Here we go!

For English 885, we have been instructed to develop a critical essay dealing with any aspect of rhetoric and composition theory and pedagogy in the form of a multi-modal project. I must be honest, I have participated in blogging assignments through various undergraduate and graduate level classes, but this is my first time developing my very own blogspot! It's simultaneously exciting, intimidating, and overwhelming!

For my multi-modal project, I plan to explore how the incorporation of cross-cultural writing assignments benefits students academically, personally, and professionally. I specifically chose this topic in light of my personal experiences with cross-cultural writing programs, and my writing and ideas are primarily influenced and directed by these experiences.

In this blog, I hope to investigate this particular medium for teaching writing and literature. I hope this site will prove beneficial to other teachers and students who may want to implement similar writing programs and projects into their own classrooms!

Better than Pen Pals

Remember pen pals? I do. I was never quite as privileged as some of the other classes at my elementary school to have the opportunity to write and receive letters from a pen pal over seas, but my third grade class was able to write letters with one of the fourth grade classes in our school. In a small way, the exchange with the fourth graders was important to me and important to the development of my writing because it taught me, in a very informal way, how to articulate my ideas to specific audience.

Now, however, my days of pen pal exchange have been replaced by class blogs and discussion boards. I am not complaining, though! Advances in technology have allowed for much more dynamic and interactive ways to learn and write.

Bryant Fillion, in his article Language Across the Curriculum, encourages the study and improvement of language through this type of writing. He argues that “teachers need to reinforce the use of writing as an exploratory learning tool rather than as a medium for teaching correctness” (Sipple 446).

Writing across the curriculum is just the way to do this!

Anne Herrington, in her own article entitled Writing to Learn: Writing across the Disciplines, says that “writing has an integral role to place in any course as a medium for learning and for teaching how to learn. For these goals to be realized, we as teachers must first believe in the value of writing as a discovery process and be willing to commit our efforts to teach this process to our students” (Sipple 448).

Cross-cultural writing has become a means to an end. The idea is that through collaborative analysis of literature and the opportunity to respond in writing by way of a discussion board the student will experience growth in their writing that begins “in the expressive and then moves outward from the self along a continuum toward either the transactional or the poetic” (Sipple 447).

Certainly there are more ways than one for teachers to accomplish the daunting task of engaging their students in the study of language and literature. Writing across the curriculum is simply one way.

Over the course of my experience as a student at Clemson, I have had the wonderful opportunity to be involved in two different Writing Across the Curriculum programs; both under the direction of Dr. Art Young, Professor of Victorian/British Literature and Poetry. One thing I have always appreciated about Dr. Young’s classes is the diversity of his assignments. We have been assigned to do anything from creative and critical projects, journals and personal poetry assignments, to quick sketches drawn in class in response to selected readings. His class is anything but routine, and I have always appreciated the opportunity to articulate myself not only in the world of academia but also to explore the world of literature and poetry in more creative and expressive ways.

As an undergraduate, I took Dr. Young’s course on Victorian Literature. Through this course, I had the opportunity to collaborate with students at Chalmers in Sweden through the form of an on-line discussion board. Through contact over the computer, we submitted reflections and responses on a number of Swedish poems we had been assigned to read. The interesting aspect of this particular assignment was beginning to understand how language affects interpretation and, thus, affects personal writing. The poems the American students read were poems that had been translated to English by three different individuals. It was interesting to see how language played a huge part not only in each translation of the poem but also in each of our individual interpretations of those translations. The Swedish students often had different insight into the tones, meanings, etc., of the poems simply because they were able to read the poems in the original language. I made the following comment in reference to a particular poem we had been assigned to read and in response to my groupmate’s interpretations of that poem:

In reading over everyone’s responses, I found it interesting the poems that appealed to each of you. To be honest, I chose to play it safe and focus on Tranströmer’s poem “Track[s]” because I thought it was one of the easier poems to understand. It was neat to read Carl’s response in light of my own. I had made the comment that I had typically been drawn more to the translations provided by Robert Bly. I said that his wording and phrasing seemed to come more naturally than the others did, and the poems generally seemed to make more sense (to me) in the context he wrote them in. Carl mentioned that though Bly does use the “most accurate translations”, his wording provides “sharper” terms whereas Swenson’s were “more accurate in a poetical sense.” His background understanding of the language really helps to give insight into the meaning and phrasing of the poems.

As in this example, writing across the curriculum can allow, in ways, for a greater study of language and can highlight to role collaboration plays in the understanding of language.

This semester I took Victorian Poetry under Dr. Young. The interaction with the students at Chalmers was a little different than the interaction I experienced before as an undergraduate. This time our discussions centered on poetry that was familiar and in our own language. Nevertheless, it was just as interesting to read everyone’s personal takes on the poems.

Honestly though, I am always extra curious about the opinions of those outside of my own culture. In looking back over some of my groupmate’s responses and my own (which I included in the sample section of my blog), it is interesting to see how the collaboration over the discussion board provided for an interactive way to learn from and relate to one another. The literature served as a kind of commonality that we shared for a time that, as we drew from it, enabled us to create and share our own identities and ideas. Through the writing across the curriculum discussion board, an atmosphere was created that enabled us to make new breakthroughs concerning our own personal writing, opening our eyes to the literature’s and language’s potential to teach, to grow, and to stretch our understanding of meaning.

