Chapman University
spring 2024
English 580: Teaching composition
Instructor Information:
- Ian Barnard, Ph.D.
- Office: 428 N. Glassell #104
- Live Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays in person or via Zoom (email me to schedule)
- Email Office Hours: [email protected]
Land Acknowledgement (from Chapman's Wilkinson College website):
Wilkinson College believes all students should be taught the importance of recognizing land to understand the colonizing roots of academia and the way many fields of higher education have been used in the ostracizing, marginalization and disempowering (as well as the stealing of land, forced removal, and genocide) of communities. In doing so, we hope to inspire our students to use their education to challenge institutional and structural barriers to work toward equality, respect, and the lifting of their communities. Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences collectively acknowledges that Chapman University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Acjachemen Peoples in the Juaneño Territory, adjacent to our Tongva/Kizh neighbors to the North and Payomkawichum/Luiseño and Kumeyaay neighbors to the South. In addition, we recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of California’s 109 federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in California, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty, and consistent with our values of community and diversity, acknowledge our responsibility to hold the university more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.
Introduction
Welcome to English 580! This graduate seminar helps you to understand the major theoretical stakes in the teaching of college composition and the practical pedagogical implications of these stakes. We will read current composition theory and work on developing theoretically informed syllabi for teaching college composition.
Student Learning Outcomes:
You will
Required Texts (available at the University Bookstore; digital or hard copy versions ok):
# = on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
Course Requirements:
Attendance: seminar discussions are a central component of this course, so your attendance in class is crucial. You have two free absences to use for medical and other emergencies, no questions asked; you may miss a third seminar meeting without penalty if you give me advance notice and provide documentation of your emergency; if you miss a third seminar meeting without advance notice or documentation of emergency, your final course grade will be negatively impacted. Note that you cannot pass the class if you miss more than three seminar meetings for any reason. According to the official university catalog, “The University recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20 percent of the course should be failed.” However, I don’t want anyone to fail the course, so if you need to miss more than three seminar meetings, I will encourage you to withdraw from the course, and I’ll support your late withdrawal petition.
Extensions: each seminar member has three available extensions. These extensions are for one day, two days, and one week respectively. Each extension may only be used once throughout the semester and can be used on any assignment except the draft of your syllabus and rationale. If you would like to use an extension, send me an email letting me know which extension you plan to use before the assignment’s original due date. The extensions enable you to turn in assignments late without penalty.
Grades:
This course uses the contract grading system (also known as labor-based grading or engagement-based grading) that is becoming increasingly common in educational institutions, and especially in the field of rhetoric and composition. This means that I will not be “giving” you a grade at the end of the course; rather, you will determine and work toward your own grade, based on the criteria below. I will also not be assigning grades to individual class projects but will give you plenty of feedback on your work. I use contract grading primarily for four reasons: 1) research has demonstrated that traditional grading practices are inequitable; 2) since what constitutes “good” or “bad” student work is subjective, contract grading gets rid of this kind of subjectivity because I will not be grading the content of your work; 3) I prefer to give you constructive feedback on your work, rather than have to rank you by assigning a grade to your work; 4) studies have shown that grades inhibit student learning, and students learn more and produce better work when they are not “writing for a grade.” It’s up to you to decide which grade you’d like to work for in this course—I won’t hold your choice against you; a student’s grade is not a comment on their intelligence or indicative of if they’re a good or likeable person or not!
Explanation of Major Assignments:
Wilkinson College believes all students should be taught the importance of recognizing land to understand the colonizing roots of academia and the way many fields of higher education have been used in the ostracizing, marginalization and disempowering (as well as the stealing of land, forced removal, and genocide) of communities. In doing so, we hope to inspire our students to use their education to challenge institutional and structural barriers to work toward equality, respect, and the lifting of their communities. Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences collectively acknowledges that Chapman University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Acjachemen Peoples in the Juaneño Territory, adjacent to our Tongva/Kizh neighbors to the North and Payomkawichum/Luiseño and Kumeyaay neighbors to the South. In addition, we recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of California’s 109 federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in California, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty, and consistent with our values of community and diversity, acknowledge our responsibility to hold the university more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.
