{"id":170,"date":"2012-05-12T22:51:33","date_gmt":"2012-05-13T02:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/?page_id=170"},"modified":"2012-05-12T22:51:33","modified_gmt":"2012-05-13T02:51:33","slug":"seriously-funny","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/sample-syllabi\/on-humor-and-new-media\/seriously-funny\/","title":{"rendered":"Seriously Funny"},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"center\"><strong>Syllabus<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>FYS \u2013 Seriously Funny<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Instructor: Bryan Furuness<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Email:\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:bfurunes@butler.edu\">bfurunes@butler.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Office Hours: by appointment<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Required Materials<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><em>Slaughterhouse Five\u00a0<\/em>by Kurt Vonnegut<\/p>\n<p><em>Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs\u00a0<\/em>by Chuck Klosterman<\/p>\n<p><em>Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-Up Comedy<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>A Pocket Style Manual\u00a0<\/em>by Diane Hacker<\/p>\n<p>Netflix account (spring semester only-3 discs at a time + streaming)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>List of Readings:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>On the Craft of Reading, Writing, Speaking:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Selections from\u00a0<em>The St. Martin\u2019s Guide to Writing<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFreewriting\u201d by Peter Elbow<\/p>\n<p>Selections from\u00a0<em>Writing Down the Bones\u00a0<\/em>by Natalie Goldberg<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShitty First Drafts\u201d by Ann Lamotte<\/p>\n<p><em>Comic Insights: the Art of Stand-Up Comedy<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Fiction\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>Creative Nonfiction:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCavemen\u201d by Stacy Richter<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFatso\u201d by Etgar Keret<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuper Goat Man\u201d by Jonathan Lethem<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKids\u2019 Guide to Divorce\u201d by Lorrie Moore<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot\u201d by Robert Olen Butler<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMick Jagger Wants Me\u201d by Susan Jane Gilman<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPoor Me\u201d by Victor LaValle<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrice of Pain\u201d by John McNally<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUp, Up, and Away\u201d by Lewis Nordan<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet it Snow\u201d by David Sedaris<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCivilwarland in Bad Decline\u201d by George Saunders<\/p>\n<p><em>Slaughterhouse Five\u00a0<\/em>by Kurt Vonnegut<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Cultural Analysis<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Ken Sent Me: Lost in the Land of the Lounge Lizards&#8221; by Matt Bell<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All Aboard the Bloated Boat: Arguments in Favor of Barry Bonds&#8221; by Lee Klein<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Great Escape&#8221; by Pete McDonald<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMooning: A Short Cultural History\u201d by Daniel Nester<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCrack Addiction: the Gentle Art of Mooning\u201d by Judith Levine<\/p>\n<p><em>Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs\u00a0<\/em>by Chuck Klosterman<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Satire<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Selections from\u00a0<em>The Onion<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Selections from\u00a0<em>The Daily Show<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Selections from\u00a0<em>The Colbert Report<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Selections from \u201cThe Devil\u2019s Dictionary\u201d by Ambrose Bierce<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a Manner That Must Shame God Himself\u201d by Kurt Vonnegut<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One\u201d by Benjamin Franklin<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe War Prayer\u201d by Mark Twain<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManifesto: A Press Release from PRKA\u201d by George Saunders<em><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Course Description:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Comedy can be serious stuff, as rich and dark and heartbreaking a path toward meaning as anything more sober. When it&#8217;s done right, the ridiculous\u00a0<em>is\u00a0<\/em>the sublime. In this course, we&#8217;ll look at serious stuff in a funny way, and funny stuff in a serious way, all to explore the question of whether comedy is a valid way to create meaning, raise serious questions, and make social commentary.