Seems to me this is quite consistent with Rick's take on style-
centered as opposed to effect-centered pedagogies.
> What counts now as "American" style compostition are many of the
> practices that many of us currently advocate. So for example
> interactive workshops, attention to invention, drafts,
> collaborative projects etc. etc. are often viewed (within English
> departments) as strange foreign and not-to-be trusted practices.
>
> What counts as "Canadian" seems to be the mechanistic style focused
> courses as present in many of the handbooks that have been revised
> into "Canadian" editions.
Cathy's suggestion that this is driven by economics might be right
in terms of the immediate administrative decisions, but long-term I
think (a) both forms are pretty labor-intensive and (b) the choice
of the "mechanistic, style-focused courses" is actually driven more
by a set of goals focused mainly on weeding out those who don't get it
rather than on trying desperately to help those who don't get it
build a model of discourse where they might.
It has been said about a university which shall remain unnamed, "Oh,
yes, that's the place where they take all those silk purses and make
silk purses out of them."
-- Russ
__|~_
Russell A. Hunt __|~_)_ __)_|~_ Aquinas Chair
St. Thomas University )_ __)_|_)__ __) PHONE: (506) 452-0424
Fredericton, New Brunswick | )____) | FAX: (506) 450-9615
E3B 5G3 CANADA ___|____|____|____/ [log in to unmask]
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~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.StThomasU.ca/hunt/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~
