Mercer Writing Program
Faculty Development Workshop
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
The Long Room of The Old
Library, Trinity College Dublin
“I would remind the faculty and the administration of what each knows: that the
work they do takes second place to nothing, nothing at all, and that theirs is a
first order profession.”
~Toni Morrison, Wellesley Commencement Address, 2004
Agenda
I. Write Now: 2015-16 in the Writing Program
*What’s New on the Writing Program Website: Newsletter, Preceptor Services, Calendar
*The College Writing Pre-Game Show & Preceptor Modeling Techniques
*Faculty Research and Writing Colloquium
*Directed Reading: Adler-Kassner and Wardle’s Naming What We Know
II. What’s Past Is Prologue: Updates from the May 2015 Workshop
*Five Paper “Problem” … Four Paper “Process”
*Revised Framework of Expectations for Writing Instruction Courses
*Scaffolding Writing Instruction into the Syllabus & the ‘Iceberg’ Approach
*Paradigms of Instruction and Interaction
III. The Name of Action: Implementing Scaffolded Writing Instruction
*Cycling Writing Instruction
*A Threshold Concept’s Compositional ‘Footprint’
*Modeling a “Day in the Life” of a Writing Instruction Course using Rhetoric and They Say/I Say
IV. Thanne longen folke to go on pilgrimmage: Breakout Sessions in Knight
*Profile Pics: Seeing Ourselves as Writing Instructors
*Think Globally; Act Locally: The Framework for your Course & Implementation in Context
*(Re)Gather Ye Rosebuds: Reconvene for Sharing Results, Questions, & Concerns
I. Write Now:
Mercer Writing Program
2015 –16
Drop-in-Day Tutorials
Skill Sets Sessions
Lunch & Listen: Preceptor
Training Open Classes
Mercer Writing Program
Faculty-Preceptor Tea
Faculty Research &
Writing Colloquium
The College Writing Pre-Game Show
I Fall to Pieces: Parts with a
Purpose in the Academic Essay
(Word)Play Stations; or,
The Syntax Repair Shop
If you Build It, They Can Read:
Grammar Gaming
Style Matters: Formatting
& Documentation
Parts with a Purpose Highlights
Questions of “What” – What Am I trying to Prove?
Thesis Statements: A thesis is a powerful instrument when
envisioned and executed correctly.
Remember that it is defined by the OED as, “a proposition
designed to influence the mind.”
Questions of HOW --- How Am I going to
Prove it?
Make sure that your thesis is an ASSERTION rather than
merely an observation. It should be a clearly stated claim
that can be proved or demonstrated through the presentation
of evidence.
Body Paragraphs: The body paragraphs
represent your opportunity to make good
on the promise of credibility and validity
made by your thesis & the Introduction.
Introductions: An essay’s Introduction is the rhetorical
equivalent of “making a first impression.”
It provides you, as the writer, an opportunity to “set the scene
or stage,” influencing the reader’s attitude towards the topic
and your argument BEFORE the presentation of the evidence
begins.
This means creating a context, vividly described and
engagingly presented, from which your reader will begin to
evaluate and respond to your ideas.
The Introduction also represents your chance to establish
ethos, or “credibility” as an author.
Here you demonstrate your case and give
the reader grounds for belief by presenting
concrete, specific evidence drawn from
appropriate primary and secondary
sources.
The organization of the body paragraphs
(the order and arrangement of your ideas
and evidence as they are presented to the
reader) also provide an opportunity to
“influence the reader’s mind.” By
presenting specific details in purposely
chosen order, you can lead the reader to
think, feel, and/or do certain things(!) at
certain points in your argument.
(Word)Play Stations: This Pre-Game Activity gets
students thinking about what makes a good
sentence. You might start by identifying effective
sentences in touchstone texts in the course readings
or sample student papers. You can also have
students create a class archive of strong sentences
and effective paragraphs they encounter in their
reading throughout the semester. Periodically, I
have students share some of these and discuss their
individual merits.
The (Word)Play exercises ask them to put this
attention to sentence quality in action by revising
ineffective or clichéd sentences. The exercises in
your packet focus on improving descriptive
sentences, but they could easily be adapted to other
modes of writing, depending on the genre of a given
formal paper in your syllabus. Of course, improving
students’ descriptive sentence writing is always time
well-spent given its important role in composing
summary, analysis, or reflective essays.
Grammar Gaming : Scavenger Hunt: This Pre-Game Activity allows students to review grammatical
conventions together in a competitive atmosphere that can be fun as well as informative. Students are
divided into teams and given a sheet with a series of grammatical issues that crop up frequently.
