%% [[22-1-4 Stanford Summer Course Proposal]] [[syllabus]] %% # Introduction to the Philosophy of Writing (Syllabus) 2022-01-02 ## Course Description In this course we will investigate the role of writing in human life from a variety of philosophical and empirical perspectives and with special attention to the evolving nature of writing technologies. > Writing has had a central place in human life since its invention in the fourth millennia BCE. Whether in the form of books, blogs, texts, emails, or poems, the written word is ubiquitous, mediating our relationship to the world around us, each other, and ourselves. Naturally, philosophers have reflected on the meaning of writing over the millennia. And yet, as with so much of human life, our relationship to writing has shifted dramatically over the past century. The digital revolution has brought us new forms of written texts, new social systems for distributing them, and new ways to consume texts already written. Yet surprisingly, and despite the prevalence of writing within the Liberal Arts, the evolving nature of writing in the digital age is still a wide open question. In this class, we will investigate this question, considering a variety of philosophical positions concerning the function(s) of writing in human life against the background of technological and social change. > > Additionally, Studying writing presents a unique philosophical opportunity to explore the practical implications of different perspectives by testing out various methods of writing. To this end, we will couple our readings with writing exercises design to exhibit each week’s themes and reflect on these experiments in class together. However, this class should not be considered a writing tutorial and a general aptitude with academic writing is required to get the most out of the material. Nevertheless, I hope, and empirical evidence corroborates, that a conceptual understanding of writing will aid students in the act of writing itself.[^1] > > [^1]: Mateos, M., Cuevas, I., Martín, E., Martín, A., Luna, M., Echeita, G., Miras, M., Solé, I., Castells, N., Espino, S., & Minguela, M. (2012). " Chapter 2.04.04: The Effect of Beliefs on Writing Synthesis from Multiple Texts". In *Learning to Write Effectively: Current trends in European Research*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. ## Central Themes and Guiding Questions** ### Writing as Historical Writing is so ubiquitous that it has a background, almost natural character. In this course we will investigate how writing practices have changed and developed historically and consider the philosophical implications of our changing relationship to writing. How has writing remained the same or similar from the past to the present? In what ways has writing changed, especially through the digital revolution and proliferation of new writing technologies? How do these changes affect the role of writing in human life and the ways in which we write and why? ### Writing as Transformative Because the product of writing stands on its own, it can be easy to overlook the importance of the act of writing itself. We will interrogate various perspectives on writing as an activity. How does writing differ from speech? What role does writing play in thinking generally and learning in particular? What does it mean for writing to aspire to or succeed in changing its readers and the world? ### Writing as Social On one hand, writing has often been practiced and understood as a private act. But sociality is at the heart of writing as a medium of communication. As every journaler knows, what is written is thereby exposed to the possibility of being read by others. How does writing relate the writer to the reader and the literate world more generally? How does or ought one’s social context affect the way one writes? What are the pros and cons of private versus collaborative forms of writing? ### The Philosophy of Writing Philosophy Whether in books, professional journals, class papers, or our own writing assignments, text is the primary medium of philosophical work in the modern world. The philosophy of writing is reflexive in that its object of study is also one of its primary investigative tools. How can philosophers use writing to investigate writing? What is the role of writing in the pursuit of philosophical truth generally? How do the various modes of writing affect the nature of a philosophical inquiry conducted thereby? ## Course Materials All selected readings will be provided electronically. If students wish to procure analogue copies, the main texts are: - Olson, D. R. (1994). *The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading*. Cambridge University Press. - Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). *Writing as a Learning Activity*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. - Lysaker, John T. (2018). *Philosophy, Writing, and the Character of Thought*. University of Chicago Press. ## Course Objectives and Assignments The primary goals of this course are to promote (1) an appreciation for the complex and evolving role of writing in human life generally and student’s own lives personally, (2) the ability to philosophically question the merits and limits of various forms of writing including their own for various purposes, (3) the