Community Writing

Writing & Reading SL Course

Course Overview: Storytelling … becomes a positive and powerful way to bring everyone to the table, validating what everybody has to bring, and using that as a way of studying this complex society we all share but in which we live differently depending on where we are positioned in it. Even though we may see it differently, because we’re sitting in different positions around that table, we all have something to add to this developing story about who we are as a nation, where we are going in terms of addressing our racial history, and other aspects of justice. “The…

Writing SL Course

Course description: Emphasis is on developing skills of writing, reading, analytical thinking, and research. Students are introduced to thought provoking ideas in readings from a variety of disciplines and learn to organize material, analyze ideas, and produce clear writing. These skills are the basis for success in all college courses and in professional careers. By reading, analyzing, and interpreting material from a variety of writers and, in turn, writing and thinking about the ideas, the student should become more proficient at communication skills. This course fulfills open and liberal arts electives. Course objectives (writing) Students will: 1. Use the writing…

African American/Latina(o) Children’s Literature Service Learning Internship

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” -Benjamin Franklin   PRIMARY COURSE OBJECTIVES Introduction to literacy education and practice with a primary emphasis on cultural diversity issues in contemporary U.S. society More comprehensive understanding of issues discussed in linked literature course Development of critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication, and leadership skills   SERVICE OBJECTIVE: According to the federal Reading Excellence Act of 1999, national assessments reflect “serious deficiencies in children’s ability to read, especially in high-poverty schools” such as those served by Service Learning Program internships. Even in wealthier schools,…

Black Literatures

Course Description This course explores literature from the African diaspora – particularly West Africa, the U.S., and the Caribbean. A range of questions will guide our discussion including: What constitutes the African diaspora? What is the relationship between diaspora and nation? What are the connections between the African diasporas in the construction of a black identity? We will read fiction and drama from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Jamaica, Haiti, England, and the U.S. (among other countries) with protagonists who often look to Africa and/or the ancestors for renewal and empowerment. Among the themes we will explore are oral…

HIV/AIDS and Its Biological and Social Impact

PHILOSOPHY OF GENERAL EDUCATION A complex array of forces continually transforms our world. Marygrove’s general education program engages these forces, providing opportunities to examine them from different disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Our objective is not only to disseminate information about forces that shape our world but also to intensify our critical thinking about them. At Marygrove we try to make certain that all the courses you take will help you develop skills that can be put to use in your professional and personal life. The classes are designed to assist you in: Strengthening writing, critical thinking, oral communication, and research…

Community Involvement

Professors Jim Ostrow, Behavioral Sciences Department Maureen Goldman, English Department Readings Packet under course name sold in bookstore: Jonathan Kozol, Amazing Grace (New York: Crown, 1995) David Bollier, Aiming Higher (Washington, D.C.: American Management Association, 1996) Additional readings TBA In this course, students engage in public service within agencies or organizations in the Greater Boston area. In their written work and class discussions, they will reflect on both the purposes of that work as well as on its limits as a response to specific needs within the community and more general problems of social justice. Students will also explore issues…

Living on Spaceship Earth: Environmental Issues and Their Literary Portrayals

  Donald Stearns, Ph.D. and Kim Worthy, Ph.D. FIRST YEAR LEARNING COMMUNITY K: LIVING ON SPACESHIP EARTH: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND THEIR LITERARY PORTRAYALS Instructors: Donald Stearns, Ph.D., Megerle Science Building, Room 413 Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2:00-4:00 pm; Wednesdays, 5:00 7:00 pm and by appointment Office Phone: Ext. 3197 on campus; (718) 390 3197 off campus Home Phone: (856) 667-0486 Email: dstearns@wagner.edu Course Description: This course focuses on development of college level communication skills through reading, writing, discussions, and presentations stemming from issues raised in the learning community. Specific course objectives: To respond originally and lucidly to a series of reading…

Writers Helping Writers

Writers Helping Writers Lecturer: Cathy Sayer Office: 106 Oelman Mailbox: 441 Millett Office Hours: MW 10:00 12:00 Phone: 775 2471 (my office) TTh 12:00 2:00 775 3136 (to leave message) Other times by Email: cathy.sayer@wright.edu appointment. Required Texts and Materials If You’re Trying to Teach Kids How to Write, Revised Edition, by Marjorie Frank A Writer’s Reference, 4th Edition, by Diana Hacker Course Packet for English 399: Writers Helping Writers Course Goals The primary goals for this course are: To improve both your writing skills and those of students at Stivers School for the Arts, while encouraging them to continue…

Children s Literature with Service Learning Component

Required Texts: *Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting.Bang, Molly. The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher. *Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden.*Casterton, Peter (Editor), et al. Goddesses Heroes and Shamans : The Young People's Guide to World Mythology.*Hesse, Karen. Out of the DustHoffmann, Heinrich. Struwwelpeter in English Translation.Krause, Lois. "How We Learn and Why We Don·t" Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are. Stanley, Jerry. Children of the Dust Bowl.Tatar, Maria, ed. The Classic Fairy Tales.Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.Special Order: Buy only ONE of the following Mildred Taylor novellas:Taylor, Mildred. The Friendship—. Mississippi Bridge —. Song of the…

Multicultural Children s Literature

TIME: Mondays and WednesdaysSection 1: 2:00 3:50 P.M., Section 2: 6:00 7:50 P.M. LOCATION: Section 1: – Bldg 45, Room 102Section 2: Bldg 45, Room 105Office: Bldg. 15, Room 164Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays (By appointment) Required Texts: Harris, V. (Ed.). Using, Multiethnic Literature in the K-8 Classroom. (1997). Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc. Bigleow, Bill. Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years. (1998), Rethinking Schools, Dorris, Michael. Morning Girl. (1992). NY: Hyperion. Steptoe, John. The Story of Jumping Mouse. Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me. Ultima. (1972). Tonatiu-Quinto-Sol International Ada, Alma Flor. Gathering the Sun. (1997). Lothrop, Lee & Shepard. Soto, Gary….

Literature of Social Reflection: Hunger, Food, Writing [a.k.a. Literary Genres]

This class will explore constructions of hunger and its appeasement in a variety of generic discourses (literary, historical, political, anthropological, autobiographical, cinematic, and commercial). What is the social, political, and psychological situation of the hungry person, and of the person who serves? What hungers are our institutions (from soup kitchens to family kitchens, restaurants, and other food delivery systems, including the medical, the penal, and the political) designed to accommodate, and what interests do representations of hunger and food serve? Students will fulfill their service requirement by working in their choice of a variety of elective venues, including soup kitchens,…