The object of the game is to use The Little Bear (or if you prefer, Purdue’s OWL site) to identify where
that topic is explained and then to copy some of that information into the worksheet and correct
sample sentences. Teams compete to see who can complete the sheet first. They then put their results
up on the board and compare their solutions to the sheet’s various grammatical problems.
Working with a Preceptor (or Using their Techniques if you don’t have one): Extracts from Spring
2015 Lunch & Listen Handouts
In WRT 490 and 491, we discuss practice strategies for what I call a “modeling unit” of writing instruction. A
modeling unit uses course readings that will not be the focus of a formal writing assignment to introduce students
to critical reading, note-taking, and pre-writing strategies. It then gives them a chance to practice those
approaches in a low risk setting by producing a plan for a collaborative “practice paper” in class.
A preceptor can play a crucial role in such an in-class activity not only by making contributions to the discussion
but, more importantly, by modeling at the board the kinds of strategies that are being introduced. In doing so,
the preceptor engages in what scholars of rhetoric and composition describe as “directive” tutoring: showing
students HOW in a step by step fashion to take the raw materials of their ideas and shape them into the kind of
pre-writing components that lead to a stronger paper.
The Lunch & Listen demonstrations in last Spring’s training courses presented practical strategies for an inclass writing instruction activities that could be used in a range of writing instruction classes at Mercer, from
INT/GBK 101 to a WRT 120/GBK 202 and INT 201 or GBK 203. Even if you don’t have a preceptor in your
course, you can use these strategies with your students, either by leading the modeling at the board yourself, or
by letting individual students take turns doing so during discussion.
The topics for the Spring were: “Effective Annotation: How to take Reading & Discussion Notes that Facilitate
Writing” in WRT 490 and “Making a Claim: From Brainstorming Ideas to the Working Thesis Statement” in
WRT 491. In addition to addressing these topics, this Fall’s Lunch & Listen sessions will be keyed to specific
chapters in Birkenstein and Graff’s They Say/I Say.
“Effective Annotation: How to take Reading & Discussion Notes that
Facilitate Writing” in WRT 490
Reading Assignment for the Demonstration: “What’s Lost as
Handwriting Fades,” by Maria Konnikova, The New York Times, June
2, 2014
Reading Assignment on Annotation and Note-Taking Strategies:
“Active Critical Reading: Prereading and Close Reading,” from
Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader and Rhetoric for Academic Writers.”
7th Edition. Mary Lynch Kennedy and William J. Kennedy, Pearson,
Boston: 2012. *Please note: I have included some excerpts from this
text, used in our Lunch & Listen session below.
Complete handouts are available for download on the Writing Program website:
http://departments.mercer.edu/english/writing/
PREREADING QUESTIONS:
*What does the title indicate the text will be about?
*How do the subtitles and headings function? Do they reveal the
organizational format (for example, introduction, body, conclusion)?
*Is there biographical information about the author? What does it tell
me about the text?
*Are there other salient features of the text, such as enumeration,
italics, boldface print, indention, diagrams, visual aids, or footnotes?
What do these features reveal about the text?
*Does the text end with a summary? What does the summary reveal
about the text?
STRATEGIES FOR ELABORATING ON TEXTS
EXPAND THE TEXT
*Agree or disagree with a statement in the text, giving reasons for your
agreements or disagreement.
*Compare or contrast your reactions to the topic (for example, “At first
I thought . . . but now I think . . .).
*Extend one of the points. Think of an example and see how far you can
take it.
*Discover an idea implied by the text but not stated.
*Provide additional details by fleshing out a point in the text.
*Illustrate the text with an example, an incident, a scenario, or an
anecdote
*Embellish the text with a vivid image, a metaphor, or an example.
*Draw comparisons between the text and books, articles, films, or other
media.
*Validate one of the points with an example.
*Make a judgment about the relevance of one of the statements in the
text.
*Impose a condition on a statement in the text. (For example, “If . . .
then . . . “)
QUESTION THE TEXT
*Draw attention to what the text has neglected to say
about the topic.
From “Active Critical Reading”: “Critical
reading is accompanied by various types of
*Test one of the claims. Ask whether the claim really
holds up.
writing: freewriting and brainstorming, taking
notes, posing and answering questions,
*Assess one of the points in light of your own prior
knowledge of the topic or with your own or others’
experience.
*Question one of the points.
