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- Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
- Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!auvm!PSUVM.BITNET!MLB14
- Message-ID: <MBU-L%92121813393843@TTUVM1.BITNET>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.mbu-l
- Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 14:38:00 EST
- Sender: "Megabyte University (Computers & Writing)" <MBU-L@TTUVM1.BITNET>
- From: MLB14@PSUVM.BITNET
- Subject: Re: Standard English
- In-Reply-To: HUNT AT UNB.CA -- Fri, 18 Dec 1992 09:19:26 AST
- Lines: 17
-
- Russ, I am intrigued about your notions of having the authors know something
- about their topics that their audience doesn't know--and you creating those
- opportunities by avoiding common texts and assignments.
-
- My first thought is, "That'd never fly here." I am currently embroiled in an
- effort to create a "common" syllabus for all sections of freshman
- writing--the administration at my school is concerned that all sections of
- our writing classes have roughly equivalent experiences and assignments.
- While I am resisting the push to make the sections identical, I can see the
- administration's point: there needs to be some assurance that an "A" in one
- section means the same thing as an "A" in the next.
-
- Of course, such a statement is riddled with assumptions that I don't really
- buy--that grades are a meaningful measure of ability, for one--but that I
- must live with. How is it possible to maintain a situation where students
- write for real audiences and purposes and still maintain a fairly homogenous
- writing curriculum? Any ideas?
-