Linda Daly
Dr. Donna M. Souder
English 501: Theories of Writing
01/27/10
A BLOG ON USING THE PRACTICAL INTELLECT IN COMPOSITION
All of us know that it takes dedication to become an effective writer.
Using Perelman’s ideas about effective composition, it is important to
identify a subject that the audience can relate too. An example could
be that students today must learn to write effectively to be successful
in the workplace. Most of these students will soon compete for positions
and promotions in the workplace, which among other things,utilize skills
in composition. Because of this need to write effectively, students today
are taught skills in writing. The highly impacted job market requires
even a greater sense of urgency about the importance of composition
writing in education.
At primary and secondary school districts today, the Six Traits of
Writing and Step Up to Writing principles are often used in the
development of a rubric used to assess a student’s composition. The
rubric categories are generally identified as follows:original ideas,
organization, voice, fluid sentences, word choice and grammar
conventions. Given that most of the current children in the K-12
grades of America are educated in schools utilizing a similar rubric for
their composition students, it might be assumed that today’s students
are better writers than those students who were educated in schools
not utilizing such a rubric.
However the principles of argumentation, which Perelman favors in
teaching composition, is not an argument for the truth of the matter,
utilizing the principles of logic. Instead he believes in the importance
of “practical argument and debate, in solving immediate problems and
formulating workable policies” in teaching composition (Hairston 67).
Therefore whether or not today’s CSAP test results show that such a
rubric has produced better writers than in the past is not the real
question at hand, as the focus is not on proving the truth of this
question. This is because Perelman’s focus in teaching composition
is not on “scientific and philosophical discourse,” or using tools of
deduction, induction and dialectic,” which “have been presumed to be
exercising speculative intellect,” (Hairston 66).
The crux of Perelman’s focus is on the ability of the student to
formulate a coherent argument in their compositions about practical
problems that Americans face everyday in society and in the workplace.
Furthermore, there is an expectation that the student’s argument
revolve around an actively effective debate regarding the pros and
cons regarding how to resolve such practical problems, based on
evidence that can be cited and evaluated. The argument needs to
address and engage the audience. The conclusion should include a
consensus regarding workable ideas that can be implemented as an
effective policy. Perelman believes that composition should use
“persuasive discourse and use (of) rhetorical tools of the enthymeme”
with examples taken from “experience or human observation,” which
presumably involve “using the practical intellect” (Hairston 66).
Given the premise of Perelman that composition should use the
practical intellect, I believe that the rubric for effective
composition needs to include the principles of argumentation. The
CSAP results alone do not identify a practical problem at hand. The
task at hand is to capture the ingenuity of the American people to
resolve identified problems in society and in the workplace in order
to achieve full employment. The state of full employment is the hoped
for evidence requiring evaluation and analysis by composition teachers
and policy makers today and tomorrow.
Bibliography
Hairston, Maxine C. “Bringing Aristotle’s Enthymeme into the
Composition Classroom.” Moss, Jean Dietz Ed. Rhetoric and Praxis:
The Contribution ofClassical Rhetoric to Practical Reasoning.
Washington, D. C.: The Catholic University of American Press. Print.
(Note year was not provided on the handout given to the class.)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Writing Theory Course with Dr. Souder
It was fascinating reading this week. I had never really known that English literature was not a well accepted course of study even after Shakespeare, Chaucer and Dante made their appearances. I had known that it was mandatory to study Greek and Latin. I know my high school in rural 1960's Kansas only taught Latin. My husband went to Hotchkiss, a very elite private school in Connecticut on a parr with Choate, Kent, etc., feeder schools for Harvard, etc. and he had to study Greek, Latin, French and German in high school. My brother took four years of Latin in college, while I switched to Spanish.
Nevertheless, I always conceived of German, French, and Spanish as languages as important to a well rounded education, as any other language. Considering that Latin is a dead language and the relatively small population of Greece, I would not have conceived of these languages, as more important than other languages currently being spoken in the world. The idea that literature world wide was not considered as important, as that of Greece and Roman times seems absolutely astounding. But then as I read further I came to understand not only the entrenchment of tradition, but the lack of regard for modern literature as folk stories, rather than meaningful literature, contributed to this position. Furthermore the emphasis on the law, politics and scientific persuasion apparently eclipsed the world of fiction, as a lesser form of scholarly work.
The study of composition as a separate area of study was also interesting. Certainly when I was at the University of Kansas many years ago, composition was very important, as three course were required for all liberal arts graduates in a combined course called Composition and Literature, while rhetoric was placed in a required Speech course and Philosophy in three required courses on Western Civilization. I conceived of Composition, as being able to use Grammar effectively and learned at KU the idea of making an argument through Composition.