Introduction
Welcome to English 580! This graduate seminar helps you to understand the major theoretical stakes in the teaching of college composition and the practical pedagogical implications of these stakes. We will read current composition theory and work on developing theoretically informed syllabi for teaching college composition.
Student Learning Outcomes:
You will
- understand important current debates in composition studies related to the teaching of composition
- know how to create a theoretically-informed syllabus for a college composition course
- articulate your own position on a range of theoretical and pedagogical issues in relation to other composition scholars and teachers
Required Texts (available at the University Bookstore; digital or hard copy versions ok):
# = on reserve in the Leatherby Libraries
- Adler-Kassner, Linda, and Elizabeth Wardle, eds. Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies (Classroom Edition).#
- Coxwell-Teague, Deborah, and Ronald F. Lunsford, eds. First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice.
- Rezniki, Michael, and David T. Coad, eds. Dynamic Activities for First-Year Composition: 96 Ways to Immerse, Inspire, and Captivate Students. #
Course Requirements:
- Attend seminar meetings (see attendance policy below) (S)
- Carefully and critically read/view all assigned class texts (S)
- Thoughtfully and vigorously participate in seminar discussions (I expect each seminar member to participate at least once per class session in our seminar discussions; if you would prefer not to participate in seminar discussions, please see me so that we can come up with an alternative assignment sequence for you; if you tend to talk a lot in class, please make an effort to make space for other seminar members to participate in seminar discussions as well) (S)
- Complete all in-class activities (S)
- Complete all Hypothesis annotation assignments/Canvas discussion posts following the instructions I post on Canvas (S)
- Complete a mid-semester feedback survey on the course (S)
- Observe a Chapman English 103 class following the instructions I post on Canvas (M)
- Co-facilitate a seminar discussion of one chapter from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice (M)
- Post a substantial draft of your syllabus and rationale on Canvas (S)
- Get feedback on your syllabus and rationale draft in an in-class peer workshop (S)
- Post your revised syllabus and rationale on Canvas, engaging with workshop feedback if you had a workshop (M)
- Post/present all assignments by the assigned due date and time (for exceptions, see extension policy below)
Attendance: seminar discussions are a central component of this course, so your attendance in class is crucial. You have two free absences to use for medical and other emergencies, no questions asked; you may miss a third seminar meeting without penalty if you give me advance notice and provide documentation of your emergency; if you miss a third seminar meeting without advance notice or documentation of emergency, your final course grade will be negatively impacted. Note that you cannot pass the class if you miss more than three seminar meetings for any reason. According to the official university catalog, “The University recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20 percent of the course should be failed.” However, I don’t want anyone to fail the course, so if you need to miss more than three seminar meetings, I will encourage you to withdraw from the course, and I’ll support your late withdrawal petition.
Extensions: each seminar member has three available extensions. These extensions are for one day, two days, and one week respectively. Each extension may only be used once throughout the semester and can be used on any assignment except the draft of your syllabus and rationale. If you would like to use an extension, send me an email letting me know which extension you plan to use before the assignment’s original due date. The extensions enable you to turn in assignments late without penalty.
Grades:
This course uses the contract grading system (also known as labor-based grading or engagement-based grading) that is becoming increasingly common in educational institutions, and especially in the field of rhetoric and composition. This means that I will not be “giving” you a grade at the end of the course; rather, you will determine and work toward your own grade, based on the criteria below. I will also not be assigning grades to individual class projects but will give you plenty of feedback on your work. I use contract grading primarily for four reasons: 1) research has demonstrated that traditional grading practices are inequitable; 2) since what constitutes “good” or “bad” student work is subjective, contract grading gets rid of this kind of subjectivity because I will not be grading the content of your work; 3) I prefer to give you constructive feedback on your work, rather than have to rank you by assigning a grade to your work; 4) studies have shown that grades inhibit student learning, and students learn more and produce better work when they are not “writing for a grade.” It’s up to you to decide which grade you’d like to work for in this course—I won’t hold your choice against you; a student’s grade is not a comment on their intelligence or indicative of if they’re a good or likeable person or not!
