OVERVIEW OF COURSES
This course is intended for students who wish to continue the study of composition theory and pedagogy, with particular focus on strategies for writing center research. Students will propose and carry out an individual or group research project examining an aspect of writing center studies, such as: pedagogical strategies; assessment of successful tutorials; multimodal composing and new media; cultural, linguistic, dialect awareness; and anti-racism/social justice in the center. Students will present their research to Manhattanville Writing Center staff, students, and other College audiences. They will also have the opportunity to propose and present their scholarship at regional, national, and international writing center conferences.
FYP 1150: Designing for Change
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This course is an introduction to design thinking. Over the course of the semester, students will define, ideate and prototype solutions to a problem they identify on the Manhattanville campus. In addition to learning and participating in the process of design thinking, students will practice the design thinking mindsets of empathy, collaboration, optimism, embracing failure, creative confidence, and a bias toward action. Students will explore examples of the use of design thinking as an approach to find creative and innovative solutions to “wicked” problems facing our society and world. Students will also explore the history of social justice at Manhattanville College and explore their own capacity and identity for being an agent for change.
FYP 1101: First-Year Seminar
Principles v. Predjudices: Designing Your Self
Who am I? Who do I want to become? How can I take more control to design and realize the Self I wish to become? Human nature and human cultures are embedded in us in ways we know and in ways we don't fully recognize. We are complicated! We are full of inclinations that both hinder us and serve us. Among these are our prejudices. This Seminar will explore the possible origins and natures of our prejudices. Why and how do we differentiate ourselves from "the other?" How can we develop and practice principled lives in our college community and beyond? We will explore these things in traditional ways, through reading and writing; but, we will also explore these in experiential ways. As a part of the experiential component, students will be introduced to Design Thinking, a collaborative process of problem-solving. Likewise, students will be encouraged to learn and use techniques to start on a path to realize their personal goals for growth and change; and we'll learn what it means to be part of the community that is Manhattanville. It will be an adventure.
ENC 3006: The Theory & Practice of Tutoring Writing
Fall Semester:
During the first semester, students will be introduced to the field of composition theory, with particular focus on approaches to working one-to-one with student writers. By sharing and critiquing their own writing with peers and engaging in role playing/mock tutoring sessions, students will learn the ways in which varied theoretical perspectives can be translated into practice. Students will also be required to read a variety of theoretical texts, culminating in a final researched essay and group presentation.
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Spring Semester:
During the second semester, students will gain hands-on experience by first shadowing peer tutors and reflecting on these observations, then tutoring one-to-one in the Writing Center. Alternately, students might spend the semester engaged in a Writing Center project such as the creation of a Peer Tutoring Handbook/Online Tutoring Resources, the development of an Online Writing Lab, or assessments of Writing Center effectiveness. Students will be required to read a variety of theoretical texts, keep a log of their tutoring observations/sessions, attend monthly staff meetings, and reflect upon their tutoring experiences and the relationship between theory and practice.
ENC 4000: Research in Writing Studies
FYP 1003 & 1004: First-Year Writing I & II
First-Year Writing is a year-long sequence that will provide thorough instruction in composition in order to enable students to develop the writing skills necessary to meet the demands of college-level study. The course will include an intensive review of grammar, style, and structure, and it will examine strategies for written analysis, persuasion, and argumentation. In the second semester, the course will be focused on the bibliographic essay; students will receive intensive instruction in long-form composition, analysis and synthesis, and research and documentation.
FYP 1001: First-Year Seminar
American Gothic Literature & Film
The enduring popularity of horror films and Gothic literature begs the question: why are we drawn to the macabre and the grotesque? In this seminar, we will read, analyze, and discuss several influential American Gothic authors and auteurs, including Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, George A. Romero and Alfred Hitchcock. We will first study American Gothic literature, discussing the themes, motifs, and style of the genre. Additionally, we will examine the relationship between this literature and the real horrors that cast a shadow over American history. We will then turn to the evolution of the American horror film, uncovering how some of the most influential films in the genre reflect our collective nightmares. Ultimately, horror films and literature resonate because they tap into our culture’s deepest anxieties and fears, fears that persist in American life today.