*Criticize a point in the text. Take a single paragraph
and question every claim in it.
responding from personal experience,
paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting.
Readers need a place to record all this writing.
We suggest that you use a writer’s notebook . . .
You will fill your writer’s notebook with
informal writing, some of which will emerge in
*Assess the usefulness and applicability of an idea.
the formal writing you do at a later date. . .
.
A writer’s notebook is not an end in itself. The
entries are recorded with an eye toward later
writing. They may become the basis for an
essay, provide evidence for an argument, or
serve as repositories of apt quotations.
Consider your writer’s notebook as a record of
your conversations with texts, as well as a
storehouse for collecting material you can draw
on when writing” (5-6).
Preceptors and Modeling: the Collaborative “Practice Paper”
~Preceptors stand at the board and model effective note-taking strategies, showing students how to identify
those ideas in discussion that should be written down as potential raw material for formal papers.
~Preceptors may then work with the professor to lead students as a group through each stage of the pre-writing
process in order to develop a collaborative “practice paper.” that responds to a specific prompt. This modeling
activity may be done in a single class or spread out across two or three meetings as a means of preparing
students to write their own individual essays.
~It may be more manageable to divide the class into “focus groups” that explore particular aspects of a text,
such as content or structure, with the preceptor leading one group and the faculty member another. Then have
the groups reconvene and integrate their results in the plans for the collaborative paper.
~Once students have been taken through the pre-writing stages relevant to the prompt and the discipline, they
may be broken up into new focus groups that work on particular parts of the collaborative paper, from the
working thesis to plans for body paragraphs and appropriate evidence.
~Students who have engaged in this kind of collaborative activity could then apply the same strategies in their
individual papers and would be prepared to work one on one with the preceptor either in an in-class workshop,
during a Drop In Day session, or in an individual tutorial outside of class.
II. What’s Past Is Prologue: Program Updates
Revisiting the Five Paper “Problem”
The original language of the Guidelines for
Writing Instruction Courses calls for
requiring at least five formal papers, totaling
20-25 pages, in line with best practices in the
field. In our writing instruction courses, that
practice has been complicated by the
numerous additional student learning
outcomes the classes are expected to deliver.
Dubbed the Five Paper “Problem,” many
faculty have expressed concerns with having
to rush through formal writing assignments
without sufficient time for students to be
instructed in and practice one genre before
moving on to the next one.
In the Spring 2015 semester, the Writing
Committee revisited this issue in order to
consider its impact on writing pedagogy and
student learning. As a result, the Committee
voted to revise this parameter of the
Guidelines from requiring five papers to
four, in hopes of optimizing writing
instruction and student learning outcomes.
Framework for Expectations in Writing Instruction Courses (Revised Spring 2015)
Framework for Expectations in Writing Instruction Courses (Revised Spring 2015)
At the May 2015 Workshop, we took the ideas of
scaffolding assignments and backward design and applied
them to the structuring of a syllabus in order to integrate
writing instruction more fully with the content of the class.
Using threshold concepts from the revised Framework for
Expectations for Writing Instruction Courses, we
considered the question of what students would need to
know and do before attempting a given formal paper.
Answers to that question helped define where we might
introduce or reinforce particular threshold concepts and
when we should have students practice them. This strategy
gives targeted writing instruction a discernible ‘footprint’
in the class meetings leading up to the writing of the rough
draft, which increases the chances of student success in
completing that assignment.
A copy of the May Workshop packet with complete
instructions for this syllabus-building strategy is available
for download on the Writing Program website.