- A-: This is the "default" grade for the course; if you complete all the course requirements listed above, you will earn an A- in the course
- A: Complete all A- requirements plus a book presentation
- B+: Complete all A- requirements except one small assignment (S) is late/missing/incomplete
- B: Complete all A- requirements except two small assignments (S) are late/missing/incomplete
- B-: Complete all A- requirements except three small assignments (S) or one major assignment (M) (excluding the revised syllabus and rationale) are late/missing/incomplete
- C+: Complete all A- requirements except four small assignments (S) or one major assignment (M) (excluding the revised syllabus and rationale) plus one small assignment (S) are late/missing/incomplete
- C or lower: you don't meet the requirements for C+
Explanation of Major Assignments:
- Collaborative Discussion Facilitation: You and a colleague will lead a 20-30 minute discussion of one chapter from chapters 1-12 of First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice. All seminar members will have read your chapter, so you do not need to summarize its contents. Your goal should be to facilitate a critical discussion of your chapter by asking questions, raising points for discussion, and referring back to previous seminar readings and discussions. Do not give a lecture. I want you and your co-facilitator to work together, to involve as many seminar members in discussion as possible, and to ask/make thoughtful questions/comments. Please do not exceed the 30 minute time limit.
- Hypothesis Annotations: We’ll be engaging with some class readings in the form of Hypothesis social annotations. This means that you will annotate readings alongside, in collaboration with, and in response to your colleagues, and you’ll all be able to see, build on, and learn from each other’s annotations. Many students enjoy the collaborative aspect of social annotation more than just annotating or responding to readings on their own. In addition, social annotation helps you to get a handle on difficult readings (many minds are better than one!), and gives you a sense of how other class members are responding to the texts. The social annotation will thus also help prepare you for seminar discussions and other class assignments. Since the purpose of social annotation is to build our collaborative understanding of a text, if others have annotated a text before you, you need to read your colleagues’ annotations so that you don’t merely repeat what others are saying, but build on and/or respond to what others are saying. For each annotation assignment, I suggest that you read the entire text quickly first to get an overview of it, and then read more slowly a second time, adding your annotations during your second reading. I will post specific instructions on Canvas for each annotation assignment. Some of these texts are challenging to read--don’t worry if you don’t understand everything the author is saying (in fact, one of the pleasures of social annotation is that we can better figure things out together): it’s fine to ask questions about something you don’t understand, or just to focus on what you do understand.
- Canvas Discussion Posts: You will complete several Canvas discussion posts reflecting on class readings, your class visit, and your research for your syllabus and rationale. You are welcome to include links, images, and other digital materials in your posts. These posts are designed to help you to develop your own position in relation to the course readings, to prepare for seminar meetings, and as preparation for the final project. I will post specific prompts for each Canvas discussion post.
