Note: I have made minor mechanical corrections in the student responses below without indicating the corrections; more substantial errors have been indicated with standard editing conventions.
What aspect or assignment in this course has been the most difficult for you? Explain briefly.
The essays -- we were assigned essays, and then we did lots of oral presentations about them, which I found not very helpful. I would really have preferred more concentration on the reading and writing aspects. We did plenty of speaking and listening, but I feel I'm not learning enough. More reading and perhaps some shorter writing assignments might be nice. Yes, that means I'm asking for more work in a way.
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The most difficult assignment this semester would have to have been the poetry assignment for personal reasons probably shared by the whole class [I have to think about that one -- MA]. It is difficult to chose and memorize a poem 12-14 lines long and the [recite] it to others. But over all this was a great semester.
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For me the difficult lies with getting enough research time and accumulation in as well as enough processed written material done before each essay or thesis version is due. A large part of this is personal [pacing] in relation to other assignment though. Taking part in conversations is quite difficult, and I wonder that the set of the desks is a factor? [sic.] Perhaps if the class had a large table that we gathered around, like a council? I feel the majority are not entirely encouraged to share opinions, enough.
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Time management; this has always been my greatest trouble. Though not just specific to this course, it is something within the course that has caused problems.
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The slow pace at which we are moving is quite difficult. The informative analysis was also relatively difficult, but really, it's the only actual assignment we've had, so I guess it was the easiest as well. I didn't like how the poetry "assignment" was handled, either. If you wanted us to pick every word apart, you should have said so, instead of just writing about it in your blog after the assignment was done.
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MA responds: Fair enough, and perhaps that was part of the background of the comment about "docking" mentioned in the last post. I'm inclined to think, though, that if one is asked to analyze a work, and given a worksheet listing some dozen points for analysis, a response with more detail than "this poem uses fancy, old-fashioned language" might be reasonably expected by the instructor without having to say, "now, children, I want you to carefully demonstrate that you know what you are talking about."
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Presentations have been the most difficult because when I'm in front of people I feel awkward and nervous. I tend to talk fast when I'm in front of people.
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MA: Hence the exercise.
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Getting up in the morning. Getting work done on time or getting work in, but that's a personal problem. Waiting for Achtermann to start class; wait to print things at the end of class or before class not during class & [wasting] class time.
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MA: Noted; I will strive to follow this direction. It's a bit of a personal problem.
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The changing of due dates for assignment and the [misprints] that are on the list that we get in the middle of the year. Also lessons and [their] subject [manner] ([understanding]).
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It has been difficult to keep track of when things are due. We (our class) gets very side tracked in discussion so often due dates get pushed back and we get behind.
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MA: I believe the only changes to assignment due dates have been the times of the presentations in class. All the other due dates have been maintained. If you have any question or confusion about due dates, it seems perfectly sensible to ask me; I will refer to the syllabus, which you should also have (if you have lost your copy, I will provide you with a new one). It's true that the presentations have taken a long time, much longer than scheduled, but this should not impact the other due dates.
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The informative essay was the most difficult assignment. It was hard to re-write facts in my own words to make it sound like it wasn't [plagiarized]. -- Oral presentations seem to go a lot longer than they should. Only a few people get to present in one class period.
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MA: The goal of paraphrase and summary is not to "sound like it isn't plagiarized" (because in fact the grammatical implication is that the work is plagiarized, but you simply wish it to appear not to be!), but a) not to be plagiarized, in fact, and, more importantly, b) to have been taken up by you into your own awareness as your own. This, too, is difficult, but it is the acquisition for yourself of ideas that is the goal -- not disguising another's words with your own!
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MLA citations; that has always been a weakness for me. However, I have improved a lot over the year. Public speaking [has also been a difficulty].
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MA: The main question is this: do you know where to find the information you need to figure out the MLA citations? Can you figure out whether you need to cite a work as an anthology, a critical edition, a direct authorship, or some other form? Can you find the publication information in your source? If you can answer these questions affirmatively, you have what you need to succeed; otherwise, not.
