Teaching &
CTE Newsletter
Volume II
Where do you draw
your inspiration from
for teaching?
My most pervasive
inspiration is my mom,
who taught fifth and
sixth graders. She
was committed to the
profession and tried
to make teaching both
intellectually rigorous
and fun for the
students. When you grow up around a person
who sees teaching as a lifestyle rather than a
job, it rubs off on you.
Vince Lombardi is also a constant source of
inspiration for me. I grew up in Green Bay,
Wisconsin, so the ghost of Lombardi suffused
nearly every aspect of growing up, but I came
to revere him in later years not as a football
coach, but as a teacher (he often claimed that
coaching is actually teaching). For years now
I have placed one of my favorite bites from
him at the end of all my syllabi: “The quality
of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their
commitment to excellence, regardless of their
chosen field of endeavor.” The key points of his
coaching philosophy had easy (and intentional)
application to the world off the football field,
including the classroom. He demanded
excellence from his players, was firm but always
fair, preached the importance of preparation,
and he would not tolerate bigotry in any form
on his teams. Most of all, he firmly believed
that what often separated the mediocre players
from the stars was not a level of talent, but
effectiveness of teaching.
How do you create a safe/comfortable
classroom that encourages all of your students
to participate in class?
I have two strategies that I use: intimidation
and respect. At the beginning of each semester
I purposely present myself a bit aggressively
to show that I’m the alpha dog in the room in
order to intimidate would-be trouble-makers.
To what extent that works, I’m not sure, but
I’ve never had any significant problems in this
respect. Much more important towards the
creation of a good environment is to show—
clearly—that I have respect for the students
and their ideas. It’s absolutely vital to take
seriously any and every comment and question
presented in earnest by the students. I may
have to tell the students that they’re wrong,
but never in a way that will belittle them, or so
I try. When other students in the class see me
giving serious consideration to the thoughts of
their colleagues, they’ll be more willing to try
out their own ideas on me and, likewise, they’ll
take themselves and their fellow students more
seriously and respectfully.
What is your most fundamental value as a
teacher?
First, I try never to turn away a student
who wants to be taught, even if it will be
burdensome. I’ve had several semesters in
which I’ve taught five or more classes because
someone needed a directed reading or I was
doing a class for the Academy for Lifelong
Learning. Second, I try to teach towards my
highest expectations for the students, not the
lowest common denominator. Most students,
I’ve found, rise to the challenge and many will
do better than even they thought possible. I
also feel better about myself as a
Learning
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Eric Carlson, Associate Professor of English
Fall 2014
teacher as a result.
Describe the best teacher you ever had
and how that experience informs your
own teaching.
Jeez, where do I start? Many people will
point to that one teacher that changed
their world, but I had the blessing of
having at least half a dozen like that, each
of whom added another piece to my
pedagogical pie. Let me give you three
examples from a huge list of influences...
Mr. Bugni was my seventh grade biology
teacher, and I still follow his example to
this day: keep the students engaged via
a torrent of bad jokes and startling antics
(such as how to kill a tapeworm with
donuts and a hammer) and they’ll soak
up massive amounts of information along
the way.
Then there was Mrs. Appel, my junior and
senior English teacher. How I despised
her at that time! She hammered us on
grammar and screeched at us to learn the
Latin roots of English lexicon. Hogwash,
I thought! (Yet years later I hammer
my students on grammar and preach
the importance of learning Latin roots.
Hmmm...) Most importantly, though, she
gave me an F on a research paper because
I forgot to cite statistical information. She
let me rewrite it for a D-, teaching me a
valuable lesson about the expectations for
academic writing. She was a proverbial
pebble in my shoe, but she taught me
how to write in and think about the
English language, and her firm stance on
standards and expectations (and following
directions!) has definitely rubbed off on
me.
And then, finally, there’s Prof. Shaun
Hughes at Purdue—my dissertation
director. He is a man who is renowned for
his depth and breadth of knowledge on all
sorts of different topics, yet his attention
to detail in the learning process is both
amazing and maddening; his handwritten
responses on my research papers often
rivaled my paper itself in length. And
then I remember one night when a new
Ph.D. student asked him what she should
read on a certain topic, and his immediate
deadpan response was “everything.” In
many ways his teaching encompasses all
of my philosophies as both a teacher and
a student—know everything, and sharpen
your thoughts to a razor’s edge.
