Noah Aberlin
(Noah Aberlin, Dan Archer, Tim Carignan, Shannon House)
In this essay I will report and discuss the information gathered by my group from various interviews on the structure of the writing program at Syracuse University. Individuals in my group interviewed Vice Chancellor Freund (Appendix A), Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Stuart Thau (Appendix B), English professor Charles Watson (Appendix C), and Writing Program professor Patricia Phelps (Appendix C). I interviewed three students in my major (drama) and tried to interview David Rubin, a dean and professor of public communications in Newhouse, but he replied to my email with, ÒThe Newhouse School does not require students to take WRT 205, so I can't speak to the assigned topic. I don't know why it's required.Ó (Appendix D).
One of the questions that was asked in each interview was: Òwho has the authority to set requirementsÓ and the answer in each interview was the faculty of that college. Stuart Thau went on to comment that Òa composition sequence is mandatory in almost all of the academic worldÓ (B) Thau also compared SyracuseÕs writing program to CornellÕs. He explained how CornellÕs program allows its students to choose which writing class interests them. He also proposed that SUÕs program is better because it Òfits the masses.Ó Each student is learning the same basic skills of writing. Thau also said, however, that although many students need a solid writing class, some donÕt.
From
the information above I can gather that the writing professors have the
authority over the writing classes and the faculty from each college has the
authority to make writing 105 and 205 a requirement for their students. It is up to the individual college
faculty to decide whether their students have to take the writing courses, but
the faculty of the writing program to decide what is to be taught in the
classes. It seems to me that the
reason Newhouse does not require its students to take WRT 205 is because they
need to learn a specialized form of writing for their major. DoesnÕt a biology major need to learn a
different form of writing than a creative writing major? Our writing program might Òfit the
massesÓ better than CornellÕs, but I feel that certain majors need different
types of training in order to further them in their skills.
When asked what her feeling on the importance of WRT 205 was, Vice Chancellor Freund explained that, Òin business the ability to write and communicate will be more important the higher up in the organization you get.Ó (A) Charles Watson insisted that, Òwriting is a vital cornerstone for students of all abilities.Ó (C) But Patricia Phelps argued that, Òit can be hard to teach a writing course to students that are required to take it because they will not want to be sitting in the classroom of a required course that they wish not to be in. Therefore, they will not learn.Ó (C) When I interviewed my peers they all agreed with what Phelps had to say. Hilary Herbert said, ÒI would rather a play writing course. We should be able to take what we want and need, youÕre not learning if you are forced to take it.Ó Meaghan Ludlow and Lindsay Mac Naughton both agreed and went on to say, ÒI didnÕt learn anything, I didnÕt like it, I learnt how to write and research papers, I donÕt have to know how to do that.Ó
Freund and Watson bring up good points because pretty much anywhere you go you are going to have to be able to write constructively and clearly. Phelps brings up a very important point. Students are much more turned off to what they are being forced to do than what they choose to do. So, more specific writing classes may be more beneficial to students. Specific writing 205 courses that focus on different forms of writing for each studentÕs interest and/or major.
Another question asked was, ÒWhat curricular guidelines are there for this course?Ó Watson replied that in the past it used to be very structured and set, but now each individual instructor has leeway to teach the set curriculum his or her own way. Phelps said that she Òwould like to keep it open to studentsÕ own learning goals,Ó when she was talking about how SU wants to make the programÕs curriculum more specific. Lindsay Mac Naughton agreed with what Phelps had to say and added that she felt ÒgyppedÓ because every class was so different and she wished she had know what each teacher was going to do with their class so that she could have chosen one that interested her more than the one that she was placed in.
Discussion
Mac
Naughton brings up a good point, one that I personally experienced in my WRT
105 class. Some of my classmates
had writing at the same time I did, but with different professors and we would
compare the amount of workload and what we were learning. I had three papers due the whole
semester, while my friends had one due almost every other week. They were learning at a much faster
rate than I was and it wasnÕt because I was in a lower section of writing, it
was just because my teacherÕs views on how to teach the course were very
different than my friendÕs teacherÕs.
So, in a way, I felt ÒgyppedÓ because I was not getting the level of
instruction that my peers were.
From
the information above it is my belief that a more descript curriculum, with
courses that speak to a studentÕs interests would be more beneficial to their
learning. If each writing 105 or
205 professor had to write out a small course description for their class, students
could place themselves in section that would please them better. They would choose the course, so they
wouldnÕt feel as chained down to having to take it as they do when they sign up
for any writing 105 or 205 section.
This would not only make the classroom more productive, but it would
also further the studentÕs interest in learning.
Herbert, Hilary. Personal Interview. 15 Jan. 2003
Ludlow, Meaghan. Personal Interview. 15 Jan. 2003
Mac Naughton, Lindsay. Personal Interview. 15 Jan. 2003
Freund, Deborah. Interview with Daniel Archer. 11 Feb. 2003
Thau, Stewart. Interview with Shannon House. 10 Feb. 2003
Watson, Charles. Interview with Tim Carignan. 7 Feb. 2003
Phelps, Patricia. Interview with Tim Carignan. 7 Feb. 2003
Appendix A
Daniel Archer
Q: Who has the authority to set requirements for each school?
A: For a major: Faculty, Professors. For the college: the whole faculty.
Q: what are your feelings on WRT 205?
A: Students canÕt write well, when they come to school. So students must learn how to write well, succinctly. Students also canÕt write well using correct grammar.
Writing is the most important skill to require. For example in business the ability to write and communicate will be more important the higher up in the organization you get. The ability to communicate is very important.
Q: Do you think what WRT 205 covers now is sufficient?