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The most difficult aspect of the course for me personally has been the emphasis on oral presentation. However, I believe this to be a reflection on my own anxieties rather than a flaw of the course. However if the grading was somehow more balanced with traditional quizzes or tests, I would feel as though it was more beneficial to me and better suited to my style of learning.
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Preparing the papers because so much time was spent on completing the thesis that by the time it was done, there was little time for the rest of the paper.
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MA: I have two comments on this: First, we experimented this semester with development through topic to thesis, rather than beginning straight out with the thesis as last semester. This additional step, however, should have had the effect of refining the thesis sufficiently that when the thesis was complete, the essay would be easily prepared. I suspect, then, if there is some difficulty in completing the essay in time, the problem is with insufficient research at the earlier stages, while the thesis is being formulated.
A thesis should be constructed when one has a fairly thorough understanding of a subject -- even as an hypothesis, one must have some sense how to proceed in testing the hypothesis, and this requires previous understanding of the subject tested. While working the topic from general to specific, and in developing the thesis, you should be researching the topic, not waiting for ideas to drop miraculously from the sky. The business of topic selection is active, not passive.
Second, the thesis is the paper, in essence: the only time required after the thesis is constructed is the physical representation of words on paper. In a dialectical format, of course, the thesis is one of three sections in the essay, but in an informative essay the thesis is the barest expression of the entirety of the work: a kind of single-statement summary of the whole essay, the essay in seed form. So the writing of the paper from the thesis is like a plant growing from a seed: of course, all of the notes you have prepared on your index cards are taken up like sunlight and water and soil, but the conditions of growth are already determined, and, all other factors being equal, the growth proceeds quickly and straightforwardly.
But this is just my saying this, and I've said it before. I've shown this, too, in one form or another, over the past seven months. It's best learned, though, by practice, and you comment suggests to me that what is needed is not a greater extension of time in which to prepare the essays, but shorter assignment times and more topics, more theses, so that you will have more practice in bringing a topic through the research and thesis formulation into final essay form.
What aspect or assignment has been the least difficult? Explain briefly.
This is pretty hard to judge, considering we didn't really have many formal assignments. The listening is ridiculously easy for me, so long as the speaker is clear. I'm not sure how useful the listening worksheets really are.
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MA: I'm dubious of the worksheets, too. I think they should include a few more specific points to concentrate on. We could discuss the worksheets in class and develop better ones for the future.
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The least difficult assignment for me was the informative paper because we got the chance to pick our own topics...
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Taking notes, listening, synthesizing, processing, and reading work has all been quite easy to ge through and maintain.
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The usage of decent (or proper) grammar and spelling; I've never found that to be too difficult. If I am getting certain things wrong, no one tells me.
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MA: Believe me, if you were far off the mark, you would hear about it.
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[left blank: apparently the entirety of the course is so difficult, all assignments are equally hard]
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The listening exercises have been the least difficult.
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[It has been least difficult to] love reading and discussing selected readings..., [to] find a subject to write about on thesis papers. In class discussions [have been least difficult].
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The reading in the course and the presentations including notes.
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Learning to memorize a poem and to present it to the class as the least difficult assignment.
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If you don't understand something it's easy to ask a question and get the class involved in the answer.
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writting the papers + doing research. It seems as if we are back in high school, I already know how to write papers the way the course is now. Maybe if we were taught a more advanced level of writting it would be better. Class seems like an overview of middle-high school. [Entire comment, sic.]
*
Re: Spelling and punctuation still remain essential components of writing. As a writer, too, I've found that very simple exercises can still provide a great deal of challenge. Have you milked every assignment for its full potential? Have you asked me for a further challenge?
I'm completely in sympathy with the idea of a more advanced class. In this section, I observe a range of capacity from several students who are challenged to form a complete and correct English sentence without basic structural error to several who could, if they wished, work as professional writers. In my view, we should have three tiers of FVC: one for individuals in need of training in basic writing skills, another for average college-level students, and one for advanced writers. We try to accommodate to this with the Writing Workshop, but this does not answer to the need for the higher level challenge.
Having said that, I come back to my last question. I would be pleased to show ways to "raise the bar" in assignments. I have the sense that the majority of students in this class feel ready for such a challenge. Alas! I am waiting for the demonstration of that readiness.