ability to understand and question the social context of writing with special attention to how injustice affects writers and their audiences. Since we are drawing from a variety of different kinds of texts—e.g., empirical sociology, education theory, philosophy, history—discussion will necessarily be interdisciplinary, and students with different academic training will be able to communicate and collaborate to produce a shared understanding of the material. Evaluation in this course will be based on the following scheme: ### Participation (25%) - Participation in discussion section accounts for a hefty 25% of your total grade. In order to get full credit for participation, you need to (1) attend all class sessions and contribute to the discussion and (2) come to my office hours at least once during the quarter. - You are allowed one ‘free absence’, and you may make-up one missed class session by meeting with me in office hours to review the material. However, this make-up office hours option does not satisfy your requirement to meet with me once over the quarter. - Participation in discussion during class is more difficult for some students than for others. If for some reason you believe the discussion part of participation will be especially challenging for you, please contact me and we can work together to find a way for you to meet this requirement. ### Presentation (15%) - In the first week, all students will be assigned a class session during which they will serve as discussion leader. The student will be responsible for a 5-10 minute presentation on the major themes of the readings for that session in order to launch discussion. I will provide a guide to how to think about these presentations in a handout during the first session. You are also welcome (encouraged!) to come talk with me in office hours to plan out your presentation. ### Writing Assignments (40%) - Students will be responsible for weekly writing assignments (\~100 words each), due before each class and during the exam period. Prompts can be found on the syllabus schedule. ### Paper (20%) - Students will be responsible for writing one paper (\~1000 words) due during the exam period. Pre-selected topics will be distributed in advance. In special circumstances, students may develop their own choice of topic, in consultation with the instructor. ## Course Schedule 8 Weeks ### Week 1 - A Brief History of Writing - **Learning Objectives**: Begin conceptualizing writing as a historically evolving practice, identify the central roles it plays in human life, investigate how the modern technological revolution has transformed writing practices. - **Assignment**: List three different ways of writing, one modern, one old, and one ancient, and write one sentence describing the role each plays or played in human life. #### Readings - 1.1 Chapter 1 "Introduction." In Clayton, E. (2013). _The Golden Thread: The Story of Writing_, pp. 1-6. - 1.2 Chapter 4 "What Writing Represents - A Revisionist History of Writing," pp. 65-91. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. - 1.3 Gabrial, "History of Writing Technologies" In Bazerman, C. (Ed.). (2008). _Handbook of research on writing: History, society, school, individual, text._ Taylor & Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 47-60. ### Week 2 - On Notetaking - **Learning Objectives**: Highlight the importance of notetaking as a technical skill and formulate a personalized notetaking strategy. - **Assignment**: Write one paragraph describing how you take notes for class (e.g., this one). Describe whether and how you take notes from lecture, from readings, and from your own ideas, and how you use these notes in your paper writing process. #### Readings - 2.1 Peverly, S., & Wolf, A. (2019). "Note-Taking". In J. Dunlosky & K. Rawson (Eds.), _The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education_ (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 320-355). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - 2.2 Witherby, A.E., & Tauber, S.K. (2019). "The Current Status of Students’ Note-Taking: Why and How Do Students Take Notes?" _Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition_. - 2.3 Luhmann, N. (1992). "Communicating with Slip Boxes" accessible at [https://luhmann.surge.sh/communicating-with-slip-boxes](https://luhmann.surge.sh/communicating-with-slip-boxes)> ### Week 3 - Writing as Recording - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the role of writing as a means of recording information. - **Assignment**: Take written notes on one of the readings for today. #### Readings - 3.1 Aristotle, "De Interpretatione" 1.1-6 in Aristotle, ., & Barnes, J. (1984). _The complete works of Aristotle: The revised Oxford translation_. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. - 3.2 Plato, "Theatetus" 191c-195a. In Plato, Cooper, J. M., & Hutchinson, D. S. (1997). _Complete works_. - 3.3 Chapter 9 "A History of Written Discourse from Mnemonics to Representation," pp. 179-195. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. ### Week 4 - Writing as Rhetoric - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the limitations of interpreting writing as a way of storing information against the broader roles writing plays in human life. - **Assignment**: Write a short (\~10 line) dialogue reflecting on one role writing plays in human life. The interlocutors may be whomever you wish. #### Readings - 4.1 Plato "Phaedrus" 274c-278d. In Plato, ., Cooper, J. M., & Hutchinson, D. S. (1997). _Complete works_. - 4.2 Derrida, J. (1971). "Plato's Pharmacy". In Barbara Johnson (ed.), _Dissemination._ Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 61-171 (1981) ### Week 5 - Writing as Learning - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate the role of writing in human cognition generally and reflect on the role of writing in the process of learning in particular. - **Assignment**: Write one paragraph evaluating whether and how the writing assignments in this class have helped you learn about writing. #### Readings - 5.1 Chapter 12 "The Literate Mind," pp. 257-283. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. - 5.2 Klein, P., & Van Dijk, A. (2019). "Writing as a Learning Activity". In J. Dunlosky & K. Rawson (Eds.), _The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education_ (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 266-291). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ### Week 6 - Writing as a Social Activity - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate how the social context in which writing takes place affects the way in which one should write and consider the demands and possibilities of collaborative writing in particular. - **Assignment**: Compare and contrast two different social contexts in which you write and prepare for a collaborative writing practicum in class. #### Readings - 6.1 Nykopp, M., Marttunen, M., & Laurinen, L. (2014). "University Students’ Knowledge Construction during Face to Face Collaborative Writing". In Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). _Writing as a Learning Activity_. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. - 6.2 Nystrand M., Gamoran A., Carbonaro W. (2001) "On the Ecology of Classroom Instruction". In: Tynjälä P., Mason L., Lonka K. (eds) _Writing as a Learning Tool. Studies in Writing_, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. ### Week 7 - Writing from the Margins - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate the philosophical implications of how social injustices affect writers and their audiences. - **Assignment**: Write a paragraph on how your own social context affects your relation to writing. #### Readings - 7.1 Giroux, H. A., & McLaren, P. (1992). “Writing from The Margins: Geographies of Identity, Pedagogy, and Power.” _Journal of education_, _174_(1), 7-30. - 7.2 Mohanty, C. (1988). “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.” _Feminist Review_, _30_(1), 61–88. ### Week 8 - The Philosophy of Writing Philosophy - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the philosophical implications of the philosophy of writing for writing philosophy. - **Assignment**: Write a paragraph about what it means to write. #### Readings - 8.1 Del Longo, S., & Cisotto, L. (2014). “Writing to Argue: Writing as a Tool for Oral and Written Argumentation.” In Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). _Writing as a Learning Activity_. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. - 8.2 Selections from Lysaker, John T. (2018). _Philosophy, Writing, and the Character of Thought_. University of Chicago Press. - "Gambits and Gambles" pp. 1-5. - "Form and Content" pp. 15-17. - "Fits and Starts" pp. 31-33. - "Property is Theft" pp. 136-9. - "Where do we find Ourselves" pp. 167-71. --- --- aliases: null date-created: - 2022-01-02 at 07:48 status: 🌱 tags: - research-note date updated: 2022-01-04 15:21 --- %% [[22-1-4 Stanford Summer Course Proposal]] [[syllabus]] %% # Introduction to the Philosophy of Writing Syllabus ## .Word docx versions ![[Philosophy of Writing Syllabus (8 Weeks).docx]] ![[Philosophy of Writing Syllabus (11 Weeks).docx]] ## Course Description In this course we will investigate the role of writing in human life from a variety of philosophical and empirical perspectives and with special attention to the evolving nature of writing technologies. > Writing has had a central place in human life since its invention in the fourth millennia BCE. Whether in the form of books, blogs, texts, emails, or poems, the written word is ubiquitous, mediating our relationship to the world around us, each other, and ourselves. Naturally, philosophers have reflected on the meaning of writing over the millennia. And yet, as with so much of human life, our relationship to writing has shifted dramatically over the past century. The digital revolution has brought us new forms of written texts, new social systems for distributing them, and new ways to consume texts already written. Yet surprisingly, and despite the prevalence of writing within the Liberal Arts, the evolving nature of writing in the digital age is still a wide open question. In this class, we will investigate this question, considering a variety of philosophical positions concerning the function(s) of writing in human life against the background of technological and social change. > > Additionally, Studying writing presents a unique philosophical opportunity to explore the practical implications of different perspectives by testing out various methods of writing. To this end, we will couple our readings with writing exercises design to exhibit each week’s themes and reflect on these experiments in class together. However, this class should not be considered a writing tutorial and a general aptitude with academic writing is required to get the most out of the material. Nevertheless, I hope, and empirical evidence corroborates, that a conceptual understanding of writing will aid students in the act of writing itself.