COMPOSITION THEORY AND LITERACY STUDIES
Dr. Kevin L. Ferguson
Office: Klapper 711
kferguson@qc.cuny.edu
ENGL 703 (E4M2A): Spring 2012
Mondays, 4:30-6:20, Klapper 708
Office Hours: Mondays, 3:00-4:00
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Most students in the process of earning an advanced degree in
English are strong writers. But even the most skilled writer may be puzzled about how to teach
others to write well. This course has three primary goals: 1) to reflect on our own writing
practices in the context of literacy learning and teaching, 2) to investigate contemporary
scholarship in composition and writing studies, and 3) to situate composition scholarship within
the field of literacy studies. Students will be expected to examine the curricular, pedagogical, and
theoretical contexts that shape teaching and learning as a way to begin developing their own
composition pedagogies. The course focuses on both concrete teaching practices (course and
assignment design, conferences and peer workshopping, feedback and evaluation) and larger
theoretical issues (the circulation of literacy, formulaic writing, language standards, and
technology). The course is designed as a seminar with substantial weekly reading, a shared class
blog, and formal writing assignments.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES for students include:
• to demonstrate familiarity with general theories of teaching writing, reading, and composition.
• to apply those theories to aspects of their own teaching practice.
• to have acquired a range of practical tools for the teaching of literacy, such as how to craft
assignments, mark written assignments, and give students feedback.
• to understand how to use digital technologies as pedagogical tools.
REQUIRED COURSE READINGS:
All readings are pdfs on our class blog: http://comptheory.qwriting.org/ [password: comptheory]
You should bring a printed copy of the readings to class.
ASSIGNMENTS:
a) Three Reading Responses posted on our shared class blog. These should be substantial (400500 word) responses to ideas from the week’s assigned readings. You don’t need to discuss
every reading, and you should not summarize the readings. Instead, do things like: identify a
conflict between two authors, present a question that builds on an author’s argument, or connect
the readings to a real-world situation. These will follow a schedule to be made the first week of
class, and are due Friday at midnight. Everyone in the class will then have the weekend to read
these posts and leave a substantial comment (~100 words) on at least two of them by Sunday at
midnight. On the following Monday, one of the posters will present to the class a brief (five
minute) synthesis of the posts and comments, offering two or three discussion questions.
To summarize: three times a semester you will write long posts, each weekend you will comment
on two of your peers’ posts, and once during the semester you will present to the class.
Queens College / CUNY • 65-30 Kissena Blvd. • Flushing, NY 11367
2/4
b) A brief (2-3 page) Literacy Narrative. This can be about your experience learning to read, to
write, to teach, or any other kind of personal interaction you have had with literacy. Post on blog.
c) Statement of Teaching Philosophy (~4 pages). Details will be distributed later, but here’s
some initial advice: http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Write-a-Statement-of/45133/. We will
revise this three times throughout the semester to take into account the theories we discuss.
d) Conference Proposal. Submit a proposal for a conference on composition studies (CFP to
come). Your proposal should 1) state your question/problem and your argument, 2) summarize
the scholarly framework for your argument, 3) note your method and 3-4 points of your talk’s
development and, 4) describe how your presentation would contribute to the topic.
PARTICIPATION: Since participation is crucial to your success, you should not miss more
than one class. I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences. If you come
unprepared to class, you are not present; “coming unprepared” includes such things as not doing
the reading, not bringing the text to class, sleeping during class, not making an effort to
participate, arriving late or leaving early. If you know you cannot attend, contact me before to
ask about homework; I do not accept late assignments.
SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION: If you have a learning, sensory, or physical reason for
special accommodation, please inform me and the Office of Special Services at 718-997-5895.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
http://web.cuny.edu/academics/info-central/policies/academic-integrity.pdf
Violations of academic integrity include: cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty,
plagiarism, and denying others access to information or material. It is the student’s responsibility
to be aware of what constitutes academic dishonesty; students who are unsure of whether their
work meets criteria for academic integrity should consult with their instructor. Students should
look at the full policy, which provides further examples and possible consequences for
incidences of academic dishonesty.
I have a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism and academic dishonesty. The minimum
punishment for plagiarism is an F as a final grade and being reported to the campus officer.
GRADING:
• Three Reading Responses (blog posts): 25 points
• Presentation of Reading Responses to class: 10 points
• Weekly responses to blog posts: 20 points
• Literacy Narrative: 15 points
• Conference Proposal: 15 points
• Statement of Teaching Philosophy: 15 points
Queens College / CUNY • 65-30 Kissena Blvd. • Flushing, NY 11367
3/4
COURSE CALENDAR
1/30 Course Introduction
2/6 Teach Composition and Save the World?
• Stanley Fish, “What Should Colleges Teach?” Part I, II, and III, New York Times (2009).
• Patricia Bizzell, “Composition Studies Saves the World,” College English 72.2 (2009): 174-187.
• Donald Lazere, “Stanley Fish’s Tightrope Act,” College English 71.5 (2009): 528-538.