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The least difficult assignment has been probably the listening exercises. But there have been very few class assignments.
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MA: Yes, there have been very few, and therefore it puzzles me why I read complaints about not having enough time to meet the deadlines. It's a mystery.
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Poetry, just because I write a lot so it came easily.
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What did you think you were going to learn that you haven't learned?
More "free" writing, our own topics to express ourselves.
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MA: presumably, this is a request for more writing exercises (albeit of a peculiar character). As above, I don't believe I ever have told a student "don't write so much" (although I have placed length guidelines on assignments). But until you've been engaged in grading yourself, hesitate to suggest more graded work.
Also, I'm curious: were not your informative and persuasive essays to be written on your own topics? Perhaps you wished to write on more topics. I won't stop you -- indeed, so far from that, I encourage you! And, so long as you don't ask me to grade them, I'll be happy to read and comment on any pieces you write.
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With the assignment of the reading of Always Coming Home, which was completed at once, I was expecting more of a poetic analysis and/or series of discussions on the books' various literary strengths, pecuiarities, and perspectives raised. This could possibly have been connected to other assignments such as the five fours (which it was) but also to the thesis or poetry analysis. In any case, somehow it seemed we ditched the book a little too early for my, and a few other's, interests.
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I though we would do a lot more with the books we purchased. I read through all of Always Coming Home, for example, and now realize that I was the only one to do so, and that it was really a waste of time because we didn't do anything with it, aside from the 5/4s, which, of course, led to more oral presentations.
Mainly I was under the impression that we would have spent more time studying Always Coming Home. Though I enjoyed the book, other students were upse when they were told to buy it and read it but it has not effected their grade whatsoever., being as the exercise involving the book did not require much knowledge of it.
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I thought we were going to use the books we bought this semester; the only ones we've actually used were Tolkien and the handbook. Buying ACH was a waste of money in my opinion.
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MA: Here's a question for those students who were so upset: would you have read this book if it had not been part of this class? Having read it, did you find it to be a stimulating, frustrating, interesting, useful, meaningful, challenging book? In short, did you benefit from reading it? Well, then -- why do you need a grade? Are you a student, or a worker-bee? Do you want to learn, or do what The System tells you to do? Only you can answer these questions.
Sure, it would be great to grade you on something related to Always Coming Home, and that was my original intent in July and August of 2007. We could still do that, if you'd like. I have quizzes made up, and essay prompts. I'd hate for you to have spent $15 in vain.
If you will scroll back through this blog, you should find that I spent some time pointing to possible connections between Always Coming Home and the topics you selected. In other words, you could, in all likelihood, have used Always Coming Home as part of your informative and persuasive essays, if you really wanted to prevent a "waste of money". It seems to me that you want me to give you something you should take for yourself.
At some point you must be willing to learn for learning's sake -- because it is that which will improve your lot as artists or designers, or, frankly, anything else you might be in life. Watch movies because they are good to watch. Do good work because it is the right thing to do. Make art because you must. Grades are valuable, yes, yes, I know: I make money (in part) by identifying them, but they should not qualify your life.
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Classic english literature. Advanced college english In depth discussions about literature + comprehension. Creative writting, etc.
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MA: Apparently, I missed the memo about the extra "t" in writing, or the use of "etc." without a list, or the abandonment of capitals for proper nouns. But all of this is quite petty, I'm sure. Simply because one does not employ standards long established, we should not bar one from in depth discussions about comprehension. And I do not deny that I long for the same. And again, I do not believe I have barred anyone from participating in such.
As I say, my response may be petty, peevish, and inappropriate -- better reserved for the lofty atmosphere of the faculty lounge, had we such an appurtenance in this institution.
I think, though, a fundamental fault lies in the apparent misapprehension that this is a literature course. If we have read some fine literature, and even spent some little time examining it, yet that is not, as I understand the matter, one of the chief goals of the course. Re-examine the syllabus, if you doubt me.
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I thought we were going to learn more about poetry and not just how to [recite] it.
