Fall Schedule 2006Lucindarmccoy202006-09-05T01:09:00Z2006-09-05T13:13:00Z2006-09-05T13:13:00Z11640935277211097111.8026  ENG 100C: College WritingFocus: Photography and the Documentary TraditionProfessor L. Cole415 Luther Bonneylcole@maine.rr.com The Course: ENG 100C is intended to prepare students for the kind of analytical writing expected at the college level. We shall be reading several classic essays on the documentary tradition, a subject far more interesting than it may first appear: the essays which form the core of our reading raise serious questions about, for example, what photographers see when they shoot a picture, how they crop or present pictures in order to create a particular effect, and how viewers interpret photographs. The course also raises larger questions about the politics of visual culture in the United States, about how images help shape our sense of the “real.” These essays are difficult. Written by and for professionals rather than for a general audience, they draw upon language and ideas from several different disciplines. Together, however, they help establish a coherent theoretical and historical basis in relation to which students will develop their own ideas and insights.  “Develop” is a key word in ENG 100, one that respects the complex nature of analytical reading and writing. We shall return to every essay we read at some later point in the semester, focusing at different times upon different aspects. Similarly, every short essay we write will be regarded as provisional, the basis of a later and more complex essay whose ideas are strengthened by subsequent reading and thinking. In analytical writing, creativity happens through revision which, as we shall see, involves much more than simply “correcting” a text, or purging it of mechanical and grammatical errors. Revision is the process by which we continually create the essay, much as the sculptor shapes his or clay, or--more to the point of this class--much as the photographer creates a fine shot. The success of a particular photo is, after all, rarely an accident; rather it turns one’s ability to recognize a compelling subject, to frame it effectively, to edit it afterwards, and to present it in a way that others will find engaging. Throughout, we will be focusing upon the photoessay, an art form combining pictures and words, in an attempt to understand the sometimes complicated relationship between them. At the end of the semester, students will turn in a photoessay of their own making. Texts: Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. (Bartholomae and Petrosky)After the Last Sky. (Edward Said, Jean Mohr)A Writer’s Reference. (Hacker)The Elements of Style. (Strunk and White)A good college dictionary Classroom Matters: Reading: There are only three essays assigned for this course and you should plan to read each assignment twice before we discuss it in class. Always read with a pencil or pen, and mark passages that seem significant or puzzling. Look up words you don’t know, but don’t be surprised if not all of them are in your dictionary. Many of these writers use language specific to their discipline, and we’ll discuss those words as we encounter them. Writing: Each week you will write or revise one essay, though only four will be turned in for a final grade. Some writing takes place in class, some in the form of homework; sometimes the writing will be based on outside research and reading. As you can see from the schedule of readings and assignments below, these short pieces of writing are stages in a larger project. It is therefore imperative that you complete them all on time.  If you are unable to attend class on the day of an in-class writing assignment, you may email it to me. All final essays, however, must be in hard copy. These must be typed in 1113 point font. Please double space and leave margins of one inch on both sides of the paper. Keep all of your essays, including the photoessay, in a manila file, which I will collect at semester’s end. Photoessay: In addition to composing four graded essays, you will compile a photoessay. This will be presented to the class during the month of December and will be turned in for a grade. Everyone in this class, then, must have access either to photographs or toa camera. You should begin gathering materials for your photoessay as soon as possible. Grading: Although I will assign a grade to each final draft of an essay, your semester grade will be based primarily on a final reading of your portfolio, with the photoessay weighted heavily. Class Participation: Our class time will be divided between discussing the assigned essays and discussing the papers you write. I will sometimes photocopy your essays for class discussion. You are expected to attend all classes and to turn in work on time. Given the pace of this course, it will be difficult for you to catch up once you fall behind. Should this happen, I will ask you to drop. Class groups: Early in the semester, I will divide you into four groups. Members of your group will read drafts, edit copy, and help you work out ideas. Individual conferences: I will schedule an individual conference with each student during the semester. These are mandatory. You are also welcome to drop by my office at 415 Luther Bonney during my office hours. These are on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and will be announced in