Analysis of Major Perspectives
Due in hard copy in class on W 9/2/15Context
Our first set of readings for the course offers various perspectives that we might loosely call "origin stories" for writing as a field of study and/or for writing as an educational phenomenon. In the Phaedrus, Plato outlines the art of making discourse and, through Socratic dialogue, argues for its teachability, learnability, and usability. In the Origin of Composition Studies, Brereton presents a documentary history of English composition from 1885 to 1925 based almost entirely on documents that he gathered from institutional archives at major universities. The remaining texts I've asked you to read for next week--the article cluster on "Why Johnny Can't Write," and the RSA Animate Lecture on "Changing Paradigms"--take a less academic approach to what is perceived as a recurrent literacy crisis.While the idea of "origins" is problematic--in reality, it's too difficult to pin down the precise beginning of writing as a phenomenon, a profession, or a field of academic study--I do think these "origin" stories reflect a decent sampling of attitudes, perceptions, and tropes, and those are what I invite us to examine and unpack.
Assignment
For your first TIRP Assignment, I invite you to do two things.Part One
Write a brief analysis of how the major perspectives on writing (What it really is, How it should be taught, Whether it can be learned, What's wrong with writing in schools, etc.) converge, diverge, or intersect in interesting ways in these readings.
I've suggested four major perspectives here, but you will likely find one or two other things that strike you as major perspectives or major questions in the readings, based on experiences you have had, so you should feel free to work those into your analysis as well.
By "analysis" I mean I'd like you to try to deconstruct the whole discussion on writing that is created by all of these readings, and then to re-construct it by offering a new or different way to make connections between the readings that might not be so explicit. Please allow yourself time to think this through before you start writing, as it's a somewhat demanding task. If you're not sure where to begin, you might start by looking at how some readings seem to echo others in terms of key concepts or terms. Or, you might start by trying to figure out what you think each writer's central argument is, because I can guarantee you that they all are arguments (even Brereton's essay), and that they are more dissimilar than they are similar in terms of what they are really arguing about writing. So, it might help for you to take some time to try to get a handle on what you think is each underlying claim, before you start to work out the various connections between and among the readings.
In terms of how to write up the analysis--of how it might look on the page--I'm looking for it to be coherent and to be guided by an argument/thesis statement of your own (i.e., some statement explaining what you realized about the overarching connections you have tried to draw).
I'm also looking for you to draw your connections by relying heavily on textual evidence, and for you to move elegantly between making claims and quoting their material.
And, I'm looking for it to be well organized, knowing that ultimately you want to make statements that will help your own analysis move forward, since it won't move forward on its own. You might decide to organize it by major perspective. Or, you might decide to organize it by the new perspectives you think have discovered as a result for looking for the major ones. Or, you might to decide to organize it by trope. Or, you might decide to organize it by connections or relationships (i.e., as you realize that some of the questions about What writing really is are actually questions about Who should a writer be?).
Finally, I'm looking for some framing--not necessarily a long, illustrious introduction, but some kind of framing statement in the beginning that helps me, as a reader, understand why I'm reading, and some concluding statement at the end that leaves me fulfilled while also wanting more. These will most likely not be explicit statement such as, "In this analysis I will/plan to ..." or "In this analysis I have just finished showing that ..." Really, framing is subtle and implicit, but it helps a reader to value what s/he will read. Be as creative as you would like, so long as the creativity enhances--rather than detracts from--your good analytical work.
Format for Part One
- ~3 pages, single-spaced, word-processed or typed (you may go longer if you wish)
- Include a short "Works Cited" list at the end of your analysis with the full MLA citation for all of the readings you use. You'll be able to find the MLA citations on our course reading list in Canvas.
Part Two
Then, I invite you to repurpose that analysis in visual form: a map, drawing, chart, table, pictogram, infographic, any kind of visualization that can show those perspectives as an ecology or a network, pointing to where they come together and where they move apart. Something that, at a glance, helps us to consider relationships between the discussion of "origins" in a meaningful way.
This is likely a very different kind of assignment for some of you. In fact, the visual re-presentation of your TIRP may look quite different from those of your classmates. Please don't worry about that; I'm giving you much creative license in how you decide to do this. It may end up becoming very large. That's okay, too.
Format for Part Two
- Variable.
- It can be completed digitally or with tactile materials (markers, pencils, paper, yarn, etc.).
- There are many ways to get it done. I just encourage you to make it as complete, thorough, and/or representative of your own analysis as possible.
As a closing point, I'll just say that I want this assignment to encourage you to read these texts for some implicit beliefs, assumptions, and perceptions about writing as much as for those explicit claims about writing in schools.
This is work, but have fun with it. Start early if you can, and feel free to send any questions my way.
-Prof. G
