Frances Bottenburg from the Department of Philosophy describes her Writing Excellence Initiative Grant Project.
Monday, April 20, 12-1 p.m.
Spence Pavilion Room 108
Primary Audiences
Humanities and Social Sciences faculty
Open to all faculty and staff
In the humanities disciplines particularly, but also beyond, we want our students to relate to course skills and ideas in ways that extend beyond a concern for “whether it will be on the test”; we want them to draw on those skills and ideas to help clarify their own values and to help make sense of the world and their roles within it. In this interactive workshop I will share my work in developing and putting into practice a minimally directive, semester-long free writing project with my introductory ethics students. I will present a range of resultant student writing, as well as feedback gathered from 90 students concerning the project. Cross-disciplinary issues we will discuss together include (1) the specific forms of instructor guidance that seem called for to support students in their free writing and the appreciation thereof; (2) what should distinguish a philosophical free writing project from similar projects created for other disciplines; and (3) how such a project should be graded
Bring your lunch if you would like. Dessert and beverages provided.