Scaffolding Writing Instruction
into the Syllabus
The ‘Iceberg’ Approach: Margaret Symington’s ‘Planning’ vs. ‘Student” Syllabi
Original Schedule from Senasi’s F14 INT 101 Syllabus:
11/11: Calvino, Cosmicomics “The Distance of the Moon” (3-16)
11/13: Kosslyn, “How the Brain Creates Personality: A New Theory”
(Bb)
11/14: Calvino, Cosmicomics “The Dinosaurs” (97-112)
11/18: Calvino, “The Dinosaurs” continued (97-112) and Gould,
“Darwin’s Delay” (Bb)
11/21: Calvino, Cosmicomics “The Aquatic Uncle” (71-82)
11/25: Calvino, Cosmicomics “Without Colors” (3-16); Ovid, “Orpheus
and Eurydice” (Book X Metamorphoses) Out-of-Class Pre-Writing
Assignment, Paper 4
11/27 & 28: Thanksgiving Break
12/2: Calvino, Cosmicomics “Without Colors” continued; Science Daily,
“Color Perception is Not In The Eye of the Beholder: It’s In the Brain”
(Bb)
12/4: Kelves, “The New Enlightenment” (Bb)
12/5: Pre-Writing and Thesis Workshop for Paper 4; PAPER 4 DUE
ON BLACKBOARD ON SUNDAY, 7 DECEMBER BY MIDNIGHT
Part of the Same Section ‘Iceberged’
as a Planning Syllabus
11/11: Calvino, Cosmicomics “The Distance of the Moon” (3-16);
CLOSE READING OF PAPER GUIDELINES: a) IDENTIFY
KEY WORDS AND SPECIFIC CHALLENGES; b) CHOOSE
ONE OF TWO OPTIONS FOR THE PAPER’S AUDIENCE:
SENASI’S NEXT INT 101 CLASS, OR VISITORS TO
MERCER’S WEBSITE INTERESTED IN THE INTEGRATIVE
LEARNING PROGRAM
11/13: Kosslyn, “How the Brain Creates Personality: A New
Theory” (Bb); [AUDIENCE ANALYSIS] IN-CLASS INFORMAL
WRITING – COMPARE/CONTRAST KOSSLYN’S AUDIENCE
WITH CALVINO’S AND IDENTIFY SPECIFIC PLACES
WHERE THE NEEDS/EXPECTATIONS OF THE AUDIENCE
ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT
11/14: Calvino, Cosmicomics “The Dinosaurs” (97-112)
11/18: Calvino, “The Dinosaurs” continued (97-112) and Gould,
“Darwin’s Delay” (Bb)
11/21: Calvino, Cosmicomics “The Aquatic Uncle” (71-82);
[LOGIC, CLARITY, COHERENCE] COLLABORATIVE
REVERSE OUTLINE OF THE STORY, IDENTIFYING WHICH
CHARACTER(S) REPRESENT THE “SELF” AND WHICH
REPRESENT THE “OTHER”
11/25: Calvino, Cosmicomics “Without Colors” (3-16); Ovid,
“Orpheus and Eurydice” (Book X Metamorphoses) Out-of-Class
Pre-Writing Assignment, Paper 4
11/27 & 28: Thanksgiving Break
Writing Instruction Paradigms:
Classical Rhetoric – Focus on the writer’s text and its formal dimensions
(Product)
Expressivist – Focus on writing as self-discovery, language as mode of
self-expression (Process)
Social Constructionist – Focus on socio-cultural/historical settings in
which writers develop understanding of language and knowledge
(Context, Discourse Communities)
Defining our Interactions with Students and their Writing:
Minimalist – Emphasizes students’ agency; relies on open-ended
questions/topics to generate students’ critical thinking and self-directed
exploration of topics
Directive –Employs modeling to demonstrate concrete strategies and
approaches to particular kinds of questions and/or writing tasks. May be
especially helpful for novice or challenged writers.
Directed Readings; or, What Your Writing
Director’s Reading Now
Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of
Writing Studies, edited by Linda Adler Kassner and
Elizabeth Wardle, University Press of Colorado,
2015
Threshold Concepts – “those deemed central to a
particular subject; concepts necessary for
knowledge transfer; the portal to the opening of
academic literacy”
From the preview I gave of the book at our May
Workshop: The soon-to-be-released Naming What
We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies
(June 2015, edited by Linda Adler-Kassner and
Elizabeth Wardle) “examines the core principles of
knowledge in the discipline of writing studies using
the lens of ‘threshold concepts’—concepts that are
critical for epistemological participation in a
discipline. The first part of the book defines and
describes thirty-seven threshold concepts of the
discipline in entries written by some of the field’s
most active researchers and teachers, all of whom
participated in a collaborative wiki discussion
guided by the editors.”
“Many people assume that all writing abilities can be learned once and for always. However, although writing is
learned, all writers always have more to learn about writing. The ability to write is not an innate trait humans are
born possessing. Humans are ‘symbol-using (symbol-making, symbol misusing) animals,’ and writing is symbolic
action, as Kenneth Burke has explained (Burke 1966, 16). Yet learning to write requires conscious effort, and most
writers working to improve their effectiveness find explicit instruction in writing to be more helpful than simple trial
and error without the benefit of an attentive reader’s response. Often, one of the first lessons writers learn, one that
may be either frustrating or inspiring, is that they will never have learned all that can be known about writing and
will never be able to demonstrate all they do know about writing.”