What is the one thing you hope students
remember about you?
While I’m fairly certain I’ll be remembered
as the professor with all the tattoos
and earrings, I would hope that I’m
remembered for the my depth of
knowledge and commitment. Either way,
I’ll take it.
Choose three phrases that best illustrate
your approach to teaching and tell us
why you made those selections.
Demand excellence (see above).
Allow the students to surprise you. I can
figure out 95% of the students in the first
couple of weeks of class, but my happiest
moments teaching are when those
students on the low end of the scale
improve themselves beyond my initial
assessment. Be willing to change things
up, even the things that are working. The
worst is when good lessons go stale. Even
great lessons might not be totally effective
when recycled because the dynamic of
every class is different. I try constantly to
reassess what I’m doing in class and why.
What are your biggest teaching
challenges?
For me the biggest challenge is to figure
out where the line lies between what I
want the students to learn and what I can
reasonably expect them to learn. I don’t
dumb down the content, of course, but
when I inevitably throw the student into
the deep end of the intellectual pool the
course content shouldn’t be a boulder
tied to his or her ankles.
What makes you unique as a teacher?
I combine of playfulness and intellectual
rigor. Many students don’t think these
two traits can work together, but I show
them differently. (Thank you, Mr. Bugni!)
What techniques would you use to keep
students actively engaged in the learning
process?
I’ll ask simple but potentially outrageous
questions that compel students to
respond. I tell stories and jokes. I yell. I
fall down. One day last semester I wore
a dress and a big, floppy hat. Sometimes
I try to scare them. I’ll do just about
anything to keep their attention, as long
as I can bring it back to the lesson at
some point. I’m willing to act like a clown
just to keep them interested in me; I
figure that a student who pays attention
merely for my antics has a better chance
of learning than if they’ve tuned out
completely.
What suggestion would you give to new
faculty interested in teaching at USCA?
Teach to your strengths and constantly
attempt to improve your weaknesses.
Take some pedagogical chances and have
fun.
Please tell us about your chosen
discipline. How long have you worked in
or taught it? What made you interested
in the area? What keeps you interested
in the area?
My academic discipline is medieval
literature and, to a lesser degree,
historical linguistics; at Purdue I studied
Old English language and literature,
Middle English language and literature,
Old Norse language and literature,
Gothic language, history of English, IndoEuropean linguistics, medieval Latin, and
Dante. (Whew!) However, Old English
and Old Norse are my specialties. Most of
my scholarly output has been in these two
areas, and my work usually discusses the
normative cultural function(s) of violence
in these texts. I first got interested in Old
English language as an undergraduate, but
at the time I was planning to become a
Hemingway scholar. Then in the first year
of my M.A. at DePaul (1995) I had the
opportunity to take a class on Beowulf in
the original Old English, and I was hooked.
What keeps me interested? That’s like
asking my dog why he never fails to bark
at squirrels after all these years. It’s just
what he does, and it’s a fundamental part
of his being. I don’t doubt that I’ll be I’ll
be ruminating on Beowulf and Njal’s Saga
till I’ve shuffled loose from this mortal
coil. God willing, that won’t be for a
while...
! * ! * ! * !
NEW and revised
CTE website
Please take a minute to check
out all of the changes to the CTE
website.
We have eliminated some
outdated material and added
current information on many of
the pages.
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First Year Students
In Fall of 1977, as a graduate assistant
in a Master’s program at Clemson, I
began teaching Freshman Composition
(or First Year Comp: FYC, as it’s often
called). Now, after all of these years
of teaching freshmen, I’m sometimes
asked if students have “gotten worse.”
I’ve grown used to hearing complaints
about new college students not having
college skills, and I have to chuckle because I know that complaints
about students have regularly surfaced since the earliest days of
educational history. Students who have entered colleges across
the ages have been new to the expectations of college, and they
always come into the college classroom with many skills from
their primary and secondary experiences. Students in FYC simply
need to learn that writing for college has many formats which
change depending on the content and discipline of the course.
