Homework: locate your own SITE, describe it in 1-2 sentences at top of page, then make that SITE VISIBLE by creating a poetic-prose (text based) NONSITE. Remember, this can be a poem, prose, some text-based artform (abstract representation, metaphor) that “transports” us, that makes the otherwise invisible concrete social structure visible. EMAIL THIS TO ME AS ATTACHMENT BY NEXT SAT.
*think about what this has to do with pedagogy, with “knowing”… how it relates to “narrating” the unknown, and thus “learning” via sensuous materials (the poem, say). Is this not “a kind of knowing?”
“Image” by Mazen Kerbaj. Above: “Starry Night” by Van Gough.
—————————PROPOSALS!——————————
PROPOSALS: Groups will be settled Weds of Week 5 (this upcoming Weds), then each group will work towards finishing this proposal. Please read this carefully, and when in “fixed” pedagogical groups starting that Weds, we’ll work on these. Final proposals are due on Wednesday night of Week 6. So you’ll have 1 week to work on this as group. Please take, as group, time outside of class, at least one meeting, to work on this. Your pedagogical facilitation (“teaching” or “co-learning” or “co-creating) begins Weds & Sat of week 7. Each group will be responsible for turning in the below. It’s up to each group to figure out who is doing the writing up of the proposal–e.g., 1 person per x number of questions, 1 person assigned as the scribe and note-taker, with 1 other person collating the notes into the proposal, etc. Enjoy!
David
“Insurrection” Group Proposal (total approx. 4-8 double spaced pages TOTAL)
ATTACH IN EMAIL AS WORD OR RTF DOC THIS PROPOSAL, DUE BY WEDS NIGHT of WEEK 6: Send to me and to your group members.
1) Where will you be meeting and when?
2) What is the title, if any, of your ”pedagogical text arts insurrection”?
3) How will you be “evaluating” students on their work? That is, how will you give them feedback of some kind, written feedback regarding their individual contributions?
4) How will your students evaluate your work?
5) What will be the “organizational politics,” the way your time together will be facilitated by your group? (e.g., how will division of labor between the three facilitators be handled)? –1-2pp double spaced
6) Please describe your covenant, or your plans for a covenant, or your reasons for not having a covenant, in relation to working together on making a creative writing insurrection?
7) Please give me a SUMMARY description (brief)—up to 1 paragraph (this can be thought of as a course description summary, abstract, etc)
Please describe your group insurrection’s pedagogical approach, and please reference this approach with a) what you plan to do as a working group–facilitators and those who have signed up to work with you, and b) what your plan for everyone is both inside and outside the meeting time – up to 2pp double spaced
9) Please attach your syllabus, including class by class what you will be doing, or if you do not have a syllabus, attach a statement regarding why you do not have one—pedagogical reasons, in other words, your good reasons jibing with your pedagogical ideals that necessitate not showing a summary plan to those who have signed up to work with you–approx 1 pg, double spaced.
10) Please attach your reading list, and list of materials you’ll work with beyond writing as form of thinking/action, or if you do not have a reading list, etc., attach a statement regarding why you don’t have one—pedagogical reasons—up to 1pg, double spaced
11) Where will you be meeting? If varied, how–give me a rundown about this.
12) Last, please state whether this insurrection will be opened up to the public–to other Evergreen students, to the wider community, etc–if so, to what degree and how you will invite people to participate. Who will be allowed to work with you?
RULES:
There are very few rules here, but these are iron clad.
–Remember, this is a 4 credit course, so workload should be no more than one would expect from a 4 credit class meeting once a week for three weeks. Generally this means that work can be in-depth, but then limited to 1 or 2 items of serious attention. Or it can be more of a survey, where what is made or covered is wide-ranging but not as in-depth–just to give an example of a way to think about this.
–You may or may not have a covenant, but any unfair treatment of one another, any expression of bias based on anything including race, gender, ethnicity, etc (for example, in your evaluation of students), is, as goes without saying, not permissible. Also, it should go without saying that empathy, deep interpersonal caring, and treating one another as subjects is not only ethically important, but will help all of you get along and thus help make the course, regardless of design, work better. NOTE: I feel this needs to be in writing, but you have all been caring and helpful to one another thus far, so I don’t expect any problems.
–All classes each week can only be 1 hour long and should not be shorter than 1 hour, unless all (students and teachers) agree to meet for longer and/or during other times outside the allotted hour.
–Final evaluations of students in Experiments In Text are written by me, but you are responsible for RESPONSIBLY evaluating one another, which can take the form of feedback, written evaluation, etc–some way of telling me and the individual what they might work on or where they might continue to excel, etc. And you are as groups responsible for figuring out how to convey these evaluations of students to me (see question above), which I will then factor in to my overall course evaluations. Note: evaluations can be creative, and do not have to be “teacher driven” etc. It’s up to you as to how you will evaluate, but there must be some written evidence of how the course has gone, and what people did. I will be meeting with you to discuss this if I have any questions based on your proposals.
–The insurrection must be based in text arts (the arts of poetry, prose, mixed genre writing, performance writing/performance based off a written “script,” etc). Consider this the major constraint viz a viz your pedagogical insurrection’s content.
TIPS:
Remember to contact “your” “students” prior to the beginning of class so they know where/when to meet!
If you have any troubles, individually, or as a group, students or teachers, contact me. But REMEMBER: I will be meeting with each group at least once for check ins, and we will also individually meet when possible (meetings reserved for Saturdays). So, contact me if these are issues that need immediate attention and cannot be attended to during either our group or individual meetings.
Remember that “serious playfulness” – rigor and enjoyment – can be a useful way of thinking when attending to your proposal, and afterwards during your real-time insurrections.
