[Teaching_Basic_Writing] NEW MODULE POSTED!!!!!!

[Noah S Hilgert]

Hello fellow composition instructors,

To follow up on my module, ¡§Rocking the Boat: Teaching Analysis and Criticism in the Freshman Composition Classroom¡¨ <http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/tbw/Hilgert/hilgert_module.html> and to incite discussion, I thought I¡¦d bring up what I¡¦m finding to be an age-old struggle when teaching Freshman Writing: too theme, or not too theme.  Recently, a few colleagues of mine were arguing over the merits of whether or not to have a thematic touchstone throughout a course or not.  One friend felt that any theme, no matter how closely related to writing, would inevitably be bogged down in ideological and political issues of content rather than craft.  He worried that rather than discussing how and why a given text is effective, the discussion and the responses to that text will address how and why the ideas of the text are effective.  He felt that the both high order concerns like organization and thesis as well as the nuts and bolts would be marginalized by students for a per
sonalized response to the course content.

The other friend, felt that a theme was necessary to guide students through the hoops of sophisticated academic writing.  She argued that students can¡¦t necessarily draw on their own life experience for ideas (esp. for argumentative and research paper topics) without dipping into the stock barrel of political arguments.  She also felt that it was necessary to underplay her theme¡Vthat is, to not mention overtly that the class has theme, but rather introduce texts to the classroom that call on identity, culture, globalization, gender, media-influence, what-have-you without earmarking each as a progression in a set of ideas. 

For my part, I tend to agree with the latter¡¦s argument.  I believe that all discussions are already ideological and thematic whether we wear it on our sleeve, subtly introduce it, or work hard to avoid content. I can envision a classroom where we focus strictly on the parts of papers, on the paper types, on the strategies to execute these papers, but I think the writing produced in these classrooms would be formulaic and rather depersonalized despite the efforts to brainstorm and ask students to reflect on their own lives.  Like my second friend, I feel that freshman students (not all mind you) don¡¦t tend to ¡§think for themselves¡¨ but rather do draw on the sensibilities of their high school education, their parents, and, of course, the daunting media.   I think a thematic touchstone allows students to engage and continue to engage ideas that will produce better writing, especially if the touchstone is something like culture, identity, gender.  I don¡¦t think we can ask stude
nts produce complicated texts without first thinking complicatedly about the world around them, and they need help in this.  Whether we like it or not, freshman composition teachers often have the implied onus of teaching thought as well as writing.

While I may sound pretty convinced of my view, I¡¦m really not.  I¡¦d appreciate other instructor¡¦s experiences with teaching thematic content in a writing classroom.

¡P	How do your students respond to themes such as gender and race? Issues that have much play in the media, though certainly not academically.
¡P	How do your students respond to engaging their parent¡¦s and the media¡¦s ideas?
¡P	Has any one managed to run a successfully skill-based, a-political classroom? What kind of texts were produced? 
¡P	How does your university and/or administrators view thematic content in the writing classroom?
¡P	What do you view as your primary goal as a Freshman Writing instructor: to produce good writing or good writers?
¡P	Do you privilege critical thinking or writing? Is it possible to juggle both? Are they one in the same?

Thanks for giving my module some of your time; I¡¦d appreciate any comments, quibbles, and, especially, answers.

Best to you all,

Noah Hilgert


----- Original Message -----
From: Laura Gray-Rosendale <Laura.Gray-Rosendale@nau.edu>
Date: Monday, September 10, 2007 2:50 pm
Subject: [Teaching_Basic_Writing] NEW MODULE POSTED!!!!!!

> Welcome back, everyone! I sent a welcome message to you this 
> weekend¡V but, since I seem to be having email problems, I am 
> resending a message to the group. My apologies if you have already 
> received this.
> 
> I trust that everyone had a lovely summer! I was able to go to OR 
> for a while¡V-just amazing to be by that ocean coastline 
> (especially for a gal from Arizona). I hope everyone is enjoying 
> the hustle and bustle of the beginning of the semester, too.
> 
> We are commencing the 2007-8 academic year with a module from Noah 
> Hilgert titled ¡§Rocking the Boat: Teaching Analysis and Criticism 
> in the Freshman Composition Classroom.¡¨ Please go to 
> http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/tbw/ to check it out. 
> 
> Noah is currently working towards a Ph.D. with a creative 
> dissertation at Western Michigan University.  His fiction often 
> focuses on the plight of the middle cast, the marginalized, and 
> the misunderstood.  These themes in particular help inform his 
> teaching as he easily empathizes with the problems his students 
> encounter. He has taught composition since 2002, and recently has 
> been teaching introductory classes in creative writing and literature.
> 
> Noah¡¦s module is a crucial one for new and veteran teachers alike. 
> He asks us to consider how we teach critical thinking, reading, 
> and writing to our students¡Vand what is at stake in this process. 
> Find his discussion questions below. Noah, take it away! 
> 
> Best wishes, Laura
> ----------------------------
> 
> Discussion Questions 
> „h  How do I handle students who question my authority? Do I 
> incorporate their misgivings into the classroom philosophy? If 
> yes, how so? If no, why not? 
> „h  When are my students invested in their learning experiences? 
> When are they disinterested? What are some of the tell-tale signs? 
> „h  Do my students engage in criticism and analysis formulaically 
> or organically? That is, do they follow a prescribed recipe for 
> analysis and criticism or does their methodology seem self-
> developed? 
> „h  What are some specific ¡§cultural message makers¡¨ that encourage 
> our prospective students to resist criticism and analysis? 
> „h  When grading, what habits or pet-peeves do I have that might 
> fall under Lower Order Concerns? In what instances are these Lower 
> Order concerns more important than Higher Order and vice versa? 
> „h  Am I comfortable with presenting popular culture texts (such as 
> advertising, style and fashion, sports, and television) in my 
> classroom? Why or why not? What might be gained by asking students 
> to engage critically with ¡§everyday¡¨ texts? What might be lost? 
> „h  When I assign research projects do I allow my students to 
> research popular political issues? Have I created a blacklist of 
> specific topics? 
> „h  Am I interested in the material I¡¦m teaching? What alternatives 
> do I have? Have I explored the issue with my administrator?
> 
> 
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