class. Should you wish to wish to contact me, I can be reached at 780-4093 or, better, at lcole@maine.rr.com. My “Teaching Style”: Like all professors, I am often asked “what do you want?” After twenty years of teaching, I’d answer that question as follows: I want students to learn to think for themselves. In practice, this means that my classes (and my grading) try to encourage students to take risks with their work, and although assignments early in the semester are very specific, later they will become less so, as students are expected to generate their own topics and theses. I want to students make connections between works that we read in class, but also between those works and material encountered outside of class. Mostly, I want to see signs of a lively and active intelligence, the courage to assert an argument and to support it through concrete examples arranged in a clear and persuasive manner.Proposed Schedule of Readings and Assignments:Please note this schedule is subject to change. Writing assignments will be elaborated in class. Should you miss a class, please contact a classmate for updated information. September Tuesday September 5Introductions and film, Grizzly ManThursday September 7 Coles, “The Tradition: Fact and Fiction”Tuesday September 12Coles, “The Tradition: Fact and Fiction”Locate, copy, and be prepared to discuss an article about Timothy Treadwell. It must have been written prior to the emergence of Herzog’s film in 2006.Thursday September 14 Grizzly Man, continued.Part A of first assignment due (500 words). According to James Agee, the purpose of the documentarian is to pursue “a moment of human actuality.” What “human actuality” is being pursued by Timothy Treadwell? Discuss Treadwell’s project in the terms provided by Coles.Tuesday September 19Coles, “The Tradition: Fact and Fiction”Part B of first assignment due (500 words). Define what Coles means by a “filter.”  Thursday September 21Grizzly Man, continued. In-class writing: Werner Herzog, the director of GrizzLy Man, is also, arguably, in “pursuit of a moment of human actuality.” What “human actuality” does he try to portray, and how do particular filming or narrative techniques enable this portrayal? Tuesday September 26 FIRST ESSAY DUE: Write an essay of at least 1000 words in which you demonstrate how Grizzly Man can be discussed in the terms provided by Coles, especially his description of the “filter.” .Thursday September 28 Mitchell, “The Photographic Essay: Four Case Studies.” Discussion Question: What does Mitchell mean by his statement that these photoessays “foreground the dialectic of exchange and resistance between photography and language”?OctoberTuesday October 3 Discussion of Mitchell, continued. Group Project: Each group should bring in a photoessay not discussed by Mitchell. To what extent does your chosen photoessay conform to Mitchell’s description of the photoessay?Thursday October 5 Mitchell, continued.Group work on images from Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and The Colonial Harem.Tuesday October 10 October VacationThursday October 12 Mitchell, continued. Bring in a photograph not discussed by Mitchell but from one of the above two texts. In-class writing (500 words): Drawing upon specific photographs contained in the above texts but not discussed by Mitchell, extend, test, and perhaps challenge or qualify his account of the genreTuesday October 17 SECOND ESSAY DUE. Write an essay of at least 1000 words in which you define the photoessay as discussed by Mitchell and offer an illustrative example of how it works. You should draw upon the photographs and/or texts you found in order to support your argument.Field Trip to Salt GalleryThursday October 19 See Amy Toensing’s website, http://www.amytoensing.com/bio.html.Group Project: Generate Discussion Questions for Amy ToensingTuesday October 24 Discussion with Photojournalist Amy ToensingThursday October 26 Group Project: Generate Topics for Third EssayTuesday October 31 Draft of Third Essay Due; Peer EditingThursday November 2 THIRD ESSAY DUEFilm: OrientalismTuesday November 7 Said and Mohr, After The Last SkyDiscussion Question: How would you define the political purpose of Said’s photoessay? Thursday November 9 Said and Mohr, After the Last SkyDiscussion Question: How does Mitchell characterize the politics of Said’s essay? Tuesday November 14 Said and Mohr, After the Last SkyDiscussion Question: Study photographs on any pro-Israeli website. How do they differ from those of Said/Mohr?Thursday November 16 Said and Mohr, After the Last SkyDiscussion Question: Study the photographs of displaced women in After the Last Sky. How do they compare to those in Amy Toensing’s exhibit?Tuesday November 21 Said and Mohr, After the Last SkyRough Draft of Fourth Assignment due. Thursday November 23 Thanksgiving BreakTuesday November 28 FOURTH ASSIGNMENT DUEIndividual Conference on the Photoessay. Bring in written description for approval.Thursday December 2 TBATuesday December 7 Presentation of PhotoessaysThursday December 9 Presentation of PhotoessaysTuesday December 14 Presentation of PhotoessaysPHOTOESSAY DUE DATE TBA.. ENG 100: College Writing:*Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. (Bartholomae and Petrosky) Bedford/St. Martin’s 0312409958*A Writer’s Reference. (Hacker) Bedford/St. Martin’s 0312397674ENG 100 The Documentary TraditionFall Schedule 2006