~Shirley Rose, “All Writers Have More to Learn,” Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing
Studies, Edited by Linda Adler-Kassner and Elizabeth Wardle, 2015
Let’s Take
a Break and
Have
Snacks!
III. The Name of Action: Implementing Scaffolded Writing Instruction
Cycling Threshold Concept Instruction
MODELING:
GAMING:
TS/IS Templates
‘Touchstone’ Texts
Rhetorical/Structural/Genre Analysis of Readings
Sample Student Papers
Targeted Annotation Practice and Checks
Incorporate –
Use in Formal
Writing
Do Again –
Recursive
Practice
(Word)Play Stations
Picture This: Composing Visual Arguments
Pin the Emoticon on the Paragraph
Word Lottery
Name &
Demonstrate
Do – Student
Practice
Reflect &
Assess
COLLABORATING
REFLECTING
Collaborative Reports/Papers
In-Class Practice Papers and Paragraphing
Crowdsourced Research – Creating a Class Database
Creating a Class Archive
Reverse Outlining
Targeted Peer Editing
Hear Yourself Think Listening Exercise
Talking Points Memo and Presentation
NAME: AUDIENCE: Demonstrate
through relationships in Rhetorical
Situation: the Writer/Speaker, the
Audience/Reader, and the
Context/Conditions of Composition.
Touchstone Text: “Letter from
Birmingham Jail”
INCORPORATE: Use
materials developed in this
cycled instruction on audience
in a formal assignment written
to a defined audience that calls
for analysis of rhetorical
effectiveness in the “Letter”
Name &
Demonstrate
Incorporate –
Use in Formal
Writing
REVISE: Revise collaborative
paragraphs to include details
from reflection, integrating
analysis of the use of appeals
with the rhetorical situation
Do Again –
Recursive
Practice
Do – Student
Practice
DO: TARGETED
ANNOTATION &
COLLABORATIVE
PARAGRPHING:
Identify & annotate
elements of rhetorical
situation in the
“Letter.” Compose a
draft paragraph
explaining the text’s
rhetorical situation.
Reflect &
Assess
REFLECT: COLLABORATIVE
REVERSE OUTLINE : Identify
where “The Letter” uses Aristotle’s
rhetorical appeals. Reflect as a group
on why/how those particular appeals
might be appropriate to Dr. King’s
rhetorical situation
There and Back Again: A Threshold Concept’s Compositional ‘Footprint’
Rhetorical
•
Situation
AUDIENCE
* Relationship to Writer/Speaker
* Context: Author’s Exigence
* Conditions of Production and/or Consumption
Genre
Language
*Formal Conventions
*Defining Appropriate Evidence
*Domains & Discourse Communities
*Assumptions about Familiarity with
Key Concepts
*Paragraph & Sentence structures
*Tone
*Allusions
*Individual Word Choices
*Specialized Lexicons/Technical Terms
“Writing is both relational and responsive, always in some way part of an ongoing conversation with others.”
~Andrea Lunsford, “Writing Addresses, Invokes, And/Or Creates Audiences,” Naming What We Know, 21
Modeling A Day in the Life of a Writing Instruction Course
Description of Writing Assignments in the Student Syllabus:
Formal Writing Assignments: There will be four formal
writing assignments in the course, each of which will be
developed in stages – from pre-writing, to outlining,
drafting, peer editing, and revision; this approach to
academic writing is called “scaffolding.”
Paper 1: Rhetorical Analysis – the Foundational Questions
Essay. This analytic essay introduces students to two
foundational questions that are central to the course:
a) What is the argument being made about a given topic?
b) How is that argument being made?
Using rhetorical analysis, the essay will respond to these
questions by exploring perceptions of self and others as they
are represented in Martin Luther King’s “Letter from
Birmingham Jail.”
Specifically, your essay will make a claim about how
rhetorical appeals are used in “The Letter” to respond to
the audience’s perception of “self” and “other” in Dr.
King’s rhetorical situation.
A Few Rhetorical Terms:
Rhetorical Appeals: From Aristotle’s Ars Rhetorica, delineate the
major forms of appeal speakers or writers employ in working to
persuade an audience.
Logos – appeal to logic, reason, factual information
Ethos – appeal to credibility of the speaker/writer, or
shared cultural values
Pathos – appeal to strong feelings, emotion
Exigence: That which compels someone to speak; circumstances,
events that motivate speech/writing
Kairos: Term from classical rhetoric for the opportune occasion for
speech; “the way a given context for communication both calls for and
constrains one's speech” through contingencies of place, time, and
culture.