- Syllabus and Rationale: For the culminating assignment of the seminar, you'll individually or collaboratively develop a syllabus for a first year college composition course of your choice plus a theoretically-informed rationale for your syllabus. Your syllabus doesn't need to have every single detail of your proposed course worked out, but should be something that is ready for your students to see on the first or second day of class. Your rationale (5-10 pages) should refer to English 580 class readings and other materials you find appropriate, including independent research you have done. You must include at least one outside (i.e., non-class) scholarly secondary source published since 2000 in your rationale plus reference to at least one class member's Canvas discussion post or Hypothesis annotation (graduate level seminar papers typically cite at least ten sources). You are also welcome to include material from your own Canvas discussion posts and Hypothesis annotations in your rationale. Cite sources in the body of your rationale following MLA format and conclude your rationale with a list of Works Cited following MLA format. You cannot explain every component of your syllabus in the rationale, so you will need to focus on the bigger picture and decide which are the most important and/or interesting aspects of your syllabus that you’d like to discuss, or which aspects of the syllabus others might have questions about. Everyone teaches college composition differently—your rationale is your opportunity to explain why you plan to do things a particular way. Your target readers are current or potential college writing program administrators who might be interested in hiring you to teach a college composition course or who might want to see your syllabus and rationale as part of your annual review. Since you will be posting your syllabus and rationale (or a link to them) on Canvas, feel free to include links, images, and other digital materials. You'll get feedback on a draft of your syllabus and rationale in a peer workshop before you post the final version on Canvas.
- Class Visit: You will observe one Chapman University English 103 class taught by an experienced faculty member. I'll provide a list of faculty members who are willing to be observed, and we will discuss observation and debriefing protocols in class. In addition, you will write a reflection on your observation as one of your Canvas discussion posts. You must complete your observation and debriefing by 4/22/2024.
- Optional Book Presentation: Read and give a 10-15 minute presentation to the class about a recent book in the field of rhetoric and composition that connects to our seminar readings and discussions (I will give you a list of books to choose from). Your presentation should give a succinct overview of your book but also offer your take on it (e.g., what you found useful, interesting, or problematic about it; how it connects or doesn't to our course concerns). If time permits, we'll have a brief Q and A after your presentation.
- Other Assignments include in-class writing and group activities. Please bring your laptop with you to class each week.
- 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, or to set up an appointment to meet with me in person or via Zoom.
- Classroom Dynamics: I don't spend much time lecturing and expect you to participate vigorously in the many discussions around which the course 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.
- Diversity: I share with Chapman University and the English Department a commitment to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Any violations of Chapman's Harassment and Discrimination Policy should be discussed with me, the Dean of Students, and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy.
- Students With Disabilities: Please see me early in the semester if you have a documented disability, so that we can discuss what accommodations, if any, I might make to help you to succeed in this class. Click here to read Chapman University's Policy Statement for Assisting Students with Disabilities.
- Citation of Sources: Plagiarism is a contested and context-specific topic. We will discuss effective ways of using sources and issues around plagiarism. View Chapman's policy on academic integrity here. It's important to cite all sources you use in your work, including AI applications like ChatGPT.
- The Chapman Writing Center is a free service where you can get feedback on class projects.
- Student Psychological Counseling Services is a free service for Chapman students, and offers assistance with mental health challenges and other issues.
- Electronic Devices: Please bring your laptop to seminar meetings, but do not use electronic devices for non course-related work. Also, it's important to put away all electronic devices when we watch videos in class--light and sound from devices are distracting and ruin everyone's viewing experience. If you need to take notes while we are watching videos in class, please use pen and paper.
- Do not record class meetings without prior permission from me.
