Literature
In a discussion on teaching "Introduction to Literature" courses at UC Davis, two colleagues and I speculated about the possibility of using blogs for the entire writing content of the course. Could this be done? Here is how it might look: Each student must create a blog, and the first posting (or 'writing assignment') would be to reflect on the choices one makes when setting up a blog. How does literature warrant certain aesthetics? (This could be discussed in relation to the form of literature anthologies, with all their humanistic overtures and inter-textual over-determinations.) From this point on, students would be required to compose a blog posting each day in response to the texts read for class. Assignments might include: responding to a classmate's blog posting; an entry that only cites other online literature essays (for example, a thesis hunt); a revision of another student's posting; a posting that uses literary terms to describe or comment on a movie; a meta-critique of the process of blogging on literature. This would be a fresh approach to the work of teaching literature in the age of digital reproduction.
- The Problem
The problem with blogs is that you feel like you've got to keep them updated somewhat regularly?at least that's how I feel. I've always tried to keep a flexibly disciplined schedule when it comes to posting on my blog: I aim for two times...
- Posts Instead Of Papers
When I consider using blogs to teaching literature/writing, I am not simply talking about transposing the forms (and formalities) of syllabi, essays, rubrics, etc. onto an electronic medium. No, I am talking about rethinking what it means to write?what...
- On Revisions And Archives
I'm in my office right now trying to revise a piece of writing. I have revised this particular essay at least 30 times; its scope has significantly changed, and parts of the earlier drafts are completely gone. Blogs are funny because you don't...
- From Literature To Collaboration And Beyond
How can literature be taught as a collaborative subject? I mean this question in several ways: 1. How can students and instructors collaborate in the literature classroom? (For instance, collaborative in-class writing assignments.) 2. How can students...
- On Aphorisms And Arguments
The foundation of many literature courses is the argument. We are supposed to teach students how to construct arguments about texts. In this posting, I argue that aphorisms can leap over while fulfilling the aims of argumentative prose. How might one...
Literature
on the possibility of literature blogs
In a discussion on teaching "Introduction to Literature" courses at UC Davis, two colleagues and I speculated about the possibility of using blogs for the entire writing content of the course. Could this be done? Here is how it might look: Each student must create a blog, and the first posting (or 'writing assignment') would be to reflect on the choices one makes when setting up a blog. How does literature warrant certain aesthetics? (This could be discussed in relation to the form of literature anthologies, with all their humanistic overtures and inter-textual over-determinations.) From this point on, students would be required to compose a blog posting each day in response to the texts read for class. Assignments might include: responding to a classmate's blog posting; an entry that only cites other online literature essays (for example, a thesis hunt); a revision of another student's posting; a posting that uses literary terms to describe or comment on a movie; a meta-critique of the process of blogging on literature. This would be a fresh approach to the work of teaching literature in the age of digital reproduction.
- The Problem
The problem with blogs is that you feel like you've got to keep them updated somewhat regularly?at least that's how I feel. I've always tried to keep a flexibly disciplined schedule when it comes to posting on my blog: I aim for two times...
- Posts Instead Of Papers
When I consider using blogs to teaching literature/writing, I am not simply talking about transposing the forms (and formalities) of syllabi, essays, rubrics, etc. onto an electronic medium. No, I am talking about rethinking what it means to write?what...
- On Revisions And Archives
I'm in my office right now trying to revise a piece of writing. I have revised this particular essay at least 30 times; its scope has significantly changed, and parts of the earlier drafts are completely gone. Blogs are funny because you don't...
- From Literature To Collaboration And Beyond
How can literature be taught as a collaborative subject? I mean this question in several ways: 1. How can students and instructors collaborate in the literature classroom? (For instance, collaborative in-class writing assignments.) 2. How can students...
- On Aphorisms And Arguments
The foundation of many literature courses is the argument. We are supposed to teach students how to construct arguments about texts. In this posting, I argue that aphorisms can leap over while fulfilling the aims of argumentative prose. How might one...