ENG4160: Advanced Writing
Writing as a Transdisciplinary Study
Dr. Kyle Jensen
Languages Building #409G
Office Hours: MWF 8-10am; by appointment
Email:
Course Website:
Introduction
In this course, we will explore how scholars across the university undertake the study of writing. Our principal aim will be to unsettle some of the common assumptions about who should study writing, what counts as writing, and why research in writing matters. In the process, we will learn how to imagine a scholarly conversation that can be characterized as "transdisciplinary" in nature. Understanding how writing studies can adopt this transdisciplinary tenor will entail identifying how writing has been historically and theoretically defined. These definitions will then help us gauge the level of influence writing has on our past, present, and future lives.
We will begin by consulting some historical studies on writing's role in the development of human history. As we do so, we will examine why they often focus on Western cultures and speculate on how writing studies would change if Eastern texts were given greater consideration. Following this study, we will begin to explore how new writing technologies affect how we understand its role in human existence. Our final exploration will entail how such technologies change what it means to be a human being.
In order to create perspective by incongruity, we'll spend a majority of this class reading and discussing class readings. Our reading commitments will not prevent us from writing—as you'll see in the assignments section of this website—but in this course we will suspend the common belief that writing courses necessarily involve learning to write higher quality prose in less time.
Required Reading
The Muse Learns to Write by Eric Havelock
The History and Power of Writing by Henry-Jean Martin
Ancestor of the West by Jean Bottero, Clarisse Herrenschmidt, and Jean-Pierre Vernant
Lines by Tim Ingold
Wireless Writing in the Age of Marconi by Timothy Campbell
Of Grammatology by Jacques Derrida
Becoming Beside Ourselves by Brian Rotman
Assignments
Attendance & Participation (20%)
Since this course meets once a week, missing one class is commensurate with missing a great deal of the course content. I will allow one unexcused absence throughout the term. Every unexcused absence following the first will result in a full grade lower on your final course grade. If extenuating circumstances should emerge, please let me know and we will adjust accordingly. If you have missed more than four courses, I will advise you to drop the course.
To receive full participation credit, you will need to come to class having read the assigned materials, be active in small & large group discussions, turn in high quality work that evinces a careful reading of the assignment prompt, & seek out additional help if you need it. I will consult your hupomnemata as a source for making decisions on your level of preparation and engagement.
Hupomnemata (15%)
In ancient Greece, hupomnemata were used as memoranda where one “entered quotations, fragments of works, examples, and actions to which one had been witness of or of which one had read the account, reflections or material memory of things read, heard, or thought, thus offering these as an accumulated treasure for rereading and later meditation. They also formed a raw material for the writing of more systematic treatises in which were given arguments and means by which to struggle against some defect . . . or to overcome some difficult circumstance” . . . “no technique, no professional skill can be acquired without exercise”
—Michel Foucault
Please use this text to take notes in class, notes on reading, notes on ideas for papers, notes on how ideas connect to experiences, notes on just about everything. Because the content of this course exceeds the boundaries of its time limits, I would like you to use this text as a preparatory site that helps you come to class with questions, connections, concerns, ideas, drawings, sketches, graphs, models etc. Initially, I will provide prompts that will help you learn to prepare for class; as the term unfolds, these prompts will lessen and you will become responsible for preparing yourself for class. My only formal requirement is that you write them manually.
Research Reports (2 x 15%)
You will undertake a semester-long study that explores a dimension of writing that is of interest to you. These research reports are designed to help you chart your progress and, ultimately, increase the quality of your final project presentation. Your report should be one page single-spaced, 10pt font, Times New Roman. In them you are to answer the following questions:
[1] What am I learning about my chosen area of study?
[2] What are researchers asking and what relevance does it have to human existence?
[3] How does this research connect to the course readings?
[4] What kinds of questions do I have as I proceed further into my study?
This last question can be addressed on the back of your paper. These reports can be revised throughout the term and you can expect to receive extensive feedback once you turn them in. Please keep in mind that these reports should represent your progress thus far. If your report lacks depth and precision, I will assess it as if you are not very far along in your research. In effect, you'll want to treat each report as if you were submitting it for a final grade at the end of the term so that you can learn how to push your research further than you might expect.
Final Project (35%)
Your final project will consist of a two page single-spaced essay in which you report on the research you conducted throughout the term.You will need to make a case for why you studied this particular dimension of writing and what relevance it has to writing studies as a whole (as we have explored it in this course). You'll want to consult and cite sources from a variety of disciplines and explain how your approach to writing studies research enriched your understanding of the phenomenon in question. If there is a dearth of research on your topic or a narrowly conceived perspective on it you'll want to explore why that is the case. Possible topics include: cryptography, writer's block, forgery, writing machine such as computer or typewriters, graphomania, animals & writing, non-Western writing practices, and so on...
Academic Honesty
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Drop Information
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Related Issues
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If you have a learning difference and would like to learn more about the accommodations offered by Disability Concerns, you can contact their office at (940) 565-4323 (voice).