I have linked a syllabus I created here. Creating a syllabus from scratch is one of the hardest things I can do as an instructor. I found so many different texts to be interesting and worthwhile, and I had to parse them down so that the course would not be overwhelming. Moreover, I have such diverse interests that […]

I found the Cardozo article especially interesting this week. As a new instructor, I know that I am no expert, and Cardozo’s assignment allows me to show that I am no expert, and include my students in course planning. I have done collaborative assignments and rubrics with my students before, but the idea of letting […]

Cultural Studies: A Practical Introduction Michael Ryan. 1st Ed 2010. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. $24.43 (Amazon) This book uses an interesting methodological approach in that it separates the various facets of cultural studies into separate chapters. It serves as an interesting depiction of culture—and Michael Ryan is sure to state that his definition of culture, “the […]

This week, we were allowed to read articles that we found interesting in relation to our specific interests. Despite the fact that I am in a literature and cultural studies practicum, I wanted to discuss the writing classroom because my ideal cultural studies course would have a heavy writing component. Jennifer Beech’s article, “Redneck and […]

What is the point of grading, anyway? Grading has always seemed arbitrary to me. A student gets assigned a letter which is supposed to signify the amount of effort we, as instructors, perceive they put into their work. As an instructor, grading is easily the most stressful of my duties. I enjoy giving comments, and […]

There were two issues that I found myself concerned with this week. The first issue was primarily discussed in the final chapters of Showalter’s text. How do we teach tough topics? I am not one to shy away from tough topics in my own scholarship, and I find value in teaching them. However, as Showalter […]

I think that all of the reading I have done in school is close reading. This presents a problem when I am trying to get through a lot of material quickly. As I have progressed through education, I have acquired the knowledge that I need to choose what I read closely and what gets a […]

This week, I learned a lot more about technology, and I feel that this is the most productive week I have had in class thus far. I consider myself skilled with technology, but I have learned through reading that I am not what James Lang calls a “digital native.” I was not fully immersed in […]

This week’s reading reminded me of one of my favorite TED talks. I have linked to it below. What is the importance of reimagining education, or taking school outside of its traditional buildings? As the above video, along with this week’s reading by Catherine Davidson and David Theo Goldberg emphasize a move towards collaborative learning. […]