Rhetorical Situation: Modern term with some similarity to kairos;
composed of the Speaker/Writer, the Listener/Reader, and the Context –
the circumstances that condition the production and consumption of the
speech or text
Rhetorical Triangle: Composed of the Speaker/Writer, the
Listener/Reader, and the Message
Selected Material from Readings in They Say/I Say for this unit of the Course:
Chapter 3: “As He Himself Puts It: The Art of Quoting”
“A key premise of this book is that to launch an effective argument you need to write the arguments of others into your text. One of the
best ways to do so is by not only summarizing what “they say,” as suggested in Chapter 2, but by quoting their exact words . . . But the
main problem with quoting arises when writers assume that quotations speak for themselves . . . In a way, quotations are orphans: words
that have been taken from their original contexts and that need to be integrated into their new textual surroundings.” (42-43)
Strategies & Templates:
Quote Relevant Passages – Before you can select appropriate quotations, you need to have a sense of what you want to do with them .
. . sometimes quotations that were initially relevant to your argument, or to a key point in it, become less so as your text changes
during the process of writing and revising (43-44).
Frame Every Quotation – Since quotations do not speak for themselves, you need to build a frame around them in which you do that
speaking for them (44).
Templates for Introducing &Explaining Quotations – The one piece of advice about quoting our students say they find
helpful is to get in the habit of following every major quotation by explaining what it means (47) .
most
Chapter 4: “Yes/No/Okay, But”
“Although each way of responding is open to endless variation, we focus on these three because readers come to any text needing to learn
fairly quickly where the writer stands, and they do this by placing the writer on a mental map consisting of a few familiar options “ (56).
Strategies:
Disagree & Explain Why – You need to do more than simply assert that you disagree with a particular view; you also have to offer
persuasive reasons why you disagree (58).
Agree but with a Difference – Just as you need to avoid simply contradicting views you disagree with, you also need to do more than
simply echo views you agree with (61).
Agree and Disagree Simultaneously – The parallel structure – “yes and no”; “on the one hand I agree, on the other I disagree” –
enables readers to place your argument on that map of positions . . . while still keeping your argument sufficiently complex (64-65).
Chapter 8: “As A Result”
“This chapter addresses the issue of how to connect all the parts of your
writing. The best compositions establish a sense of momentum and
direction by making explicit connections among their different parts, so
that what is said in one sentence (or paragraph) both sets up what is to
come and is clearly informed by what has already been said. When you
write a sentence, you create an expectation in the reader’s mind that the
next sentence will in some way echo and extend it, even if – especially if –
that next sentence takes your argument in a new direction” (107).
Strategies:
Using transition terms (like “therefore” and “as a result”) – For readers
to follow your train of thought, you need not only to connect your
sentences and paragraphs to each other, but also to mark the kind of
connection you are making. One of the easiest ways to make this move is
to use transitions (from the Latin root trans, “across”), which help you
cross from one point to another in your text (108-109).
Adding pointing words (like “this” or “such”) -- Such terms help you
create the flow . . . that enables readers to move effortlessly through text.
In a sense, these terms are like an invisible hand reaching out of your
sentence, grabbing what’s needed in the previous sentences and pulling it
along” (113).
Developing a set of key terms and phrases for each text you write –
Develop a constellation of key terms and phrases, including their
synonyms and antonyms, that you repeat throughout your text. When
used effectively, your key terms should be items that readers could
extract from your text in order to get a solid sense of your topic (114).
Repeating yourself, but with a difference – To effectively connect the
parts of your argument and keep it moving forward, be careful not to
leap from one idea to a different or introduce new ideas cold. Instead, try
to build bridges between your ideas by echoing what you’ve just said
while simultaneously moving your text into new territory (116).