[^1] > > [^1]: Mateos, M., Cuevas, I., Martín, E., Martín, A., Luna, M., Echeita, G., Miras, M., Solé, I., Castells, N., Espino, S., & Minguela, M. (2012). " Chapter 2.04.04: The Effect of Beliefs on Writing Synthesis from Multiple Texts". In *Learning to Write Effectively: Current trends in European Research*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. ## Central Themes and Guiding Questions** ### Writing as Historical Writing is so ubiquitous that it has a background, almost natural character. In this course we will investigate how writing practices have changed and developed historically and consider the philosophical implications of our changing relationship to writing. How has writing remained the same or similar from the past to the present? In what ways has writing changed, especially through the digital revolution and proliferation of new writing technologies? How do these changes affect the role of writing in human life and the ways in which we write and why? ### Writing as Transformative Because the product of writing stands on its own, it can be easy to overlook the importance of the act of writing itself. We will interrogate various perspectives on writing as an activity. How does writing differ from speech? What role does writing play in thinking generally and learning in particular? What does it mean for writing to aspire to or succeed in changing its readers and the world? ### Writing as Social On one hand, writing has often been practiced and understood as a private act. But sociality is at the heart of writing as a medium of communication. As every journaler knows, what is written is thereby exposed to the possibility of being read by others. How does writing relate the writer to the reader and the literate world more generally? How does or ought one’s social context affect the way one writes? What are the pros and cons of private versus collaborative forms of writing? ### The Philosophy of Writing Philosophy Whether in books, professional journals, class papers, or our own writing assignments, text is the primary medium of philosophical work in the modern world. The philosophy of writing is reflexive in that its object of study is also one of its primary investigative tools. How can philosophers use writing to investigate writing? What is the role of writing in the pursuit of philosophical truth generally? How do the various modes of writing affect the nature of a philosophical inquiry conducted thereby? ## Course Materials All selected readings will be provided electronically. If students wish to procure analogue copies, the main texts are: - Olson, D. R. (1994). *The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading*. Cambridge University Press. - Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). *Writing as a Learning Activity*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. - Lysaker, John T. (2018). *Philosophy, Writing, and the Character of Thought*. University of Chicago Press. ## Course Objectives and Assignments The primary goals of this course are to promote (1) an appreciation for the complex and evolving role of writing in human life generally and student’s own lives personally, (2) the ability to philosophically question the merits and limits of various forms of writing including their own for various purposes, (3) the ability to understand and question the social context of writing with special attention to how injustice affects writers and their audiences. Since we are drawing from a variety of different kinds of texts—e.g., empirical sociology, education theory, philosophy, history—discussion will necessarily be interdisciplinary, and students with different academic training will be able to communicate and collaborate to produce a shared understanding of the material. Evaluation in this course will be based on the following scheme: ### Participation (25%) - Participation in discussion section accounts for a hefty 25% of your total grade. In order to get full credit for participation, you need to (1) attend all class sessions and contribute to the discussion and (2) come to my office hours at least once during the quarter. - You are allowed one ‘free absence’, and you may make-up one missed class session by meeting with me in office hours to review the material. However, this make-up office hours option does not satisfy your requirement to meet with me once over the quarter. - Participation in discussion during class is more difficult for some students than for others. If for some reason you believe the discussion part of participation will be especially challenging for you, please contact me and we can work together to find a way for you to meet this requirement. ### Presentation (15%) - In the first week, all students will be assigned a class session during which they will serve as discussion leader. The student will be responsible for a 