2/13 NO CLASS
2/20 NO CLASS
2/27 Literacy Studies
• Harvey Graff, excerpt from The Literacy Myth (New York: Academic Press, 1979).
• Deborah Brandt, “Sponsors of Literacy,” CCC 49 (1998): 165-185.
• Deborah Brandt and Katie Clinton, “Limits of the Local: Expanding Perspectives on Literacy as
Social Practice,” Journal of Literacy Research 34 (2002): 337-356.
• Due: Literacy Narrative
3/5 Perspectives on Writing and the Teaching of Writing
• Wayne Booth, “The Rhetorical Stance,” CCC 14.3 (1963): 139-45.
• Sondra Perl, “Understanding Composing,” CCC 31.4 (1980): 363-369.
• Patricia Bizzell, “Cognition, Convention and Certainty,” Pre/Text 3 (1982): 213-43.
• Peter Elbow, “Being a Writer vs. Being an Academic,” CCC 46.1 (1995): 72-83.
3/12 Writing Assignments
• John C. Bean, “Ch. 5: Formal Writing Assignments” and “Ch. 6: Informal, Exploratory Writing
Activities” from Engaging Ideas (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001).
3/19 Formulaic Writing and the Five-Paragraph Essay
• Gabriele Lusser Rico, “Against Formulaic Writing,” The English Journal 77.6 (1988): 57-58.
• Deborah Dean, “Muddying Boundaries,” The English Journal 90.1 (2000): 53-56.
• Kimberly Wesley, “The Ill Effects of the Five Paragraph Theme,” The English Journal 90.1
(2000): 57-60.
• Mark Wiley, “The Popularity of Formulaic Writing (and Why We Need to Resist),” The English
Journal 90.1 (2000): 61-67.
• Tracy A. Novick, “Praise for the Five Paragraph Essay,” The English Journal 90.3 (2001): 12.
• Kerri Smith, “In Defense of the Five-Paragraph Essay,” The English Journal 95.4 (2006): 16-17.
• Due: Statement of Teaching Philosophy
3/26 Revision, Or Writing It Over and Over and Over Again
• Donald Murray, “Teaching Writing as Process not Product” (1972): 3-6.
• Nancy Sommers, “Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers”
(1980): 43-54.
• Anne Lamott, “Shitty First Drafts” from Bird by Bird (New York: Pantheon, 1994): 21-27.
• Joseph Harris, “Revision as Critical Practice,” College English 65.6 (July 2003): 577-592.
Queens College / CUNY • 65-30 Kissena Blvd. • Flushing, NY 11367
4/4
4/2 Grading, Responding to Student Writing, and Minimal Marking
• Nancy Sommers, “Responding to Student Writing,” CCC 33.2 (1982): 148-156.
• Richard H. Haswell, “Minimal Marking,” College English 45.6 (1983): 600-604.
• Peter Elbow, “Ranking, Evaluating and Liking,” College English 55.2 (1993): 187-206.
• Peter Elbow, “High Stakes and Low Stakes in Assigning and Responding to Writing,” New
Directions for Teaching and Learning 69 (1997): 5-13.
• Due: Revised Statement of Teaching Philosophy
4/9 NO CLASS
4/16 Grammar and Language Conventions
• Patrick Hartwell, “Grammar, Grammars and the Teaching of Grammar,” College English 47.2
(1985): 105-27.
• Martha Kolln, “A Comment on ‘Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching of Grammar’ [by
Patrick Hartwell],” College English 47.8 (1985): 874-877.
• Robert J. Connors, “Mechanical Correctness as a Focus in Composition Instruction,” CCC 36
(1985): 61-72.
• Peter Elbow, “Inviting the Mother Tongue: Beyond ‘Mistakes,’ ‘Bad English,’ and ‘Wrong
Language,’” JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory 19.3 (1999): 359-388.
4/23 Standards
• Lil Brannon, “The Problem of National Standards,” CCC 46.3 (1995): 440-45.
• Lori A.S. Kixmiller, “Standards without Sacrifice,” The English Journal 94.1 (2004): 29-33.
• “Learning Standards for New York State,” http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/pub/standards.pdf
• NCTE, “Standard for English Language Arts,” http://www.ncte.org/standards
• Due: Conference Proposal
4/30 Second Language Learning and World Englishes
• Sondra Perl, “The Composing Process of Unskilled College Writers” (1979): 17-39.
• Mike Rose, “The Language of Exclusion,” College English 47.4 (1985): 341-359.
• A. Suresh Cangarajah, “The Place of World Englishes in Composition: Pluralization
Continued,” CCC 57.4 (2006): 586-619.
5/7 Teaching with Technology
• James P. Purdy, “Wikipedia is Good for You!?” from Writing Spaces (2010): 205-224.
• James Gee, “Ch. 2: Semiotic Domains” from What Video Games Have to Teach Us about
Learning and Literacy (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007): 17-43.
• NCTE statement on Digital Environments: http://www.ncte.org/cccc/resources/positions/
digitalenvironments
5/14 Last Day of Class
• Due: Revised Statement of Teaching Philosophy
Queens College / CUNY • 65-30 Kissena Blvd. • Flushing, NY 11367