About
the Course:
Eng. 383 explores fundamental theories
of teaching writing, with particular emphasis upon the role of the
peer tutor. Although such study, may, in fact, help improve your
writing, this is not primarily a writing course. We will discuss
these and other questions:
- What is
the nature of the writing process?
- Why does writing for academic audiences pose special difficulties for students?
- How is knowledge
created in a writing classroom?
- How, and
why, does peer tutoring work?
- How is writing
influenced by a writer's culture? By technology?
- How can
a tutor assist writers from different backgrounds?
- Can tutors
assist writers working with any subject?
- Why is so
much teacher commentary not effective?
- How can
tutors write effective commentary on papers? Hold good conferences?
We will be
concerned with both the integrity of the theory and its practical
applications in a classroom or tutoring situation. The course is
by nature interdisciplinary, its materials drawn from English, linguistics,
psychology, and education. What you learn can be applied in many
settings, from teaching in middle, high, or graduate school, editing/technical
writing for a corporation, working as a free-lance writer or editor.
Eng. 383 provides
on-the-job training for undergraduate Writing Fellows, and for this
reason, class members will often discuss students' papers. The most
important part of this training will involve a weekly shift in the
Writing Center as an apprentice tutor and Writing Fellow.
Information (Policies,
schedule of readings, required materials)
The Bosporus Project (Our class Wiki)
Resources
(Writer's
Web, videos, Web projects)
Class Journal
Schedule
Apprenticeships
Report any errors
or omissions in syllabus to Joe Essid |