tentative schedule
Readings marked * are on Canvas
Week 1: 1/31/2024
Week 1: 1/31/2024
- In-Class Activities: introduction to the course and to the field of rhetoric and composition; discuss misconceptions about the teaching of composition; in-class reading/viewing, writing, and discussion of/about "Black Linguistic Justice" and "The Machine is Us/ing Us"; discuss criteria for Hypothesis annotations; introduction to upcoming readings
- Homework Assignments for Week 2: read Villanueva,"Rhetoric and Composition"* and "Naming What We Know: The Project of this Book" (in Naming What We Know pp. 1-11); Hypothesis annotation due by 3:30 p.m. on 2/7/2024
- In-Class Activities: class member introductions; discuss reading, Hypothesis annotations, and criteria for Canvas discussion posts; in-class reading and discussion from Naming What We Know
- Homework Assignments for Week 3: read the rest of Naming What We Know; review options for collaborative discussion facilitations; Canvas discussion post due by 3:30 p.m. on 2/14/2024
- In-Class Activities: sign up and draw dates for collaborative discussion facilitations; discuss reading and Canvas discussion posts; watch and discuss writing process videos; introduction to First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice
- Homework Assignments for Week 4: read Preface and Introduction to First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice; Brown, "What Else Do We Know?"*; and Forum on the 50th Anniversary of Donald Murray's "Teach Writing as Process not Product"; Hypothesis annotation due by 3:30 p.m. on 2/21/2024
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings, Hypothesis annotations, and strategies for facilitating class discussion; review collaborative discussion facilitation assignment
- Homework Assignments for Week 5: read chapter 9 from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice, "Multimodality (CCC Poster)*, and Rivera,"Chicanx Murals"*
- In-Class Activities: meet at Chapman's "El Proletariado de Aztlán" mural (446 N. Cypress St.); discuss multimodality; collaborative discussion facilitation; sign up to observe a Chapman English 103 class; discuss observation protocol; sign up for book presentation extra assignment (optional)
- Homework Assignments for Week 6: read materials on inclusive pedagogy* and chapter 2 from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice
- In-Class Activities: collaborative discussion facilitation; discuss readings
- Homework Assignments for Week 7: read Kirsch and Royster, "Feminist Rhetorical Practices"* and chapter 6 from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice; watch Women Talking on Swank (trigger warnings: rape, violence against women, suicide)
- In-Class Activities: collaborative discussion facilitation; discuss readings and film; mid-semester course feedback; special guest: Gesa Kirsch
- Homework Assignments for Week 8: start reading materials for Week 9; prepare your book presentation (optional)
- In-Class Activities: book presentations; discuss mid-semester feedback
- Homework Assignments for Week 9: read chapter 1 from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice and materials on attendance policies*, developing assignments*, and putting together a first-year composition course*
- In-Class Activities: discuss readings and developing a first-year composition course; practice creating assignments; collaborative discussion facilitation; review Chapman's English 103 guidelines
- Homework Assignments for Week 10: read materials on responding to student work* and chapter 4 from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading, grades, grading, and giving students feedback on their work; practice responding to student writing; collaborative discussion facilitation; assign syllabus and rationale
- Homework Assignments for Week 11: read Introduction and one chapter from each of the first five sections from Dynamic Activities for First-Year Composition; read chapter 8 from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice; develop a proposal for your syllabus
- In-Class Activities: discuss textbooks, in-class activities, readings, syllabi proposals, and research in rhetoric and composition; collaborative discussion facilitation
- Homework Assignments for Week 12: read Executive Summary, Introduction, and any five topics from the National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan*; read chapter 10 from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice; research sources for your syllabus and rationale; Canvas discussion post about your English 103 class observation due by 3:30 p.m. on 4/24/2024
- In-Class Activities: collaborative discussion facilitation; discuss reading and English 103 observations; special guest: Nora Rivera; report on your research for your syllabus and rationale
- Homework Assignments for Week 13: read one chapter from each of the last four sections in Dynamic Activities For First-Year Composition, chapter 11 from First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice, Chapman GSI Program Profile*, and Ethan Trejo profile*
- In-Class Activities: collaborative discussion facilitation; veteran Graduate Student Instructor panel; discuss reading
- Homework Assignments for Week 14: read Kynard, "Where We Are: Discourses of Crisis in Rhetoric and Composition"* and Chapter 13 from First Year Composition: From Theory to Practice; post your syllabus and rationale draft (or link) on Canvas by 3:30 p.m. on 5/8/2024
- In-Class Activities: discuss reading; in-class peer workshops; course debrief and evaluation; party!
- Homework Assignments: post your revised syllabus and rationale (or link) on Canvas by 3:30 p.m. on 5/15/2024
thanks to Jada Patchigondla, Nora RIvera, Sawyer Kelly, Samantha Dressel, Gesa Kirsch, and Aneil Rallin for ideas for and feedback on this syllabus!