A Reason to Write

Found this and thought it was hilariously sort of true. It makes me think about how the best part of writing is the day-dreaming, or rather the structured day-dreaming as I've heard before from someone somewhere. Also reminds me of a favorite t-shirt that says "Be careful or you might end up in my novel." Love that shirt--always a great conversation starter. I think this pic needs to become a t-shirt too!



Minerva

Researched Projects

Don't forget to be working on your research for your researched project. I'd like you to be pretty close to finished with the research part by March 9 so you can give me an update on what you've learned. Then--and only then--can we talk about the possible directions your project might take (the various purposes you might pursue with their attendant possible audiences, genres, etc.). If you have any questions or want to talk through what you're learning, don't hesitate to post your own comment here, and your peers and I can offer a sounding board for you.

Lindemann & Elbow Part II

How do Lindemann and Elbow want us to teach writing? What do you think about their ideas?

Lindemann & Elbow Part I

What is the "war" between reading and writing? Work your way through the conflicts and the ways that reading is privileged over writing. Why, according to Elbow, would it be good to end the privileging of reading over writing? What are Lindemann's arguments against teaching literature in first-year writing courses?

Connors & Kinneavy Discussion

In your reading of Kinneavy and Connors, I'd like you to make sure you understand a few key terms: "discourse," "modes" of discourse, and "aims" of discourse. If you need to, use this space to try to work through what you think these terms mean. But, mainly, I want you to address the following: What arguments are Connors and Kinneavy making about the aims and modes of discourse, and what might the benefits and drawbacks of focusing on the aims and/or modes of discourse be? Thinking about your own experience will probably be instructive here. Were you taught or are you now asked to teach the modes? If so, what's your experience been like?

Writing and Learning

What are your initial responses to the following two questions?

• What role does writing play in learning (or vice versa)?
• What are the purpose(s) of first-year writing classes? What role(s) do you think they should play in students' lives and in the life of the university?

Respond to these questions by hitting the "comment" button. You should write your initial post before 10:00 on Wednesday. Then, read through your peers' comments and respond to a few of them before Friday evening.