Each new writing situation has new rules, and each professor
will have somewhat different expectations. A huge leap for most
incoming freshmen is the realization that MLA is not the only style
for documentation, and the Internet is not the only source for
research.
Students have generally been taught in high schools to view
research writing as report writing, the simple gathering and
summarizing of sources. This description of entering students does
not mean that most of them are ill-prepared in terms of what they
know. Their previous teachers have had a tremendously hard task,
and I will not blame prior teachers if some students have not been
fully prepared as learners. Possibly I will be the first teacher who
expects them to read complicated texts, to analyze what they read
in a rhetorical and systematic approach, to compose in various
genres, and to engage in the challenge of intellectual work. I know
that I won’t be the last teacher with high expectations for them, so
I seek to prepare freshmen for the academic challenges that they
will surely face.
In every class that I teach, I expect to build on and complicate
the students’ prior knowledge, whatever that is. By definition,
most students are “novices.” Thus I strive to provide a rich diet
of reading and writing activities. In particular for FYC, I introduce
students to the concepts of developing an argument through
synthesis of sources and their own voices. In general, FYC
students need a great deal of scaffolding and support, so I model,
demonstrate, and conference with each writer. Certain students
believe that as long as they try really hard, they deserve an A,
but I try to move students to see the task of learning as more
important than their expectations for a particular grade. Many
students will reach a competent level after a semester or two of
academic instruction, but certainly no single course will take care
of all the instruction that is needed for the maturity of academic
writers. Helping students learn to write more effectively should
be every teacher’s responsibility. In FYC, students can be given an
orientation to the processes of close reading, careful note-taking,
inquiry, and evaluation of sources so that students can continue
to grow throughout their college years as academic readers and
writers. Some students do resist the work required for longer-term
understanding. Some students don’t buy into the concept of
academic pursuits. Some students simply do not have enough
time in their busy lives. They struggle to move past the idea that
a research paper (or any type of writing) only has a function
of earning them a grade. To deal with these complications for
learning, I encourage each student to think of research as a way to
satisfy some curiosity about a subject. I want my students to realize
that as their reader, I am especially interested in arguments which
are well-supported by a variety of credible evidence. First I try to
figure out what students already know (or think that they know)
about academic writing, which topics might engage each student,
and where particular students need strengthening. I adapt my
feedback and suggestions to each student’s needs – no small task
in a sixteen-week semester with over eighty students whose drafts
require much feedback. I allow for multiple revisions, but I also
emphasize that following the writing process can make the task
more effective and less painful to produce.
I also demonstrate the growth that students should expect. I make
sure that I write with my students to remind myself that every new
assignment requires planning and strategies that I must model for
them. I remind myself that writing is hard work! And I provide a
mix of praise, questions, and suggestions for revision that will help
each student to feel successful at some point, so that the student
feels competent enough to continue on task, while realizing that
continuous improvements can be made.
Even after teaching in the FYC classroom for 35+ years, I am
reminded each Fall, when the new students enter my classroom,
that I am still learning to be a better writer too. Even such notable
authors as William Zinsser, whose classic guide On Writing Well
advises, “Fear of writing gets planted in American school children
at an early age [who are] led to believe
Contact information
that writing is a special language owned
Please feel free to contact any of the following CTE Advisory Committee
by the English teacher.” In contrast,
members with workshop ideas or questions:
anyone who can think clearly can
Dr. Timothy Lintner, Director/Chair
Education tlintner@usca.edu
also learn to write clearly. Because
writing is a craft, I’ve enjoyed the
Dr. Andrew Dyer
Biology
andyd@usca.edu
opportunities that teaching FYC allow
Prof. Karl Fornes
English
karlf@usca.edu
me and my students, to engage with
Dr. Vicki Long
Nursing
vickil@usca.edu
challenging ideas, to read carefully and
Dr. Paul Newsom Business
pauln@usca.edu
constructively, and to strive both for
Dr. Brian Parr
Exercise & Sports Science
brianp@usca.edu
clear thinking and for effective – and
possibly even exquisite - uses of our
Dr. Jen Regelski
Education
jenniferr@usca.edu
wonderful English language.