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, though, this course is less about a subject, and more about developing college-level skills. Like every other first-year seminar, the focus here is on writing, reading, research, and oral communication. Unlike other sections, we&#8217;ll develop these skills through the lens of comedy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Student Learning Outcomes:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The following are shared by every FYS section:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In FYS, first year students will:<\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li>Listen and read critically \u2013 texts, speech, media and other cultural productions \u2013 in order to examine, challenge and reshape themselves and the world in which they live.<\/li>\n<li>Express themselves clearly and persuasively in exposition and in argument, in both written and oral forms.<\/li>\n<li>Carry out research for the purpose of supplying evidence and support for claims made in exposition and argument.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>The following are specific to my class:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the year, here&#8217;s what I want you to understand:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>ABOUT LEARNING<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How to become an active, self-driven learner, an idea generator, a problem solver, and a contributor to the class.<\/li>\n<li>The importance of deep and sustained engagement.<\/li>\n<li>How to take creative risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>ABOUT READING AND WRITING AND SPEAKING<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To broaden your idea of what stories &amp; essays are, and what stories &amp; essays can do.<\/li>\n<li>To articulate how reading and writing and speaking are not separate components, but in fact are all woven into the same web.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>ABOUT COMEDY<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To broaden your idea of what comedy is, and what comedy can do.<\/li>\n<li>How comedy and gravity can not only be compatible, but complementary.\u00a0 By gravity, I mean any kind of serious business, from tragedy to analytical thought.\u00a0 Fitted together properly, gravity and comedy can be like two flints, sparking.<\/li>\n<li>How comedy is a valid and valuable way to make meaning, to raise questions, and to make social commentary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>_____________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Attendance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A seminar is a collaborative project; the students are the collaborators. This model only works if you show up and contribute. \u00a0Therefore, every time you\u2019re absent or unprepared, you\u2019ll lose a point from your contribution &amp; learning summary (more about this on the course blog). Tardiness or less-than-great preparation will cost a half-point each time.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The only exception to this policy is a university-excused absence (i.e. for university-sanctioned games &amp; performances, not doctor-excused absences, or absences caused by conflicting obligations for other classes or extracurricular stuff) which must be presented in advance of the missed class.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Some Notes on Assignments<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have two kinds of assignments in this class: \u00a0buy-in assignments and big projects (the big &#8216;uns are listed on the course blog). \u00a0The buy-in assignments are designed to help you prepare for class, so if you miss one, you can&#8217;t turn it in late.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Big projects are due at the beginning of the class period in the form of a hard copy (in other words, don&#8217;t say, &#8220;I&#8217;ll email it to you later.&#8221;). You can turn a big project in late, but you lose five points a day. If it&#8217;s due at the beginning of class, and you turn it in later that day, it counts as one day late.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a tip:\u00a0 machines will choose your weakest moment to screw you over.\u00a0 Printers break when you try to use them just before class, and computers will crash\u00a0<em>the one time you skip a back-up<\/em>, so you&#8217;ll really help yourself out by backing up your work regularly, printing stuff ahead of time, and setting a back-up alarm clock.\u00a0 Because, in the end, no matter how excellent and legitimate your excuse for missing class or handing stuff in late, I will stick to my policies.<\/p>\n<p><em>Reading assignments<\/em>: \u00a0make sure you complete the reading before class, and bring an annotated copy of the assignment so you can refer to it during discussion.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Writing assignments<\/em>: \u00a0in addition to writing a bunch of buy-in assignments, you&#8217;ll write two essays each semester (see course blog for details).\u00a0 On the first round, these essays will be assigned a placeholder grade, but if you revise them for your final portfolio, they&#8217;ll be re-graded. The higher grade will be your final one.<\/p>\n<p><em>Oral assignments<\/em>: \u00a0in addition to conversation in class, you&#8217;ll get to create oral projects each semester. \u00a0In the first semester, that will be a digital satire project; in the second semester, you&#8217;ll get to do a set of stand-up comedy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Grading<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Big Projects\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 20 points each x 3 projects = 60 points<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Contribution &amp; Learning Summaries\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 10 points each x 3 = 30 points<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Total: 90 points per semester<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There aren&#8217;t a lot of points in here, so each small buy-in assignment counts.