A: couldnÕt say, they should just teach how to clearly write an argument, have no grammatical errors, and construct sentences well.
Q: Do you think all students should be required to take WRT 205?
A: It is important for students to be competent. Maybe not 205 but then other writing courses. Maybe 205 courses linked to colleges.
Q: Do you think it adds anything to the university that other schools like Cornell might lack?
A: No, as long as students get taught writing whatever/ wherever. The Writing program brings scholars and luster to SU.
Q: What would you think if SOM or school of engineering started their own writing curriculum to replace 205?
A: The students might think they where more important. But
this would limit the types of writing. Also they would lose the value of
working with a mix of students from other colleges.
Appendix B
Stuart Thau Interview
Who has the authority?
The faculty of the College set the rule; the faculty not the administrators
The other colleges pick up the program because accredited agencies want to see that students have some sort of liberal skills
A required composition sequence is mandatory in almost all of the academic world
-Cornell has the writing seminar in which students can pick the class that is writing intensive that interests them
- SU has the better program
- Cornell is more selective
-SU has a wider range of students; so they have a wider range of writing deficits
- Our writing program fits the masses
- Some students donÕt need our writing program; many do
- All students should take the same WRT 205, no different ones for different majors because itÕs the same basic skills
Ò The purpose of general requirements is the liberal requirement of educating citizens.Ó
He feels that Newhouse made a big mistake in not making their BJ majors take 205
However Newhouse felt that 105 was enough, again they are an accredited institution and they want to make their core for all intents and purposes look like a liberal arts core
At SU it is very unusual to matriculate undergraduates into many different colleges; they usual go to the liberal arts college for two years
-At SU there is no specific WRT 205 taught by the different colleges because A&S has the trained professionals; if an engineering professor wanted to teach 205, it would not go over well with the higher administration because they are not the best for the position
Curricular Guidelines
-There really is no general requirement
- WRT courses have no set format; the faculty adopt the course description
- The faculty go to a seminar to be taught how to teach this course; this is the only continuity that there is
Appendix C
Research Questions:
1) Who has the authority to set this requirement?
2) What curricular guidelines are there for this course?
3) What are your feelings on the writing requirement?
4) Do you feel that writing should be required by all students at all colleges?
5) What is the reason for taking writing?
Responses:
Charles Watson
5). In the 1980s Bob Gates, of the Gates Committee, found that the composition program was not up to date on the best ways of helping students better write at the college level.
-Reshaped the ways to teach writing composition.
-Research showed that the best way to teach writing was to do other things in order for students to look at their writing more closely and become more conscious of themselves as writers.
-Writing is how we acquire literacy.
3). I have come across good students who are looking to test out, but I believe that the kinds of things that one can do in these courses, even a good writer can profit and become a more polished writer later on.
-Writing is a vital cornerstone course for students of all abilities.
4). I believe that in general the teaching of composition should be done more or less as it is a Syracuse University.
-Syracuse University has a wonderful model that should be followed.
- There is a lot of agreement that we are moving in the right direction.
2). Literacy narrative, students account of a personal ethnography in a self contained environment.
-Retrospect accounts
-The Curricular guidelines where basic early on with some leeway for individual instruction. Now it is a more instructor based course.
1). The faculty of each individual college has the authority to require writing or not. The dean has the final say but will not act without the input of the faculty.
-ItÕs an all university program requirement, not a university itself requirement.
Side Notes:
-The opposition of the writing requirement in New House has been combated with longstanding tension and conflict.
-Writing allows us to be mentally agile.
-I canÕt think of anything more important to you success than writing.
Responses:
Professor Phelps
1). There is no University requirement; all the schools and colleges have there own curriculum requirements with approval by the university.
-One of the ways we go about requiring writing is to adopt the Liberal Arts curriculum.
-The decision of the writing requirement lie in the faculties hands not the administrators.
2). Recently we have developed outcome statements for the curriculum.
-There has been a movement to specify requirements at Syracuse University.
-I have my own slight reservations about that. I would like to leave it open to students own learning goals.
3)&5). It is a tool for thinking and also a way to express thinking.
-Writing helps us learn, interpret information, acquire and make knowledge, and is a rhetorical way of communicating what we do know.
-Writing involves skills of all kinds, social, intellectual, etc. and writing is a major part of many disciplines.
-A basic level of writing needs to be acquired early and continued throughout ones life.
-It is important that people learn different types of writing that are specific to what is being written about. Say for science, math, English, etc..
3)&4). Everyone should have writing in college.
-If one canÕt write how can that person be educated at the college level/
-Many colleges have a lower level, or freshmen requirement of writing, a junior level requirement writing intensive course.
3). It can be hard to teach a writing course to students that are required to take it because they will not want to be sitting in the classroom of a required course that they wish not to be in. Therefore, they will not learn.
Side Note:
-Talk to Dr. Shell about writing archives.
Appendix D
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Subj:
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Re: WRT 205 Question |
|
Date: |
2/11/03 1:25:06 PM Eastern Standard Time |
|
From: dmrubin@mailbox.syr.edu (David
Rubin) |
|
Dear Noah:
The Newhouse School does not require students to take WRT 205, so I
can't speak to the assigned topic. I don't know why it's required.
Sorry.
DR
>Dear Dean Rubin,
> My name is Noah Aberlin and I am writing to you from my WRT
205
>class with professor Howard. She gave us an assignment to research
>why students are required to take writing 205. She suggested that
>you would be an interesting person to interview. I was wondering if
>you had any time for an interview with me or my classmate Shannon
>House. Please respond with any free time that you have; it should
>take no longer than half-an-hour. Thank you for your time.
>
>NOAH ABERLIN