5-10 minute presentation on the major themes of the readings for that session in order to launch discussion. I will provide a guide to how to think about these presentations in a handout during the first session. You are also welcome (encouraged!) to come talk with me in office hours to plan out your presentation. ### Writing Assignments (40%) - Students will be responsible for weekly writing assignments (\~100 words each), due before each class and during the exam period. Prompts can be found on the syllabus schedule. ### Paper (20%) - Students will be responsible for writing one paper (\~1000 words) due during the exam period. Pre-selected topics will be distributed in advance. In special circumstances, students may develop their own choice of topic, in consultation with the instructor. ## Course Schedule 8 Weeks ### Week 1 - A Brief History of Writing - **Learning Objectives**: Begin conceptualizing writing as a historically evolving practice, identify the central roles it plays in human life, investigate how the modern technological revolution has transformed writing practices. - **Assignment**: List three different ways of writing, one modern, one old, and one ancient, and write one sentence describing the role each plays or played in human life. #### Readings - 1.1 Chapter 1 "Introduction." In Clayton, E. (2013). _The Golden Thread: The Story of Writing_, pp. 1-6. - 1.2 Chapter 4 "What Writing Represents - A Revisionist History of Writing," pp. 65-91. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. - 1.3 Gabrial, "History of Writing Technologies" In Bazerman, C. (Ed.). (2008). _Handbook of research on writing: History, society, school, individual, text._ Taylor & Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 47-60. ### Week 2 - On Notetaking - **Learning Objectives**: Highlight the importance of notetaking as a technical skill and formulate a personalized notetaking strategy. - **Assignment**: Write one paragraph describing how you take notes for class (e.g., this one). Describe whether and how you take notes from lecture, from readings, and from your own ideas, and how you use these notes in your paper writing process. #### Readings - 2.1 Peverly, S., & Wolf, A. (2019). "Note-Taking". In J. Dunlosky & K. Rawson (Eds.), _The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education_ (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 320-355). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - 2.2 Witherby, A.E., & Tauber, S.K. (2019). "The Current Status of Students’ Note-Taking: Why and How Do Students Take Notes?" _Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition_. - 2.3 Luhmann, N. (1992). "Communicating with Slip Boxes" accessible at [https://luhmann.surge.sh/communicating-with-slip-boxes](https://luhmann.surge.sh/communicating-with-slip-boxes)> ### Week 3 - Writing as Recording - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the role of writing as a means of recording information. - **Assignment**: Take written notes on one of the readings for today. #### Readings - 3.1 Aristotle, "De Interpretatione" 1.1-6 in Aristotle, ., & Barnes, J. (1984). _The complete works of Aristotle: The revised Oxford translation_. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. - 3.2 Plato, "Theatetus" 191c-195a. In Plato, Cooper, J. M., & Hutchinson, D. S. (1997). _Complete works_. - 3.3 Chapter 9 "A History of Written Discourse from Mnemonics to Representation," pp. 179-195. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. ### Week 4 - Writing as Rhetoric - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the limitations of interpreting writing as a way of storing information against the broader roles writing plays in human life. - **Assignment**: Write a short (\~10 line) dialogue reflecting on one role writing plays in human life. The interlocutors may be whomever you wish. #### Readings - 4.1 Plato "Phaedrus" 274c-278d. In Plato, ., Cooper, J. M., & Hutchinson, D. S. (1997). _Complete works_. - 4.2 Derrida, J. (1971). "Plato's Pharmacy". In Barbara Johnson (ed.), _Dissemination._ Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 61-171 (1981) ### Week 5 - Writing as Learning - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate the role of writing in human cognition generally and reflect on the role of writing in the process of learning in particular. - **Assignment**: Write one paragraph evaluating whether and how the writing assignments in this class have helped you learn about writing. #### Readings - 5.1 Chapter 12 "The Literate Mind," pp. 257-283. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. - 5.2 Klein, P., & Van Dijk, A. (2019). "Writing as a Learning Activity". In J. Dunlosky & K. Rawson (Eds.), _The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education_ (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 266-291). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ### Week 6 - Writing as a Social Activity - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate how the social context in which writing takes place affects the way in which one should write and consider the demands and possibilities of collaborative writing in particular. - **Assignment**: Compare and contrast two different social contexts in which you write and prepare for a collaborative writing practicum in class. #### Readings - 6.1 Nykopp, M., Marttunen, M., & Laurinen, L. (2014). "University Students’ Knowledge Construction during Face to Face Collaborative Writing". In Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). _Writing as a Learning Activity_. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. - 6.2 Nystrand M., Gamoran A., Carbonaro W. (2001) "On the Ecology of Classroom Instruction". In: Tynjälä P., Mason L., Lonka K. (eds) _Writing as a Learning Tool. Studies in Writing_, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. ### Week 7 - Writing from the Margins - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate the philosophical implications of how social injustices affect writers and their audiences. - **Assignment**: Write a paragraph on how your own social context affects your relation to writing. #### Readings - 7.1 Giroux, H. A., & McLaren, P. (1992). “Writing from The Margins: Geographies of Identity, Pedagogy, and Power.” _Journal of education_, _174_(1), 7-30. - 7.2 Mohanty, C. (1988). “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.” _Feminist Review_, _30_(1), 61–88. ### Week 8 - The Philosophy of Writing Philosophy - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the philosophical implications of the philosophy of writing for writing philosophy. - **Assignment**: Write a paragraph about what it means to write. #### Readings - 8.1 Del Longo, S., & Cisotto, L. (2014). “Writing to Argue: Writing as a Tool for Oral and Written Argumentation.” In Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). _Writing as a Learning Activity_. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. - 8.2 Selections from Lysaker, John T. (2018). _Philosophy, Writing, and the Character of Thought_. University of Chicago Press. - "Gambits and Gambles" pp. 1-5. - "Form and Content" pp. 15-17. - "Fits and Starts" pp. 31-33. - "Property is Theft" pp. 136-9. - "Where do we find Ourselves" pp. 167-71. --- ## Course Schedule 11 Weeks ### Week 1 - A Brief History of Writing - **Learning Objectives**: Begin conceptualizing writing as a historically evolving practice, identify the central roles it plays in human life, investigate how the modern technological revolution has transformed writing practices. - **Assignment**: List three different ways of writing, one modern, one old, and one ancient, and write one sentence describing the role each plays or played in human life. #### Readings - Chapter 4 "What Writing Represents - A Revisionist History of Writing," pp. 65-91. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. - Gabrial, "History of Writing Technologies" In Bazerman, C. (Ed.). (2008). _Handbook of research on writing: History, society, school, individual, text._ Taylor & Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 47-60. ### Week 2 - Writing and the Digital Revolution - **Learning Objectives**: Appreciate how the modern technological revolution has transformed writing practices. - **Assignment**: Choose one modern textual technology (e.g. word processors, social media, instant messaging, emails, etc.) and write one paragraph about what makes it unique as a form of writing. #### Readings - Chapter 1 "Introduction." In Clayton, E. (2013). _The Golden Thread: The Story of Writing_, pp. 1-6. - Hartley J., Tynjälä P. (2001) "New Technology, Writing And Learning". In: Tynjälä P., Mason L., Lonka K. (eds) _Writing as a Learning Tool. Studies in Writing, vol 7_. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 161-182. ### Week 3 - On Notetaking - **Learning Objectives**: Highlight the importance of notetaking as a technical skill and formulate a personalized notetaking strategy. - **Assignment**: Write one paragraph describing how you take notes for class (e.g., this one). Describe whether and how you take notes from lecture, from readings, and from your own ideas, and how you use these notes in your paper writing process. #### Readings - Peverly, S., & Wolf, A. (2019). "Note-Taking". In J. Dunlosky & K. Rawson (Eds.), _The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education_ (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 320-355). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Witherby, A.E., & Tauber, S.K. (2019). "The Current Status of Students’ Note-Taking: Why and How Do Students Take Notes?" _Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition_. - Luhmann, N. (1992). "Communicating with Slip Boxes" accessible at <https://luhmann.surge.sh/communicating-with-slip-boxes> ### Week 4 - Writing as Recording - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the role of writing as a means of recording information. - **Assignment**: Take written notes on one of the readings for today. #### Readings - Aristotle, "De Interpretatione" 1.1-6 in Aristotle, ., & Barnes, J. (1984). _The complete works of Aristotle: The revised Oxford translation_. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. - Plato, "Theatetus" 191c-195a. In Plato, ., Cooper, J. M., & Hutchinson, D. S. (1997). _Complete works_. - Chapter 9 "A History of Written Discourse from Mnemonics to Representation," pp. 179-195. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. ### Week 5 - Writing as Rhetoric - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the limitations of interpreting writing as a way of storing information against the broader roles writing plays in human life. - **Assignment**: Write a short (\~10 line) dialogue reflecting on one role writing plays in human life. The interlocutors may be whomever you wish. #### Readings - Plato "Phaedrus" 274c-278d. In Plato, ., Cooper, J. M., & Hutchinson, D. S. (1997). _Complete works_. - Derrida, J. (1971). "Plato's Pharmacy". In Barbara Johnson (ed.), _Dissemination._ Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 61-171 (1981) ### Week 6 - Writing as Cognition - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate the role of writing in human cognition generally and explore the possible role of empirical investigation in the philosophy of writing. - **Assignment**: Write one paragraph describing how your relation to writing has changed as you have grown older and developed cognitively. #### Readings - Chapter 12 "The Literate Mind," pp. 257-283. In Olson, D. R. (1994). _The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading._ Cambridge University Press. - Hand, B., Villanueva, M. G., & Yoon, S. Y. (2014). "Moving from “Fuzziness” to Canonical Knowledge: The Role of Writing in Developing Cognitive and Representational Resources". In _Writing as a Learning Activity_. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. ### Week 7 - Writing as Learning - **Learning Objectives**: Reflect on the role of writing in the process of learning. - **Assignment**: Write one paragraph evaluating whether and how the writing assignments in this class have helped you learn about writing. #### Readings - Klein, P., & Van Dijk, A. (2019). "Writing as a Learning Activity". In J. Dunlosky & K. Rawson (Eds.), _The Cambridge Handbook of Cognition and Education_ (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 266-291). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Klein, P. D., Boscolo, P., Gelati, C., & Kirkpatrick, L. C. (2014). "New Directions in Writing as a Learning Activity". In Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). *Writing as a Learning Activity*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. ### Week 8 - Writing Within and Across the Curriculum - **Learning Objectives**: Appreciate the common role of writing in knowledge production generally alongside the different forms writing takes in specific disciplines. - **Assignment**: Write one paragraph describing the different roles writing plays in your various classes (e.g. mathematics vs English vs language classes). #### Readings - Bazerman, C. (2005). _Reference Guide to Writing Across The Curriculum_. West Lafayette, Ind: Parlor Press. - 1.1 "Introduction to Key Concepts," pp. 5-13. - 2.7 "On-Going Concerns: the Particularity of Disciplinary Discourses," pp. 85-97. - MacArthur, C. A. (2014). "Strategy Instruction in Writing in Academic Disciplines". In Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). *Writing as a Learning Activity*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. ### Week 9 - Writing as a Social Activity - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate how the social context in which writing takes place affects the way in which one should write and consider the demands and possibilities of collaborative writing in particular. - **Assignment**: Compare and contrast two different social contexts in which you write and prepare for a collaborative writing practicum in class. #### Readings - Nykopp, M., Marttunen, M., & Laurinen, L. (2014). "University Students’ Knowledge Construction during Face to Face Collaborative Writing". In Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). *Writing as a Learning Activity*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. - Nystrand M., Gamoran A., Carbonaro W. (2001) "On the Ecology of Classroom Instruction". In: Tynjälä P., Mason L., Lonka K. (eds) _Writing as a Learning Tool. Studies in Writing_, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. ### Week 10 - Writing from the Margins - **Learning Objectives**: Investigate the philosophical implications of how social injustices affect writers and their audiences. - **Assignment**: Write a paragraph on how your own social context affects your relation to writing. #### Readings - Giroux, H. A., & McLaren, P. (1992). “Writing from The Margins: Geographies of Identity, Pedagogy, and Power.” _Journal of education_, _174_(1), 7-30. - Mohanty, C. (1988). “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.” _Feminist Review_, _30_(1), 61–88. ### Week 11 - The Philosophy of Writing Philosophy - **Learning Objectives**: Consider the philosophical implications of the philosophy of writing for writing philosophy. - **Assignment**: Write a paragraph about what it means to write. #### Readings - Del Longo, S., & Cisotto, L. (2014). " Writing to Argue: Writing as a Tool for Oral and Written Argumentation". In Klein, P., Boscolo, P., Kirkpatrick, L., & Gelati, C. (Eds.). (2014). *Writing as a Learning Activity*. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. - Selections from Lysaker, John T. (2018). _Philosophy, Writing, and the Character of Thought_. University of Chicago Press. - "Gambits and Gambles" 1-5 - "Form and Content" 15-17 - "Fits and Starts" 31-33 - "Property is Theft" 136-9 - "Where do we find Ourselves" 167-71