\u00a0 As you can probably tell, this class is designed to encourage you to do the work, contribute to class, and stay engaged.\u00a0 You&#8217;ll help yourself out by staying on top of everything early, because you will get sick late in the semester (everyone does) and you don&#8217;t want to be sitting on several absences when that happens.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The key to success in this class (and, in my opinion, life) is showing up, on time, prepared.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Grading Scale (percentage-based)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>95-100 \u00a0 A \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 75-77 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C<\/p>\n<p>91-94 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A- \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 71-74\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C-<\/p>\n<p>88-90 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B+\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 68-70 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D+<\/p>\n<p>85-87 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 65-67 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D<\/p>\n<p>81-84 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B-\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 61-64 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D-<\/p>\n<p>78-80 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C+ \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 60 &amp; below \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Other Housekeeping Details:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Check the blog daily:\u00a0<\/em>It&#8217;s the main internet hub for this class. If I need to get a message to you, or to the whole class, this is where I&#8217;ll put it. This is also where you&#8217;ll find prompts for your process-writing assignments, and a link to other important course resources like the assignment schedule.<\/p>\n<p><em>Learning Resources<\/em>\u00a0(for writing, tutoring, study skills, etcetera): \u00a0these are not remedial programs; in fact, they might be THE best resources for first-year students. \u00a0Oh, and they&#8217;re free!<\/p>\n<p>Learning Resource Center: \u00a0www.butler.edu\/learning\/<\/p>\n<p>Writers&#8217; Studio: \u00a0www.butler.edu\/writersstudio<\/p>\n<p>Speakers&#8217; Lab: www.butler.edu\/speakerslab<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong><em>Electronic Communications Policy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Response time<\/em>: I answer email once a day.\u00a0 You can expect a response within twenty-four hours (not ten minutes).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>If you&#8217;re going to miss class, you don&#8217;t need to email me to let me know:\u00a0<\/em>One, because I don&#8217;t know how to respond to these emails (Okay? Duly noted? I\u2019m sorry you have tuberculosis?). And two, because the only &#8220;excused&#8221; absences are university-excused ones; doctor&#8217;s notes and excellent alibis don&#8217;t make an absence excused.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However: if it looks like you&#8217;re going to miss a bunch of classes, please do let me know. Also let me know if you&#8217;re going to miss a conference, so I&#8217;m not waiting around in my office like a mook.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>With emails, as with all writing, keep your audience in mind:<\/em>\u00a0for a more concrete description of what I mean, take a look at M. Leddy&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/mleddy.blogspot.com\/2005\/01\/how-to-e-mail-professor.html\">\u201cHow to Email Your Professor\u201d<\/a>. While it&#8217;s okay to be pretty casual with me\u2014especially after we get to know each other\u2014you should get in the habit of thinking about the audience for your writing, and adjusting your tone and level of formality accordingly. Also, email etiquette is an important twenty-first century skill that can really help you in the professional world.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong><em>The Teacher Sanity Four-Pack<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Repeating myself makes me tired and sad<\/em><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you miss a class, check with a classmate and use resources like the assignment schedule to find out what you missed, and what&#8217;s coming up next.\u00a0 Even if you missed class for an excellent reason, the responsibility is on you to get caught up, not on me to teach the class a second time in the form of an emailed synopsis.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>I don&#8217;t argue about grades.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>My focus is on learning and improvement.\u00a0 My hope is that you, too, care about discovery, challenging yourself, and creating interesting things more than about your G.P.A.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>I don&#8217;t give extra credit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>If you find yourself with a bunch of zeros at any point in the semester, don&#8217;t ask me what extra stuff you can do to improve your grade.