I'm shifting through possible books online this weekend and a few questions have been popping up.
For example, how many books are too many? By this I mean is there a point where students are reading too much and the readings are taking away from writing time? At the moment, I'm looking at having three books: one handbook, one reader that deals with language and writing at the college level, and one with readings on contemporary America. I'm looking at books from St. Martin, mostly because I don't the time to look for any other publishers. Their website is also very helpful and has specific details on all of their books.
Thematically, I'm thinking that my class will revolve around the theme of contemporary American culture. Under this umbrella, topics can include things like pop culture, video games, national events/tragedies, conspiracy theories, etc. I admit, I'm choosing the theme on basically personal reasons - I don't want to read and assign books that I don't want to read (and conversely, I think I'll be more interested in student's writings on these subjects).
Now here's a problem I'm having.
I'm trying to decide among a few books - namely between books that have a bunch of editorial stuff (assignment ideas, writing prompts), and other books that don't have much in the way of writing guides (as far as I can tell from the websites) but really interesting chapters and thematic material. Which route would you guys take?
Are there any resources for writing assignments in general?
I'm also interested in what (if any) themes you guys will be using next semester.
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9 comments:
More questions.
How soon can we get our own personal copies (with instuction manuals)?
Do we have to pay for them?
hey brandon,
your theme sounds pretty cool. how will you do the videogame thing? this seems to be a pretty popular topic, but i wouldn't know where to begin. i've never played one. do the assignments/discussions come out of the students' experiences with videogames, or is it more a sociological study?
i assigned three books, plus the mandatory thing from the writing department. in addition, we had heaps of xeroxed reading material (the xeroxes probably made up 50% of the course reading material). i feel pretty good about this amount--mainly because i really believe reading improves writing. so i wouldn't worry about being bookheavy.
it's interesting to me that we're supposed to (or maybe encouraged?) do our book shopping by publisher. i didn't do this when i organized my class--i just chose the theme and then pieced together the most relevant texts. and i think i'll always do it this way. that said, bedford/st martins is probably my favorite big publishing house.
as for your question: would the theoretical books be for you, or would you assign them as texts for your student? i'm assuming the former, in which case i'll cast my vote to try and scoop up all the books you can, ie: both.
i had to pay for my books, but this might be because i entered the school year pretty late.
i'd bet you could get your copies before the semester's over if you call the rep for bedford/st martins. of course, didn't she blow you off or something? perhaps gerry winter in the writing department has another contact there.
Mel - You've never played a video game in your entire life? Even my mom has played one by accident.
Brandon - I'm doing a similar topic, so we should talk to each other about the books we've found, etc.
I am going to be using three books in my class. The handbook, an introduction to academic writing, and a work of fiction. I do not think three books is too much.
I cannot decide what my theme should be. I was entertaining a theme of authentic voice and had a pretty cool book talking about it called Wrtier's Prescence, but the theme just didn't fit my goal for the class as a whole. It would fit better with an expository prose class, or fiction writing class, I think.
I am using a fiction book in my class and am worried that that is frowned upon. haha... The reading of it isn't the primary focus of the class, however, so I think it will be ok.
In thinking about making my syllabus, I now realize how short 15 weeks are! It is hard to fit everything we need to do in. (Peer review, readings, conferences. . . )
Are you guys going to use multi-modal projects in your classes? I am incorporating an Audacity project into my course. The program is very user friendly, and I think the students will joy the change of pace. Plus, it is always good to expose them to new programs! A friend of mine has her students do a project in movie-maker, so that is an option too.
bob,
yknow, i've played pacman a few times on an old arcade thing in the lobby of this lodge/water park my family used to belong to when i was young, so technically yes. but i'd say i've never "played" in the sense that i've been invested enough to actually want to win, or even learn the full capacity of the game. i guess i'd consider my video game experience more like your mom's: accidental. i realize i'm probably the minority, but i wonder how a teacher with this theme would get around students like me. apathy toward video games has to be pretty common, right? isn't it a pretty gendered recreational activity? pam, didn't you teach a course on gaming? did you face any resistance?
writing all this, i'm realizing i'd be quite interested in taking a writing course on video games, so long as it was anthropological. i just have very limited direct experience with the stuff, and no real desire to get any.
ashley, what fiction book are you using?
bob,
yknow, i've played pacman a few times on an old arcade thing in the lobby of this lodge/water park my family used to belong to when i was young, so technically yes. but i'd say i've never "played" in the sense that i've been invested enough to actually want to win, or even learn the full capacity of the game. i guess i'd consider my video game experience more like your mom's: accidental. i realize i'm probably the minority, but i wonder how a teacher with this theme would get around students like me. apathy toward video games has to be pretty common, right? isn't it a pretty gendered recreational activity? pam, didn't you teach a course on gaming? did you face any resistance?
writing all this, i'm realizing i'd be quite interested in taking a writing course on video games, so long as it was anthropological. i just have very limited direct experience with the stuff, and no real desire to get any.
