hits; in-class writing; assign Collaborative Book Group Presentations; resources for conducting research for your Action Research Project
- Homework Assignments: Post your Annotated Bibliography for your Action Research Project on Blackboard by Sep. 25 at 4 p.m
Week 5: 25 September 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; updates on Action Research Project; discuss reading
- Homework Assignments: Read excerpts from Naming What We Know; Blackboard Post #3 due by 4 pm. on Oct. 2; post sample prompts on Blackboard by 4 p.m. on Oct. 2
Week 6: 2 October 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; discuss prompts for writing assignments; discuss reading and Blackboard posts; discuss protocol for observations; sign up for peer observations; updates on Action Research Project; meet with partners for Collaborative Book Group Presentations
- Homework Assignments: Respond to at least two colleagues' Blackboard Post #3 by 4 p.m. on Oct. 9; work on your Collaborative Book Group Presentation; complete all observations by Oct. 22; Blackboard Post #4 due by 4 p.m. on Oct. 23
Week 7: 9 October 2017
- In-Class Activities: No class--complete observations; work on your Collaborative Book Group Presentation and Action Research Project
- Homework Assignments: Work on your Collaborative Book Group Presentation; complete all observations by Oct. 22; Blackboard Post #4 due by 4 p.m. on Oct. 23
Week 8: 16 October 2017
- In-Class Activities: No class--complete observations; work on your Collaborative Book Group Presentation and Action Research Project
- Homework Assignments: Work on your Collaborative Book Group Presentation; complete all observations by Oct. 22; Blackboard Post #4 due by 4 p.m. on Oct. 23
Week 9: 23 October 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; debrief observations; Collaborative Book Group Presentations; review College English Association annual conference; mid-semester course evaluations; special guest: Professor Patty Godinez
- Homework Assignments: respond to at least two colleagues' Blackboard Post #4 by 4 p.m. on Oct. 30 (respond to different colleagues from before); post a draft of your CEA proposal on Blackboard by 4 p.m. on Oct. 30
Week 10: 30 October 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; Collaborative Book Group Presentations; work on CEA proposals; discuss mid-semester course evaluations
- Homework Assignments: Submit your CEA proposal by Nov.1--bring your confirmation email to class; post sample student work on Blackboard by 4 p.m. on Nov. 6; read excerpts from Naming What We Know
Week 11: 6 November 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; CEA debrief; discuss reading; practice responding to and grading student work
- Homework Assignments: Read excerpts from Naming What We Know
Week 12: 13 November 2017
- In-Class Activities: Teaching debrief; discuss reading; work on Action Research Project
- Homework Assignments: Read excerpts from Naming What We Know; work on your Action Research Project
(Anti-)Thanksgiving Recess
Week 13: 27 November 2017
- In-Class Activities: Discuss reading; work on Action Research Project; sign up for conferences; course debrief and evaluations; party?
- Homework Assignments: Post a complete draft of your Action Research Project Paper on Blackboard by 4 p.m. on Dec. 1
Week 14: 4 December 2017
- In-Class Activities: No class--meet in my office for your individual conference; optional--bring your cv and draft of cover letter to your conference
- Homework Assignments: Post your revised Action Research Project Paper on Blackboard by 4 p.m. on Dec. 11
Thanks to Morgan Read-Davidson and Jan Osborn for ideas for this syllabus.