\u00a0 Allowing for make-up work or extra credit would only undermine the way I&#8217;ve designed this course, which is meant to keep you engaged and actively learning the entire semester.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Please put your phones and computers away during class.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I can&#8217;t tell who&#8217;s goofing around on the internet, and who&#8217;s taking notes, and I don&#8217;t want to have to guess.\u00a0 Or, to put it in a more positive way, please close your computers &amp; phones so you can be entirely present and engaged with the class.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Requests for Academic Accommodations<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is the policy and practice of Butler University to make reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. Written notification from Student Disability Services is required.\u00a0 If you are eligible to receive an accommodation and would like to request it for this course, please discuss it with me and allow one week advance notice.\u00a0 Otherwise, it is not guaranteed that the accommodation can be received on a timely basis.\u00a0 Students who have questions about Student Disability Services or who have, or think they may have, a disability (psychiatric, attentional, learning, vision, hearing, physical, medical, etc.) are invited to contact Student Disability Services for a confidential discussion in Jordan Hall 136 or by phone at extension 9308.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Plagiarism<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When we create new work for the purpose of aesthetic enlightenment and proceed to share said work in a regular community, there is no room or excuse for any kind of plagiarism. Any student found guilty of presenting as their own the written work of someone else will be immediately removed from the class and receive a failing grade for the semester. \u00a0So that I am not guilty of plagiarism, let me just note that the last two sections come straight from the university, and are not my original words or ideas.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>___________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>What I Believe about Teaching and Learning<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Teachers should tell students about their philosophy of teaching and learning.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Which is why I put it on the syllabus.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s my theory:\u00a0the more clearly I lay out what we&#8217;ll be doing in this class and\u00a0<em>why\u00a0<\/em>we&#8217;ll be doing it this way, the greater the chance that you&#8217;ll buy into it.\u00a0 Or that you&#8217;ll transfer out to a class that better fits your learning philosophy (though, let me be clear, scaring you away is not my intent here).\u00a0 At the very least, after you read this, you won&#8217;t find yourself wondering, mid-semester, when I&#8217;m going to break out the powerpoint slides and start lecturing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But I&#8217;m getting ahead of myself.\u00a0 Before I talk about instructional methods, let me discuss the purpose of education, which should be the cornerstone of any teaching philosophy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The purpose of education is to prepare you to make a good living, and a good life.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Most Americans believe that the primary purpose of education is for career preparation.\u00a0 A smaller number (<em>much\u00a0<\/em>smaller, I think) believe that education should teach a person how to live, how to be in the world.\u00a0 But why do we have to choose between these purposes?\u00a0 Butler&#8217;s ex-President, Dr. Fong, recognized that these two philosophies don&#8217;t have to be at odds when he said that Butler prepares students not only to do well, but to do good.\u00a0 I&#8217;ll take my cue from Dr. Fong, and mash these purposes together.\u00a0 But what does it mean to prepare someone for a good living and a good life?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s address the career preparation side first.\u00a0 To begin, I&#8217;ll list the &#8220;twenty-first century skills&#8221; said to be valued by most employers.<\/p>\n<p>o\u00a0\u00a0 Critical thinking<\/p>\n<p>o\u00a0\u00a0 Problem solving<\/p>\n<p>o\u00a0\u00a0 Communication<\/p>\n<p>o\u00a0\u00a0 Collaboration<\/p>\n<p>o\u00a0\u00a0 Creativity<\/p>\n<p>o\u00a0\u00a0 Innovation<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>These skills are not developed by listening to lectures, memorizing facts, or bubbling in standardized tests.\u00a0 They\u00a0<em>can<\/em>, however,<em>\u00a0<\/em>be developed by actively contributing to a learning community.\u00a0 In this course, you will contribute to conversation, come up with interesting and original ideas, and make big projects.\u00a0 In this course, in other words, you will strengthen your twenty-first century skills.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Addressing how to make a good life is a little more slippery.\u00a0 I imagine that each of you has your own vision of a good life, and that those visions vary widely.\u00a0 My own idea of a good life would include figuring out who you are (and getting comfortable with yourself), striking a work\/life balance, and connecting to a community.