I finally got my teaching assignment—I’m so excited! Even more excited that it’s not at 7:45 in the morning. So, yes, it looks like I’ll be teaching at 12:00 on MWF if everything stays the same. Not bad at all! Having a schedule and room number makes it seem like a reality. I’m even starting to get a little nervous!
Anyway, moving on:
Brandon, you’re right: the Bedford/St Martin’s website is helpful. At least we can browse subjects and check out the table of contents. I had wanted to shop around, but I think I’ll just go with Bedford/St Martin’s since it’s getting late. Plus, they seem to have a good variety of material anyway. I’m glad we had the opportunity to look at their selection earlier in the semester. I really wish I look physically look at the book and review/read the material, though! Making a choice based on a table of contents is making me nervous!
I think incorporating topics on videogames could be cool if approached well. Graphic novels have also become a popular addition to English courses, which is great, but I wish instructors would go beyond V for Vendetta. As for videogames, I never really considered it, but I think there’s a lot you could explore from a cultural and artistic perspective—demographics, perception, and such—in order to go beyond the over-hyped “violence in the media” topic. I think there are things you could discuss regarding the use of language, like voice-over and poor translation. I know this is a bit dated, but do you all remember that “All Your Base Are Belong To Us” thing from six or so years ago?! Wow, that still makes me laugh…
I planned on using three books as well. It seems like most of us are—I think Jillian mentioned she was using three too. I don’t think it’s too much, and the cost is typical: if you’re going with Bedford/St. Martin’s, most of their textbooks seem to be in the $50 range. Along with a handbook and some kind of essay compilation (I’m leaning towards Open Questions from Bedfords/St Martins), I’m looking for a work of fiction that’s contemporary, under 300 pages, and not too esoteric. Something I can build into my course theme. It’s a bit of a challenge, though! My first inclination was Children of Men—but I don’t know. My course plan is still a work in progress!
So, Ashley, I’ll be using a fiction book as well—preferably a novella or play. Something short and approachable--“Literature Lite,” I suppose! I decided to add a fiction work because I thought I should stick with my strengths, rather than attempt to conglomerate articles and other media sources. Those are still things I’d like to incorporate, but I’d like to have a short book as part of the foundational material. I also think that reading—and a variety of reading—promotes good writing. And of the classes I’ve observed so far, all of the 11011 instructors used a fiction work. So I don’t think it’s that abnormal. I think it’s just important to coordinate it with the other course material—whatever it may be—and to use a book that will appeal to and provoke students at this level. Something that will help prompt their writing. Focusing on writing rather than reading will keep it from turning into a literature class. And, no, I haven’t quite figured this out yet, but that’s my objective! In one of my 11011 observations, the instructor used some kind of historical fiction book on WWII as part of a “science and humanism” theme. The class discussed topics such as theism, Nietzsche, and existentialism. Obviously, these are challenging topics. Unfortunately, the discussions lagged and most of the students just seemed confused. Hey, existentialism still confuses me! Although I want students to be challenged, this observation reminded me to pick texts with caution! Some things are just too much. I’m trying to keep this difficult balance in mind as I hunt for material and books.
Pam gave me some really good book suggestions relating to my topic, so I suggest you go to her before you make your final decision. It looks like none of my book choices are going to be coming from college-specific publishing houses.
Right now I'm using the book Convergence Culture as a sort of guideline for my theme--it's really good! I want my class to focus on contemporary issues regarding media and pop culture, and how both media and pop culture are now much more active and participatory on the consumer end of things. The author has also done a lot of writing on online communities (some of them being fan communities) that I'm very anxious to read. It's interesting to see how people are so actively involved in their media-related interests thanks to modern technology (I know I am).
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