I: Introduction to the Domains – Thumbnail Sketches of Self and Others
8/18- Introduction to the Course: Aristotle’s Rhetorical Appeals: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos;
Defining Critical Thinking; Close Reading and Annotation Strategies
8/20- Ovid, “Narcissus and Echo” (Bb) and Rossetti’s “In an Artist’s Studio”
They Say/I Say, Introduction (1-14); Also view Escher’s Self Portrait with Sphere and PreRaphaelite portraits posted in Gallery on Blackboard(Bb)
8/24: They Say/I Say, Chapter 1 (19-29)
Elliott, “Self, Society, and Everyday Life” (Bb)
8/25: They Say/I Say, Chapter 2 (30-40)
Kosslyn, “What Shape Are A German Shepherd’s Ears?” (Bb)
8/27: Foster-Wallace, “This Is Water” (Bb)
In-Class Writing Assignment 1: Summary and Paragraphing
8/31: King, “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (Bb)
They Say/I Say, Chapter 3 (42-50)
9/1: King, “Letter From Birmingham Jail” continued
They Say/I Say, Chapter 4 (55-67)
Begin Pre-Writing Assignment, Paper 1
9/3: Osborn, “Rhetorical Distance in Letter from Birmingham Jail” (Bb)
They Say/I Say, Chapter 7 (92-100)
9/8: College Writing “Pre-Game Show” – Bring your They Say/ I Say text, your Little Bear
Handbook, your copy of “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” and your Pre-Writing assignment
9/10: Peer Editing Workshop Paper 1 – Bring a typed hard copy of your Revised Rough Draft, your
Little Bear Handbook, and a colored pen.
9/14: They Say/I Say, Chapter 8 (105-118)
FINAL DRAFT PAPER 1 DUE ON BB BY MIDNIGHT
Implementation in Context: Suggestions for Planning
A Day in the Life of a Writing Instruction Course
1. Locate a place in the schedule where a writing
instruction component is scaffolded in, or where you’d
like to place one as preparation for a formal writing
assignment.
2. Identify threshold concept(s) from the Framework,
rhetorical terms, strategies from TS/IS and/or other
compositional topics that seem especially relevant to
that assignment. Decide on strategies (modeling, TS/IS
templates, collaborative paragraphing or practice
paper, gaming, etc. ) for introducing or revisiting those
components.
3. Consider the relation of “what” to “how.” Here we
might ask ourselves how a particular reading, whose
content we value and want to impact our students, may
derive its power not just from what it says but how it
says it. Have students examine the reading as a
composition, identifying the ‘footprint’ of threshold
concepts such as purpose, audience, or clarity, both as a
model for their own writing and as an avenue to a
deeper understanding of the text.
4. Map these activities onto the planning syllabus,
paying particular attention to any opportunities to
connect those elements of writing instruction with the
overarching theme of the course, such as “Self and
Other,” “Gods and Heroes,” or “Building Community.”
5. Prepare a kind of “Talking Points” memo
or notes (as formal or informal as you like)
detailing instructions for activities and
illustrative points to facilitate the discussion
and practice of writing in the class. Such
memos can also be posted on Blackboard or
another CMS to serve as a resource for
students as they prepare their rough drafts
of the formal paper.
I: Introduction to the Domains – Thumbnail Sketches of Self and Others
8/18- Introduction to the Course: Aristotle’s Rhetorical Appeals: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos;
Defining Critical Thinking; Close Reading and Annotation Strategies
8/20- Ovid, “Narcissus and Echo” (Bb) and Rossetti’s “In an Artist’s Studio”
They Say/I Say, Introduction (1-14); Also view Escher’s Self Portrait with Sphere and PreRaphaelite portraits posted in Gallery on Blackboard(Bb)
8/24: They Say/I Say, Chapter 1 (19-29)
Elliott, “Self, Society, and Everyday Life” (Bb)
8/25: They Say/I Say, Chapter 2 (30-40)
Kosslyn, “What Shape Are A German Shepherd’s Ears?” (Bb)
8/27: Foster-Wallace, “This Is Water” (Bb)
In-Class Writing Assignment 1: Summary and Paragraphing
8/31 -- Audience: Move
8/31: King, “Letter From Birmingham Jail” (Bb)
They Say/I Say, Chapter 3 (42-50)
From DFW’s embodied
audience to King’s as
central to his exigence.
9/1: King, “Letter From Birmingham Jail” continued
They Say/I Say, Chapter 4 (55-67)
Begin Pre-Writing Assignment, Paper 1
8/31 -- Genre of letter and
its relationship to
audience; King’s explicit
incorporation of audience
as shaping both content &
structure.
9/1 – Review Rhetorical Appeals;
Targeted Group Annotation to
identify instances of Logos,
Ethos, Pathos; Reflect on
appeals’ relation to Rhetorical
Situation.
9/3: Osborn, “Rhetorical Distance in Letter from Birmingham Jail” (Bb)
They Say/I Say, Chapter 7 (92-100)
9/3 – Use Osborn to model TS/IS
9/8: College Writing “Pre-Game Show” – Bring your They Say/ I Say text, your
Little Bear
strategies
: writing others’ voices in,
Handbook, your copy of “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” and your Pre-Writing
assignment
responding,
connecting parts , repetition
with a difference.
