Musings on children's and YA literature, the academy, and the relationship between them, from an English professor and mother.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Internet-Age Writing Syllabus and Course Overview.

All semester I've been chairing a committee to review and revise our first-year curriculum. One big part of most universities' first-year curricula is, of course, some kind of expository writing course. Maybe this one?

ENG 371WR:
Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era

M-W-F: 11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Instructor: Robert Lanham

Course Description

As print takes its place alongside smoke signals, cuneiform, and hollering, there has emerged a new literary age, one in which writers no longer need to feel encumbered by the paper cuts, reading, and excessive use of words traditionally associated with the writing trade. Writing for Nonreaders in the Postprint Era focuses on the creation of short-form prose that is not intended to be reproduced on pulp fibers.


truly, read the rest. I find myself guilty of several days on the syllabus...

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Internet-Age Writing Syllabus and Course Overview.

Posted using ShareThis and first seen, of course, at The Miss Rumphius Effect
(I'm sending you to her main page rather than to this specific link because I want you to see all the fabulous poetry-makers she's featuring this month. It's a treasure trove over there, really!)

7 comments:

  1. This was my post this morning, too, the McSweeney's piece! It's fabulous. I'm pretty sure English profs all over the world are going mad for it...

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  2. You are too sweet. I almost dedicated that post to you because of your committee work. I couldn't stop laughing when I read it. I'm sure everyone thought I was losing my mind.

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  3. Hilarious, thank you.

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  4. Quick question for you: I'm teaching intro to children's lit in the fall and wonder what you think the best anthology is? I have used the Riverside anthology and the Norton in the past but I know you are an expert in the field and would be interested in your thoughts. (I'm leaning toward the Norton right now.)

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  5. I don't use an anthology, Ink, but if I did I think I'd go with the Norton. I used the Riverside many years ago and didn't much care for it. Right now I use Nodelman & Reimer's Pleasures of Children's Literature (a textbook, but a fabulous one); the Broadview Anthology of Folk & Fairy Tales; and a lot of novels and some picture books. I've also used the Oxford Anthology of Children's Verse in the past. I'm going to switch things up this year, though, and I haven't quite decided what I'll be doing. I'd love to see your syllabus when you're done!

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  6. Ooh, those sound like interesting, too, and I'd love to see your syllabus as well (maybe we can arrange on email)! I had to submit my book orders today, so I went with the Norton but I am going to check out the ones you suggest for the future classes.

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  7. Oh, and THANK YOU!

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