Ultimately, in the process of gaining knowledge whether it is through exploring literature, developing our own creative or critical writings, or making life decisions, collaboration is crucial. Without the opportunity to partner with others to dialog our ideas, our personal views are limited, narrow, and unchallenged. The challenge through discourse with one another allows for revision and growth on so many levels—intellectually (academically), practically (professionally); even emotionally (personally). The reading and writing I was required to do for the on-line exchange certainly allowed me to value literature and evaluate my own writing more completely and on a broader (more cultural) scale.

As I approach the next school year and have the opportunity to teach at the undergraduate level, I hope to incorporate the things I have learned and appreciated about these particular opportunities into my own teaching philosophy and practice.

Works Cited
Jo-Ann M. Sipple, "A Planning for Building Writing-across-the-Curriculum Porgrams to Last." The Journal of Higher Education 60.4 (1989): 444-457.

Works Consulted
Art Young, "Writing Across and Against the Curriculum." College Composition and Communication 54.3 (2003): 472-485.

Fulwiler, T., and A. Young (eds.). Language Connections: Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum. Urbana, Ill.: NCTE, 1982.

Sample Assignments and Writings

SAMPLE ASSIGNMENTS
*These assignments have been summarized from Dr. Young's guidelines and instructions for the Cross-Cultural Collaboration-Spring 2007: A conversation about Emily Dickinson.

After posting our first assignment, in which we were instructed to introduce ourselves and respond to any of the Dickinson poems we had been given, we were asked to review the first submissions and any of the second submissions that had already been posted.

For our second assignment, we were asked to address our group, making reference to at least two members of the group by name, and highlight any particular point or idea that struck us in some way. We were asked to identify and describe ways in which our group mates' ideas and reflections contributed to our own personal understanding and interpretations of the poems, quoting ideas we found informative or moving. We had the opportunity through this assignment to also compare and contrast our own ideas with the ideas of our group mates. We were encouraged to connect personal knowledge with the knowledge of others in a meaningful way.

The last step of this second letter assignment was to incorporate a multi-modal composition. This simply meant integrating visual or aural media that related to the poem. We were then asked to briefly explain the relationship between the picture, music, video, etc. chosen to the poem. We were asked to consider the following questions in light of the multi-modal representations:
1. "Explain the relationship between the representation you have selected or composed and your understanding of the Emily Dickinson poem."
2. "Why did you select this representation?"
3. "What does it contribute to your understanding of the poem?"


SAMPLE REFLECTIONS/RESPONSES
*Students have been renamed for privacy.

These responses have been selected as a representation of the language and structure of the cross-cultural discussion board. Basically, these responses serve as examples of what type of ideas are generated, what type of emotions are stirred, and what type of writing is, thus, produced as a result of the cross-cultural assignments.

Swedish Student (Fiction Course):

Hi everybody,

My name is "Sara" and I’m taking the Fiction for engineers course at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. I left my home university in the Netherlands for six months for an exchange program here in Sweden.

My experience in reading and analyzing (English) poetry is very limited, the only time I did this sort of thing was at high school.

I am going to share my insights on the last poem; “I started early..”. I chose this poem because I liked the images about the sea it created.

I think this poem says something about Dickinsons view of nature; she emphasizes how small and insignificant she (or humans in general) is (are) compared to nature. She does this in the comparison with the mouse on the beach and being overwhelmed by the water like a small dandelion. The sea is depicted as very powerful, for instance it gives a “mighty” look. “My simple shoe” also shows Dickinsons humble attitude.

But if one treats the sea with some respect and sense, it will respect you in return; it withdraws in the last line. The sea is personified, it is referred to as male and almost feels human (“he made as he would eat me up”, “he followed me close behind”)

I think it is funny that Dickinson divides the sea into two worlds (one above and one underneath the water surface), by comparing them to a building. Just like the sea, the frigates are given human features, their sails are hands and they are able to presume something.

I have some difficulty with some of the last lines;

Until we met the solid town
No man he seemed to know

What is meant by the solid town? Is it just the shore or something else? And does the second sentence simply mean that there is nobody else on the beach, or is it something else?

I hope you guys can give me some more insights!

Best regards,

"Sara"

Clemson Student (American Literature Course):

Hello Group,

My name is "Paul" and I’m currently enrolled in American Literature Through 1945 (online) at Clemson University. I am a senior majoring in Civil Engineering and I plan to graduate in May and continue my studies here at Clemson towards a Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering. I enjoy reading poetry, but I would not call myself very good at poetry analysis or writing poetry. It is definitely nice to be able to enjoy poetry as a break from other disciplines of learning.