In the nineties when I got a degree in English specializing in Creative Writing at Mills College, there was no talk of Composition, although there may have seen a freshman requirement that I was not tuned into. There was also no emphasis on Theory, Research or Literary Criticism. It was considered important to know about the times and place of the literature and to have background information about the author. Writing about the literature was centered on the students own analysis. If a critical viewpoint was considered,New Historicism, Marxism, feminism, multiculturalism, modernism and post modernism were discussed, largely from the point of view of history, structure and grammar.
When I was in high school I wrote a few book reports but did not write any other papers. In college I wrote papers for a variety of courses, but particularly in my social work, speech, history, psychology and art history classes, as well as English. Last year when going through the teacher eduction program and teaching middle school English, it became clear that all teachers were to teach reading, writing and vocabulary, not just the English teacher. Apparently from our readings, England today expects college students to be taught Composition, as a part of all college classes, rather than having a requirement for freshman composition. Even in this school of graduate English at CSU Pueblo, there appear to be differences among the faculty, as to their approach to Composition, as the Reading Theory teacher spent very little time going over what made a paper particularly strong and gave vague feedback, while the professor teaching Toni Morrison, assigned many papers and gave detailed feedback and opportunities for revisions, to help the student really focus on the writing process.
I do believe that having a freshman composition course is a good idea, in order to continue to build writing skills and a uniform understanding of the writing process. I know in my work as a social worker, writing has been incredibly important, whether writing adoption home studies or court reports to terminate parental rights, I have needed to be able to write with clarity at least. My husband has a master's degree in chemistry and works in safety and industrial hygiene, however he believes that his major job duty is writing extensive reports. To be able to write is a necessary part of employment in many jobs today, so colleges have an obligation to teach Composition for the working world that students will eventually join. Making a factual argument is an essential ability in the work world.
Nevertheless, I always conceived of German, French, and Spanish as languages as important to a well rounded education, as any other language. Considering that Latin is a dead language and the relatively small population of Greece, I would not have conceived of these languages, as more important than other languages currently being spoken in the world. The idea that literature world wide was not considered as important, as that of Greece and Roman times seems absolutely astounding. But then as I read further I came to understand not only the entrenchment of tradition, but the lack of regard for modern literature as folk stories, rather than meaningful literature, contributed to this position. Furthermore the emphasis on the law, politics and scientific persuasion apparently eclipsed the world of fiction, as a lesser form of scholarly work.
The study of composition as a separate area of study was also interesting. Certainly when I was at the University of Kansas many years ago, composition was very important, as three course were required for all liberal arts graduates in a combined course called Composition and Literature, while rhetoric was placed in a required Speech course and Philosophy in three required courses on Western Civilization. I conceived of Composition, as being able to use Grammar effectively and learned at KU the idea of making an argument through Composition.
In the nineties when I got a degree in English specializing in Creative Writing at Mills College, there was no talk of Composition, although there may have seen a freshman requirement that I was not tuned into. There was also no emphasis on Theory, Research or Literary Criticism. It was considered important to know about the times and place of the literature and to have background information about the author. Writing about the literature was centered on the students own analysis. If a critical viewpoint was considered,New Historicism, Marxism, feminism, multiculturalism, modernism and post modernism were discussed, largely from the point of view of history, structure and grammar.
When I was in high school I wrote a few book reports but did not write any other papers. In college I wrote papers for a variety of courses, but particularly in my social work, speech, history, psychology and art history classes, as well as English. Last year when going through the teacher eduction program and teaching middle school English, it became clear that all teachers were to teach reading, writing and vocabulary, not just the English teacher. Apparently from our readings, England today expects college students to be taught Composition, as a part of all college classes, rather than having a requirement for freshman composition. Even in this school of graduate English at CSU Pueblo, there appear to be differences among the faculty, as to their approach to Composition, as the Reading Theory teacher spent very little time going over what made a paper particularly strong and gave vague feedback, while the professor teaching Toni Morrison, assigned many papers and gave detailed feedback and opportunities for revisions, to help the student really focus on the writing process.
I do believe that having a freshman composition course is a good idea, in order to continue to build writing skills and a uniform understanding of the writing process. I know in my work as a social worker, writing has been incredibly important, whether writing adoption home studies or court reports to terminate parental rights, I have needed to be able to write with clarity at least. My husband has a master's degree in chemistry and works in safety and industrial hygiene, however he believes that his major job duty is writing extensive reports. To be able to write is a necessary part of employment in many jobs today, so colleges have an obligation to teach Composition for the working world that students will eventually join. Making a factual argument is an essential ability in the work world.
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