Prof. Kari Weaver
Library
kariw@usca.edu
Dr. Christine Wernet
Sociology
christinew@usca.edu
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Fall 2014
CTE Workshops – Fall 2014
Excellence in Teaching Series
Sponsored by the CTE and the New Faculty Orientation
Committee
Featuring the 2014 USC Aiken Excellence in Teaching Award
Recipient
Dr. Eric Carlson, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Friday, August 22, 2:00 p.m.
B&E 116
All faculty invited to attend. Reception provided in honor of
new faculty.
Critical Inquiry (CI) Learning Community Meeting
Sponsored by the CTE
Presenter:
Dr. Drew Geyer, Coordinator of Critical Inquiry
**This meeting is required of all current CI instructors**
Friday, August 29, 2:30 p.m.
H&SS 103
CTE Workshop – “First Tuesday” Brown Bag Series
Sponsored by the CTE and the New Faculty Orientation
Committee
Discussion Topic: Balancing Teaching, Scholarship, and Service
Bring your lunch and join in on an informal discussion of this
topic.
Moderator:
Prof. Vicki Collins, Senior Instructor, Dept. of English
Dr. Michelle Petrie, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Sociology
Dr. Michele Harmon, Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Biology and
Geology
Dr. Tom Smyth, Professor, School of Education
Tuesday, September 2, 12:15-1:15 p.m.
B&E 1st Floor Conference Room – 102
CTE Technology: Blackboard Workshop
Sponsored by the CTE and Instructional Services
This is a two part workshop: Session 1) Beginning Users,
Session 2) Advanced topics.
Presenters:
Keith Pierce, Director, Instructional Services
Renee Shaffer, Instructional Designer, Technology Services, USC
Columbia
Friday, September 5
Session 1: 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Session 2: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
B&E 238-E
CTE Workshop – “A Collegiate’s Guide to Identifying and Safely
Responding to Students who are a Danger to Self and Others”
Sponsored by the CTE and the Office of the Chancellor
Presenter: Dr. Renae Duncan, A Clinical Psychologist and Expert
on Violent Behavior on College Campuses
Friday, September 19, 2:00 p.m.
B&E 140
Abstract: Using data from post-mortem investigations of high
school, work place, and university killings we will explore the
reality behind violent behavior and rampage attacks and how
to use this knowledge to reduce the likelihood of a violent
attack on the university campus. We will also discuss in detail
what individual faculty and staff members should do if they
identify a student who exhibits behaviors of concern whether
these behaviors occur in the classroom, an office, or another
setting. The relationship between campus culture and climate
and violent behavior will be explored with an emphasis on
encouraging faculty and staff to modify their environments in
a way that will reduce the likelihood of aggressive behavior. Finally, participants will learn how to identify students who
might be at risk of self-harm and how to help these students
receive the help they need.
CTE Workshop – “First Tuesday” Brown Bag Series
Sponsored by the CTE and the Promotion and Tenure
Committee
Discussion Topic: “Writing a Teaching Philosophy”
Bring your lunch and join in on an informal discussion of this
topic.
Moderators:
TBD
Tuesday, October 7, 12:15- 1:30 p.m.
B&E 1st Floor Conference Room – 102
Critical Inquiry (CI) Learning Community Meeting
Sponsored by the CTE
Presenter:
Dr. Drew Geyer, Coordinator of Critical Inquiry
**This meeting is required of all current CI instructors**
Friday, October 17, 2:00-3:30 pm
H&SS 103
CTE Workshop – “First Tuesday” Brown Bag Series
Discussion Topic: Plagiarism: Educating Your Students
Bring your lunch and join in on an informal discussion of this
topic.
Moderators:
Prof. Karl Fornes, Dept. of English
Prof. Deborah Tritt, Gregg-Graniteville Library
Tuesday, November 11, 1:45- 3:00 p.m.
B&E 1st Floor Conference Room – 102
Critical Inquiry (CI) Learning Community Meeting
Sponsored by the CTE
Presenter:
Dr. Drew Geyer, Coordinator of Critical Inquiry
**This meeting is required of all current CI instructors**
Friday, December 5, 2:30 p.m.
H&SS 103
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