Coaching the Craft of Writing

Elizabeth Losh

Class meets Thursdays from 4-6PM

Office hours are Mondays 3:30-4:30 in PCYN 249

Contact: lizlosh (at) ucsd (dot) edu

Are you curious about why writing presents such a unique challenge to UCSD's population of high-achieving students? Work with Elizabeth Losh from Sixth College to gain knowledge about how people learn to write, how to help people learn to write, and effective practices for coaching CAT 1 writers. You will then put that knowledge to work by coaching CAT 1 students in the college's Writing Studio. In the process, your reflections on your own writing and writing-voice will be enriched.

A requirement of the course is that you tutor CAT 1 students up to 6 hours per week, to be scheduled. In addition, you will be reading some classic works in the field of composition studies and some CAT 1 readings to facilitate your tutoring. You will be asked to submit journals on your tutoring activities each week, and complete a final report with recommendations.

This course is open to students in all majors. If you are considering the possibility of becoming a teacher, this CAT course is the place to explore the work of teaching!

Possible Benefits

• Professional experience in teaching and training
• Improved written, verbal, and media communication skills
• Research opportunities in the field of writing studies
• Demonstrated ability undertaking a complex initiative for organizational change that requires both individual effort and coordination of a team
• Student leadership

Grading

10%: Publicity Campaign

40%: Weekly Reflections

30%: Seminar Participation

20%: Final Research Report

 

Syllabus

Week 0

Introductions

Week 1:

Meeting with Last Year's Practicum Students

Reading: Anne Lamott, "Shitty First Drafts"

Weekly Reflection One Due

 

Week 2:

Literacy Narratives and Media Outreach

Reading: Mike Rose, "I Just Wanna Be Average"

Weekly Reflection Two Due

 

Week 3:

Talking about Critical Reading

Reading: Elizabeth Losh and Jonathan Alexander, "Strategic Reading" from Understanding Rhetoric

Weekly Reflection Three Due

 

Week 4:

Talking about Thesis Development

Reading: Janet Emig, "Writing as a Mode of Learning"

Weekly Reflection Four Due

 

Week 5:

Talking about Instructor Feedback

Reading: Summer Smith, "The Genre of the End Comment"

Weekly Reflection Five Due

Week 6:

Second Language Learners

Reading: Guadalupe Valdés, "Bilingual Minorities and Language Issues in Writing"

Weekly Reflection Six Due

Week 7:

Talking about Error

Reading: Patrick Hartwell, "Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching of Grammar"

 

Week 8:

Reading: Muriel Harris, "Talking in the Middle"

Week 9:

Effecting Systematic Change

Reading: Donald Bartholomae, "Inventing the University"

Draft of Report Due

 

Week 10:

Research in Writing Studies

Final Report Due