From Dickinson’s poems I found Part Two: Nature LXXXII (“There’s a certain slant of light”) to be the most striking. I see the poem’s setting as taking place through a funeral scene. Dickinson did a good job of expressing the feelings that are felt at a funeral in the first four lines of the poem. To me there is always some sort of quiet reverence that is in the air at a funeral. The sounds of “cathedral tunes” in the air, somber faces with tear filled eyes yet carrying a half-smile remembrance smirk, and the smell of death fragranced by the aroma of flowers. Sometimes at funerals I feel the weight that Dickinson described in line 3 on my chest as I try to breathe; the knot in my throat growing larger as I try to hold back tears until at times I can’t swallow.

In lines 13-16 I am even more impressed by Dickinson’s ability to simply describe how nature reacts to a funeral scene, or at least how we see nature reacting to a funeral scene. Indeed when a funeral comes the landscape listens, or so we think. So often I have viewed old trees at an aged church as overlooking a person as they go into the afterlife. For a moment shadows stand still, and trees that may have saw the person as a child playing in a yard down the street stand still as the person is carried to their final resting place. But is it we who take a snapshot of nature as one final reminder of our friend or loved one that we are putting to rest? Do we even look at our surroundings, in particular, nature, at other points in our life? Is the whole look of death brought on by human emotion?

Sincerely,
"Paul"

Clemson Student (Victorian Poetry Course):

Hey Group!

Your insights into Dickinson’s poetry definitely made the readings more interesting the second time around!

I appreciated "Paul's" description of Dickinson’s poem “There’s a certain slant of light.” He pictured the poem by expressing his own vision of “the feelings that are felt at a funeral,” and his images made an impression on my own interpretation of the poem. He says, “To me there is always some sort of quiet reverence that is in the air at a funeral. The sounds of “cathedral tunes” in the air, somber faces with tear filled eyes yet carrying a half-smile remembrance smirk, and the smell of death fragranced by the aroma of flowers. Sometimes at funerals I feel the weight that Dickinson described in line 3 on my chest as I try to breathe; the knot in my throat growing larger as I try to hold back tears until at times I can’t swallow.” I think personal experiences can help us relate to the emotion a poet expresses or is generating in his/her poetry. "Paul's" insight enabled me to recognize certain despair, a certain affliction in the poem I had not noticed before. It encouraged me to read the poem in light of my own personal experiences of death and loss.

In my first reading of “I started early, took my dog,” I had not picked up on Dickinson’s emphasis of “how small and insignificant” humanity is, as "Sara" had. "Sara" qualifies this idea by highlighting images that point to the contrast of the sea and its power to Dickinson’s comparison of herself to a mouse or a dandelion. In both descriptions, Dickinson imagines herself overcome by the sea.

After looking over “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant” again, I was struck by an image that made me recall my own childhood. In her poem, Dickinson comments on the power of the Truth. Generally, the Truth is seen as an agent that frees, illumines, or enlightens and lies are considered blinding or hindering to knowledge of truth. However, Dickinson seems to advocate that Truth be approached and communicated cautiously, gradually even so as not to blind. The image of the children eased “with explanation kind” reminded me of my own fears of storms when little. I can remember that fearful night of Hurricane Hugo as a five-year-old and having those fears relieved when my parents explained to me what a hurricane was in more simple terms (possibly leaving out little truthful details about its devastating, deadly effects).

The image I included is a picture of a storm with lightning touching down in several places. http://www.jsu.edu/news/july_dec2004/Night%20Storm%20From%20Lake%20-%20June%202003%20-0004A.jpg

Thoughtfully,

Melody

Concluding Reflection on Dickinson poetry
Clemson Student (Victorian Poetry Course):

Hey Group,

I honestly have enjoyed the cross-cultural discussion. It’s been interesting to hear from all of you—the views, thoughts, interpretations, questions, even background knowledge you have brought to the discussion. I think it’s added a great deal more to the meaning of the poems. Having all of you to shed light through your own explanations has helped me to further understand the message the speaker/poet is trying to convey.

I also appreciated "Paul's" personal storm story. In light of the visual representations he says that “sometimes it takes images or events…to remind ourselves just how small our magnitude really is.” His thought reiterated "Sara's" idea that Dickinson “emphasizes how small and insignificant she (or humans in general) is (are) compared to nature” in her poem “I started early”. I like, too, what "Alvar" concluded, “Only our experiences can help us to understand it, for me personal experiences are the starting point of what we can finally imagine about one poem and what the author wants to tell us or tries to make us imagine.” I think we bring much to poetry, our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, that enable us to understand and relate to it various ways. I think our discussions have proved that!

"Sara", in reference to your question about the word “Circuit” in “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”, I felt like the word may have mostly meant “indirect”—that success is found when one chooses to communicate in a circuitous (indirect) manner. Dickinson seems to say the truth, bent, is less abrasive. I still have questions, too, about the capitalizations, but it may have been done simply for emphasis.

The discussion board was a good experience. Thanks for your honest thoughts on the readings!

Thoughtfully,

Melody

What do you think?

For those of you who have taken part in cross-cultural writing programs:
1. What was your cross-cultural writing experience like?
2. How have these assignments shaped and influenced you as a writer? As a student? As an individual?
3. Would you recommend the implementation of these types of programs into the classroom? Why, or why not?