At Windsor, we also have a non-required course (called Expository Writing),
rather than a required two course sequence. Since I just moved back to Canada
from the US(U of Nebraska, then East Carolina U), it has meant trying to
figure out how to get everything that I normally teach in 2 semesters into 1.
An interesting task, especially when designing a curriculum to also be taught
by TAs.
The question about numbers of students per section is a bit complicated here.
There are 3 sections of 35 students taught by lecturers (I would like to do
something this year to lower this class size). There is also a 200 student
section for which I am the teacher of record because UW will not allow TAs to
have full responsibility for a course. Instead of a lecture and labs, we have
divided the course into 10 sections of 20 students (1 for each of 9 TAs, plus
1 for me). There is no common lecture, but we are using a common syllabus
which is organized around visual literacy.
Along with teaching the course, the TAs take a graduate seminar in Composition
Theory and Practice with me. (I would love to talk more with Betsy about what
she is doing in her version of this class -- are there other classes like this
one currently being offered at other schools?). My aim is lots of support for
the TAs and smaller classes with more individualized instruction for the
undergraduate students.
Dale
"John B. Killoran" wrote:
> Colleagues, it's that time of year again when Brock University's rather
> naive English dept dreams up unusual things to do to its young writing
> program, and so I need your help with a couple of questions about Canadian
> 1st-year writing courses:
>
> 1) Do any Canadian universities or colleges offer 2-course sequences in 1st
> year? I know these are common in the US, but general ed requirements are
> also common there. I'm not aware of any such Canadian offerings (correct
> my ignorance please) and I'm hoping Brock sees the wisdom of doing one
> course well rather than two courses poorly. Writing is not required at
> Brock, so students here drop out of the second-term course after surviving
> the poorly designed first-term course. (Of course, Brock's English dept
> blames everybody but itself.)
>
> 2) How many/few campuses attempt to teach writing courses partly out of a
> lecture hall? Aside from Brock, I'm aware of only 5:
> + Toronto: Engineering program
> + Waterloo: English and Math depts (shame on my alma mater)
> + Ottawa: English dept (??? is that correct?)
> + Carleton: English dept (??? is that correct?)
> + Saskatchewan: Commerce program
> Are there others? I need to argue that only 5 (or whatever) other
> universities are attempting this, while the other 1000 or so North American
> universities and colleges don't presume to lecture students into becoming
> better writers.
>
> Ironically, one of the latest proposals the dept floated is for an
> upper-year undergrad course on writing pedagogy. Maybe some of the English
> faculty here will consider taking it.
>
> Thanks for your help,
>
> All the best,
> John
> ----
>
> John B. Killoran, PhD
> Assistant Professor
> Dept. of English Language and Literature
> Brock University
> St. Catharines, Ontario
> L2S 3A1 Canada
> (905) 688-5550 ext.3886
> [log in to unmask]
>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>
> For the list archives and information about the organization,
> the annual conference, and publications, go to the Inkshed Web site at
> http://www.StThomasU.ca/inkshed/
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
For the list archives and information about the organization,
the annual conference, and publications, go to the Inkshed Web site at
http://www.StThomasU.ca/inkshed/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
