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Re: Summer reading
I'm delighted this thread finally camae up since I always love to see what
everybody else is reading.
For students, _Into Thin Air_ by Jon Krakauer is an incredible book about the
consequences of decisions (and the criticism it's received is also very
instructive to read). The prose is compelling and the issues are significant and
rewarding--much about how little mistakes add up to big ones, and what happens
when people compete against each other instead of working together, or fail to
take responsiblity, etc. Great discussion possibilities here. BTW, if there's an
IMAX theatre anywhere near you showing the Everest IMAX movie, SEE IT! And
Hunter Thompson's _Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail_, although 25 years
old [yikes!], sheds some clear and bitter light on today's world. (Also a great
example of voice, for those who like to teach such things...)
For us, besides rereading Fulkerson (a wonderful article, and thank you Lady and
Bobbie for resurrecting it), I'd suggest John Passmore's _The Philosophy of
Teaching_, especially in light of the discussion of the 5 paragraph theme. He
talks about learning in terms of broad and narrow competencies and open and
closed competencies--and the 5 para. theme is certainly a narrow competency that
we hope students will somehow learn to translate into a broad competency! I
don't have my notes to hand to summarize the book right now but can dredge them
up if folks are interested.
The other book for us is Richard and Barbara Gebhardt's _Academic Advancement in
Composition Studies: Scholarship, Publication, Promotion, Tenure_ (Erlbaum,
1997). There's a wonderful chapter just on Center work by our own Mickey Harris,
but the whole collection of essaysis remarkable solid and thought provoking. I
know it's already had a significant impaact on some of the ways in which I am
presenting myself to my department, dean, and administrators.....
And when I get through with all of this I have a real stack of NOVELS just lying
there waiting for me....Thank heaven for summer!
Cheers,
Jo
-----------------
Jo Koster Tarvers
Department of English and Writing Center
Winthrop University
Rock Hill, SC 29733 USA
(803-323-4557 voice) (803-323-4837 fax)
tarversj@winthrop.edu
"This writing business, pencils and what-not. Overrated if you ask me."--Eeyore