*
More about poetry and reciting it. All about Tom Bombadil and his blue jacket and yellow shoes (or is it the other way around[?]).
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MA: May I suggest our course entitled "Poetry", debuting Fall 2008. Bombadil wore boots in the poem. They were yellow. See http://words-are-the-matter.blogspot.com.
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This semester I figured that we would continue from last semester and that's what we were doing. So there isn't anything new that I've learned.
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MA: Brian Eno notes that "repetition is a form of change."
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More English terms (not the basic but more teaching like what is in the Penguin Handbook).
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I thought that perhaps we'd go much further into grammatical and mechanical language practice. Also, it may have been nice to go into the various structures of poetry in more depth.
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MA: Ah, here's the difficulty: everyone wants something a little different from everyone else. Yes, going over mechanics could be useful, but it's time consuming and also frustrating as a spectator sport. And it's time consuming and frustrating to grade, which is likely why it would be needed at the college level at all: lower-level instructors passed it off. Shakespeare's Richard III comments,
"Look, what is done cannot now be amended. / Men shall act inadvisedly at times/ which later hours give leisure to repent" (V.iii.308-310). I guess we are now in the "later hours".
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I did not have any hopes to learn anything beyond what was included in the curriculum.
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[Blank: I'll take that as the mark of a satisfied customer.]
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What are you learning that you didn't expect to learn?
Really, I don't think I am learning anything unexpected. The unstructured thing's not working for me. I don't complain too much because it might not be good for others, but I find this class to be my least useful.
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MA: Thank you (I suppose) for not complaining in class, but I hope than in future sincere complaint such as the one you imply here (it might be seen as a heavy indictment to be the instructor of the "least useful" course -- on the other hand, that is relative; still, I'd like to be higher on the list) would be addressed directly and as forcefully as possible to the instructor in question (here, me). I think, too, that finding that a course is not advancing you is a reasonable cause for complaint, which, if not satisfied by the instructor after discussing the matter with him or her, should be directed to the chair of the department (or, in my case, since I am the chair, to the academic dean). This may seem heavy-handed and like a personal affront on your part, but either the matter is important, and therefore worthy of note to the appropriate agents (the instructor, then the chair, then the dean), or it is not. I would hope that I would not take a sincere concern personally. If a concern is worthy of note, it transcends the personal (that is, it may be a "personal problem" or character flaw in the instructor, but if there is an interference there with your learning, some accommodation should be made; that might be a restructuring of the class [or, in my case, a mere structuring!] or a reassignment to another section, if that could be arranged).
***
Cannot recall a specific event or bits of information that I did not expect to learn.
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I greatly enjoy the unexpected but occasional inclusion of etymology; we should engage in the history of words and older versions a bit more, just out of the interest in the richness it offers. Learning more thoroughly the dialectic has been very useful as well.
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MA: Check out http://freerice.com/ and http://www.etymonline.com/
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I've learned a lot about the subject I chose to write about & although I like your crazy rants, I've learned a LOT about your personal life.
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I guess I would have to say how to listen better when people are talking.
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More about writing proper thesis and more about the subject I chose to write about. And pubic presentations.
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Explaining of in depth analysis of certain books. Learning why we do the things we do.
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Paraphrase, block quotation, reference etc.
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I didn't think I would get over the fear of talking in front of the room, but with more practice I'm getting better at it.
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MA: That's right: practice, practice, practice. It takes time and effort, but it produces results.
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I didn't expect the poetry. That was fun. I wish we could have gone more in depth though.
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MA: Nobody expects.... Yes, I would have enjoyed going to more depth on poetry, too, and maybe one day your wish shall be granted!
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I can't think of a specific thing, but I generally find the class or simply your "rants" interesting.
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MA: What is all this about "rants"?
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Reading and analyzing all the books.
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MA: Well, I'm glad that someone did this! Now, in case anyone supervising me happens to have read this all the way to the end, I will allow a student the final words:
[I'm learning a] great deal of things [that I didn't expect to learn]; while some of the other students may disagree, I find the times that the instructor "lectures on and on" or "talks about nothing" (as I've heard said) to be food for thought that inspires the mind and fosters creative [literary] thinking.
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