9/10: Peer Editing Workshop Paper 1 – Bring a typed hard copy of your Revised Rough Draft, your
Little Bear Handbook, and a colored pen.
9/14: They Say/I Say, Chapter 8 (105-118)
FINAL DRAFT PAPER 1 DUE ON BB BY MIDNIGHT
Audience: Move From DFW’s
embodied audience to King’s as
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Birmingham City Jail
April 16, 1963
Bishop C.C.J. Carpenter
central to his exigence.
Bishop Joseph A. Durick
Rabbi Milton L. Grafman
Bishop Nolan B. Harmon
The Rev. Nolan B. Harmon
The Rev. Edward V. Rammage Genre of letter and its relationship to
The Rev. Earl Stallings
audience; King’s explicit incorporation of
My Dear Fellow Clergymen:
audience as shaping both content &
structure.
Discuss how “Letter’s”
opening illustrates exigence
& the rhetorical concept of
audience.
While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present
activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to
answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such
correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that
you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your
statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.
Ask students to identify
use of appeals here;
discuss how ethos &
audience connect here.
Genre of letter and its relationship to
audience; King’s explicit incorporation
of audience as shaping both content &
structure. Have Workshop Groups
discuss how passage illustrates some of
TS/IS emphasis on writing as response.
We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights. The nations of Asia and
Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse and buggy
pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the
stinging darts of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and
fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse,
kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro
brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find
your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she
can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her
eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning
to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious
bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking:
"Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?“
Review Rhetorical Appeals;
Targeted Group Annotation to
identify instances of Logos, Ethos,
Pathos; Reflect on appeals’ relation
to Rhetorical Situation.
In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate
violence. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money
precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to
truth and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made him
drink hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing
devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see that, as the federal courts
have consistently affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional
rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.
TS/IS: Writing others’ into the
text,, Connecting the parts,
pointing to earlier
introduction of the key
concept/phrase “rhetorical
distance.”
Use Osborn to model TS/IS
strategies : writing others’
voices in, responding,
connecting parts , repetition
with a difference.
“Rhetorical distance” may seem a novel concept, but as usual there is really little new under the rhetorical
sun. Aristotle had already written of magnification and minification, the strategic enlargement or
suppression of character and events. Francis Bacon described the rhetorical function as the convergence of
reason and the imagination, in effect telescoping time and distance to achieve “the better moving of the will.”
And Kenneth Burke featured the concepts of identification and division, a striking but somewhat limited,
two-valued expression of the importance of controlling and manipulating the distance between speaker and
audience, audience and adversaries, policies and practices. Nevertheless, rhetorical distance may be one of
those fresh ways of conceiving and expressing these phenomena of symbolic space, a novel lens that can
reveal new detail.
Michael Osborne is Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of Memphis in Memphis,
Tennessee.
Michael Osborn, “Rhetorical Distance in ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Vol. 7,
No. 1, 2004, pp. 23-36.
Discuss strategies for
identifying appropriate,
relevant sources.
Thanne longen folke to go on pilgrimmage : Breakout
Sessions in Knight
*Profile Pics: Seeing Ourselves as Writing Instructors
Using the paradigms and approaches shared earlier, consider what
your own “profile” as a writing instructor might look like. Does
your approach tend towards a focus on product (Rhetoric), process
(Expressivist), context (Social Constructionist) or a combination of
all three? Would you characterize your interactions with students
and their writing as more minimalist or directive? Discuss your
‘profile” with others in your group and consider how such
pedagogical choices might relate to the specific spirit or content of
your course, as well as its writing instruction components.
*Think Globally; Act Locally: The Framework for your
Course/Implementation in Context
As a group take a closer look at and discuss the specifics of your
course’s revised Framework. Which of these elements are already
a part of your class and which ones might need to be more
explicitly incorporated into your plans?
The instructions in your packet (page 12) will guide you through
one strategy for implementing elements of writing instruction into
the plans for a given day’s class meeting. You may wish to go
through them as a group with the sample syllabus, or work in
pairs to consider how they may be used on your own draft
syllabus.
*(Re)Gather Ye Rosebuds: Reconvene for Sharing Results,
Questions, & Concerns
Great
Books
KNIGHT
108
INT 201
KNIGHT 100
R-Designated
Courses
WRT
Knight 104
INT 101
KNIGHT
101