I have thought a lot about what is in my syllabus, but not so much about what is not in my syllabus. I wanted to briefly discuss why my syllabus has no group projects and no exams.
1. The reason for having no group work is a selfish move. I dislike group work. I find group work really stressful. Not only do you have to create material, you also have to coordinate your material with your group. Plus, there is added hassle in managing a time to meet up outside of class. And we all know what happens when someone in the group is not a very hard worker. With that said, I envision a lot of group discussion in my class. Group discussion is more relaxing for students, where they do not seem to be in the spotlight so much. This is especially important when considering the content of my class (I am assuming talking about erotica is a bit more challenging than a few math problems). But, no group work. I just do not see enough positive aspects to incorporate it. I would like to hear your thoughts though, if you disagree!
2. I have no traditional exams in my class. My cousin's professor says that exams are the ultimate examples of the abuses of the elite bourgeois. Sounds about right to me. Moreover, as most students like to cram for exams, I feel that students will be no closer to internalizing the theories discussed in class. But if the students interact with the theories outside of the classroom perhaps the theories will stick more. Plus, in another selfish move, grading exams is boring. Grading sex shop analyzes is fun!
Inferentially I have discussed the syllabus being impacted by what I (do not) want. This gets at bell hooks' argument that to be a healer (teacher), one must care for herself first. I am not sure hooks was talking about whether to have group work in class, but I see some parallels.
Thanks for an inspiring semester everyone! Hopefully I'll be talking with you all in the future.
Is this blog going to stay up for all of eternity?
Mel, I'm glad you posted about this. I've been thinking a lot about how my own personal preferences play into my syllabus making, and I've been talking with lots of people in the CW/English dept about the same. It seems that many people prioritize assignments they feel comfortable with/look forward to grading and tend to leave out those they feel are less useful to the students and less interesting to evaluate. Though I'm not grounding my response in any kind of pedagogical theory, I'll just say that I think that's the way to go. Especially for your class, where the topic is less traditional, it makes sense that traditional educational tools might not serve the purpose of the class. It’s not as though you’re depriving your students of a good learning experience; on the contrary, you’re providing them with perhaps a more exciting one. And as a general rule, I think that if you as the teacher are able to express enthusiasm about an assignment, that can go a long way with your students in drumming up their enthusiasm. And yes, I do think it has to do with self-care, which is incredibly, incredibly important.
Exams seem to be among the least useful tools to evaluate student learning, unless the class is built around the banking model (boo) and/or exams are based on quantitative responses. Critical or creative papers and presentations, and, of course, discussions, tend to generate more thoughtful engagement with the material. Certainly, it’s about finding a balance between what you feel you “should” be assigning and what you want to assign, but ultimately it boils down to what you want your students to learn or explore, and going with whatever is the best/most fruitful way of doing that.
Mel - I really dislike group work as well, yet I did include it in my syllabus. I guess it is because working in a school is so much about working with other people that I feel potential school leaders should have to practice it, have to be good at it. Do you think the "necessity" for group work (or any other style) is content area related? I find your post so interesting because I didn't even think about not including it, didn't even think about it not being an option. Your post (warning - this will sound corny) frees my mind!
And, testing is so about what we are able to do, right? It is so real world and useful to be able to stand up and spew information on command. One of my favorite things about seeing and reading about everyone's syllabus is the way in which you all choose to assess your students. I went the paper route, but now (since Mel's post has freed my mind) I am wondering if it is because it is my preference and well within my comfort zone?
Bobbi, i am glad i have freed your mind. But now I have that En Vouge stuck in my head! free yo mind and the rest will follow! be colorblind don't be so shallow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tIYpvlQP_s