INTD 105: Writing Seminar.
Disability in Literature: Representing Autism
Fall 2011 Syllabus
Mon/Wed/Fri. 11:30 – 12:20 p.m., Newton 212
Prof. Gillian Paku
paku@geneseo.edu
Office: Welles 218b office tel. 245-5272
Office hours: Mon/Weds/Fri 12:30-1:20 and 2:30-4:00. Other times are available by
individual arrangement. Please make an appointment for a specific time to avoid waiting.
The Writing Seminar is a course focusing on a specific topic while emphasizing writing
practice and instruction, potentially taught by any member of the College faculty.
Because this is primarily a course in writing, reading assignments will be briefer than in
traditional topic courses, and students will prove their understanding of the subject matter
through writing compositions rather than taking examinations.
This particular section will ask you to focus on how autism is represented in literary texts.
We start from the assumption that autism is not just a medical category of dis-ability that
should be “fixed,” but rather a category that is also created by social assumptions and that
can encompass strongly positive attributes. Because autism affects communication skills,
we will read literary texts that are remarkable for what they can communicate through
what they do not say. We will consider the various literary techniques employed by Mark
Haddon in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Kathryn Erskine in
Mockingbird. We'll refine our thinking in the process of writing and rewriting,
assembling evidence, and structuring arguments of appropriate scope and complexity.
All sections of INTD 105 share these learning outcomes:
1. The ability to read significant texts carefully and critically, recognizing and
responding to argumentative positions.
2. The ability to write sustained, coherent, and persuasive arguments on
significant issues that arise from the content at hand.
3. The ability to write clearly, following conventions of Standard English.
COLLEGE POLICIES OF NOTE
 SUNY Geneseo will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented
physical, emotional or learning disabilities. Students should consult with the Director
in the Office of Disability Services (Tabitha Buggie-Hunt, 106 Erwin,
tbuggieh@geneseo.edu) and their individual faculty regarding any needed
accommodations as early as possible in the semester. Information on services and
campus policies can be found at: http://www.geneseo.edu/commencement/disabilities

It is essential to give credit to sources of any ideas that are not your own, as
plagiarism is a serious offense with severe consequences. Each student is responsible
for knowing what constitutes plagiarism and for understanding the college’s policy
and procedures for academic dishonesty, defined in detail the Undergraduate Bulletin
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and on this Milne Library website:
http://library.geneseo.edu/research/plagiarism.shtml
You should familiarize yourself with the resources available to you at The Writing Center
in Milne and Welles: their philosophy is my philosophy.
I have taken part in Rape Crisis Faculty Training and I strongly support Geneseo’s
Stand^Up Pledge to make Geneseo an inclusive, positive, civil, and respectful
community: http://www.geneseo.edu/standup. Report - and be! - a “positive” today.
Required Texts:
Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in
Academic Writing, 2nd ed. (New York: Norton, 2010)
Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (New York: Vintage
Books, 2003).
Kathryn Erskine, Mockingbird (New York: Philomel, 2010)
I will make supplementary excerpts and essays available to you, usually on myCourses.
SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS:
W 01/18
F 01/20
M 01/23
W 01/25
F 01/27
M 01/30
W 02/01
F 02/03
M 02/06
Discussion of syllabus and assignments; intro to Disability Studies; class
community.
Read in advance: both prefaces to They Say / I Say xiii-xxvi.
Discuss complex texts.
Read in advance: They Say / I Say 4.11 and Krebs article on myCourses.
3 MLA quotation basics.
Read in advance: Introduction to They Say / I Say pages 1-15.
Read in advance: They Say / I Say 1.1 and Harmon article on myCourses.
Read in advance: They Say / I Say 1.2, and Baron-Cohen article on
myCourses, and Haddon, Curious Incident pages 1-18.
Read in advance: They Say / I Say 1.3. Continue to discuss Baron-Cohen
article. MLA quotation quiz. Discuss “theory of mind” (ToM and E-S
Theory).
Discuss Haddon, Curious Incident pages 1-18: critical thinking and the
analytical formula.
Summary exercise of Burks-Abbott article due: 7.5%
Read in advance: Curious Incident 19–69: forming an argument of
appropriate scope and complexity. In-class exercise writing a contestable
thesis and intro.
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W 02/08
F 02/10
Read in advance: Curious Incident 69–144: analytical techniques
In-class: Williams exercises on agency and action
Analytical paragraph on Curious Incident due (1-page): 5%
M 02/13
Read in advance: Curious Incident 144–end and They Say / I Say 2.4, 2.5,
and 2.7. Group work on the three main ways of responding.
Peer-edit Curious Incident intro and first paragraph.
Peer-edit Curious Incident intro and first paragraph.
W 02/15
F 02/17
M 02/20
W 02/22
F 02/24
Grammar  : comma splices, coordinating conjunctions, pronoun
agreement, etc.
Curious Incident introductory paragraphs due (1-2 pp): 7%
Read in advance: They Say / I Say 3.8
Read in advance: They Say / I Say 3.10. Cut up one of your own essays.
M 02/27
W 02/29
F 03/02
Peer-edit Curious Incident full paper
Peer-edit Curious Incident full paper
No class: plagiarism workshop and writing in the social or natural
sciences.
M 03/05
W 03/07
Comments on introductory paragraphs
Geneseo Food Project
Full Essay on Curious Incident due (4 pp): 12.5%
Theory of Mind or autism article TBD [myCourses]
F 03/09
M 03/12; W 03/14; F 03/16 Spring Break – no class [you could read Erskine,
Mockingbird]
M 03/19
W 03/21
F 03/23
M 03/26
W 03/28
F 03/30
Graff and Birkenstein visit – no class: plagiarism workshop; exercise on
writing in the natural and social sciences.
Compulsory meetings during class or my office hours.
Compulsory meetings during class or my office hours.
Read in advance: They Say / I Say 2.6.
Discuss integrating research into a paragraph
Library research session: Milne Library
Citing research using MLA in-text and bibliographic formats
M 04/02
W 04/04
F 04/06
Snowcake. Quiz on MLA citation format.
Snowcake. Worksheet.
Snowcake. Discussion.
Revision of Curious Incident paper due (4-5 pp): 20%
M 04/09
W 04/11
F 04/13
Erskine, Mockingbird
Erskine, Mockingbird
Erskine, Mockingbird
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M 04/16
W 04/18
F 04/20
Peer-edit Mockingbird full paper
Peer-edit Mockingbird full paper
Kingsley essay on myCourses.
M 04/23
W 04/25
F 04/27
What’s It Like? Or Temple Grandin interview.
Essay on Mockingbird due (4 pp): 15%
Read in advance: They Say / I Say 3.9. Discussion of comparison paper
Peer-edit comparison full paper
M 04/30
Peer-edit comparison full paper
Final Exam: Essay due Wednesday, May 9, 2012,
12:00-3:00 p.m. in Newton 212. 15%.
Assignments:
Summary exercise
7.5%
Analytical paragraph
5%
Introductory paragraphs
7%
Curious Incident essay
12.5%
Curious Incident revision
20%
Mockingbird essay
15%
Comparison essay
15%
Class participation
20%
The class participation grade will include a combination of your participation in class and
group discussions, your performance on quizzes, worksheets, and exercises, meetings
during office hours, the library visit and the plagiarism workshop, and the helpfulness of
your peer-editing suggestions. This participation grade often has a large impact on your
final grade.
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