assignments ENGL493 Seminar in Writing & Writing Studies:
Best American Presentations
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Overview: There are real benefits to a compendium like a Best American Whatever. Namely, people typically don't get much exposure to the genre of CNF today, and so this gives these essays--some of which are in pretty obscure journals--a second life, the possibilities of new readers. To an extent. For example, an awful lot of the 2015 essays come from The New Yorker, New York Magazine, and The New York Review of Books. Based solely on that fact, you'd think any and all culture came out of the city that never sleeps and, also, that the only good stuff come out is pretty popular venues. What gets considered "best," what gets considered at all, what that collection is able to say about who we are and how we live are limited by so many factors, and, in particular, who the editor that year is.
But that limitation is sort of also interesting. For good or for ill, Best American is a snap shot of what people who read and write are reading and writing about. And in that way, looking at a Best American from any year can help you to understand the genre of the personal essay from a historical and cultural place--even if it is pretty idiosyncratic.
For this assignment, you will work in groups of three to read and present on one year of Best American. You will be responsible for thinking about two main questions:
1) What is the zeitgeist of the Best collection you are reading? What is the energy? What does it say about the time it came out of--based solely on the narrow and limited set of considerations I'm asking you to think about.
2) What does it say about the genre? What are the qualities? Structures? Forms? Audiences? Styles? Aims?
Here is a set of tasks to work through in your group to help you be able to answer the following:
1. Based on the essays you've read, how would you answer the above questions?
2. Based on the introductory matter from that year's editor. . . ?
3. Based on what you can learn about that year's editor. . . ?
4. Based on what you know about what has happened during your year--or the years just preceding it. . . ?
This doesn't fit in the parallel structure above, but, if you can, what limitations do you see in a collection like Best? In your collection specifically?
ON THE DAY OF YOUR PRESENTATION
1. You will select one essay that the entire will read. Choose wisely so that you have something that the class can talk about.
2. You will have 15 minutes to do your presentation.
3. You should develop some sort of informal writing prompt, based on the reading you've selected for the class, that should help contextualize your presentation for the class.
4. EXTRA CREDIT/BONUS: I don't really know what to call it, but if you can figure out a way to engage your classmates in a discussion or activity that helps them to think about the essay they read and what you have to say about your edition of Best, I will give you lots of bonus grade love. If you plan to teach in the future, this might a good opportunity to strut your stuff.
But that limitation is sort of also interesting. For good or for ill, Best American is a snap shot of what people who read and write are reading and writing about. And in that way, looking at a Best American from any year can help you to understand the genre of the personal essay from a historical and cultural place--even if it is pretty idiosyncratic.
For this assignment, you will work in groups of three to read and present on one year of Best American. You will be responsible for thinking about two main questions:
1) What is the zeitgeist of the Best collection you are reading? What is the energy? What does it say about the time it came out of--based solely on the narrow and limited set of considerations I'm asking you to think about.
2) What does it say about the genre? What are the qualities? Structures? Forms? Audiences? Styles? Aims?
Here is a set of tasks to work through in your group to help you be able to answer the following:
1. Based on the essays you've read, how would you answer the above questions?
2. Based on the introductory matter from that year's editor. . . ?
3. Based on what you can learn about that year's editor. . . ?
4. Based on what you know about what has happened during your year--or the years just preceding it. . . ?
This doesn't fit in the parallel structure above, but, if you can, what limitations do you see in a collection like Best? In your collection specifically?
ON THE DAY OF YOUR PRESENTATION
1. You will select one essay that the entire will read. Choose wisely so that you have something that the class can talk about.
2. You will have 15 minutes to do your presentation.
3. You should develop some sort of informal writing prompt, based on the reading you've selected for the class, that should help contextualize your presentation for the class.
4. EXTRA CREDIT/BONUS: I don't really know what to call it, but if you can figure out a way to engage your classmates in a discussion or activity that helps them to think about the essay they read and what you have to say about your edition of Best, I will give you lots of bonus grade love. If you plan to teach in the future, this might a good opportunity to strut your stuff.