\u00a0 Fortunately, everything we&#8217;ll do in this class supports those aims.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>I believe that experience is the best teacher.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A lot of students come into college with passive learning habits.\u00a0 These students don&#8217;t want to talk much, or to hear their classmates talk; they want the instructor to pour knowledge directly into their brains, because, after all, that&#8217;s what they&#8217;ve paid for.\u00a0 Paolo Freire calls this the &#8220;banking model&#8221; of education.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This model, while popular, doesn&#8217;t seem to be based on any actual educational philosophy.\u00a0 More than anything, it seems to be based on the philosophy of consumerism.\u00a0\u00a0<em>I&#8217;ve paid for knowledge, now give it to me!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Lectures may work just fine in a math or science class where you have to absorb a lot of agreed-upon facts, but in a class like this, I strongly believe that students learn best through hands-on experience.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>My role is to guide you through the experience, offering support throughout the process.\u00a0 And you&#8217;ll have plenty of learning experiences, as you&#8217;ll see in this next point.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>I believe that deep and sustained engagement is the key to learning.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Classes occasionally seem designed for disengagement.\u00a0 Lectures and whole group discussions create opportunities for students to tune out.\u00a0 A course that asks a student for only two or three assignments per semester builds in spaces for long periods of coasting\u2014hardly the ideal model for true engagement.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Not every student will coast or tune out in these classes, of course.\u00a0 But for students who are inclined to fall through the cracks, the cracks are there, and they&#8217;re big as canyons.\u00a0 Because I believe that learning happens best through sustained engagement, my aim is to close these cracks as tightly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In class, this means using instructional methods like peer meetings, small group discussions, station work, and in-class writing.\u00a0 Between classes, you&#8217;ll do a small assignment for nearly every meeting to give you an opportunity to engage with a text, process your thoughts, and prepare for conversation.\u00a0 Another form of engagement will come through democratic practices in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>I believe in classroom democracy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The model of classroom democracy I practice is built on CHOICE and VOICE.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Choice<\/strong>:\u00a0 students have the freedom to make choices within the parameters of the course.\u00a0 Through choice, you should be able to connect this course to your own interests and learning goals.\u00a0 Learning is optimized when it is student-chosen, and student-driven.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Voice<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<ul>\n<li>Dialogue\u00a0<em>in<\/em>\u00a0class:\u00a0 I don&#8217;t mean to talk at you (not much, anyway); I want us to talk with each other.\u00a0 This means fewer lectures and other teacherly monologues, and more interaction and student presentations to elevate the student voice.<\/li>\n<li>Dialogue\u00a0<em>about\u00a0<\/em>the class:\u00a0 course evaluation will be constant and ongoing, and the course will change as it goes along to better drive student learning and better fit student needs.\u00a0 Democratic classrooms must invite students into power, and into a shared ownership of the course.\u00a0 I will make all final decisions, but you will have a voice in shaping the course, solving problems, and coming up with innovations and improvements (see how all of this fits with 21<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0century skills?).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I practice classroom democracy for two reasons.\u00a0 If you have shared ownership of the course, you&#8217;re more likely to be engaged in it.\u00a0 And what better way to prepare you for a life of active participation in the democracy of our country than to invite you into a democratic experience now?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll not only have a voice in evaluating and shaping the class; you&#8217;ll also have a voice in evaluating your own work.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>I believe that assessment should be largely formative (mid-process) and should be co-constructed by the student and teacher together.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The first time you swing a bat, you probably won&#8217;t hit a home run.\u00a0 The first time you write a short story, it probably won&#8217;t win a Pushcart Prize.\u00a0 The first time you try\u00a0<em>anything,\u00a0<\/em>for that matter, you&#8217;re probably not going to nail it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lovie Smith, the coach of the Chicago Bears, doesn&#8217;t like to dwell on a player&#8217;s first performance on the field, even if he&#8217;s done well; he\u2019d rather talk about the leaps he expects the player to make between his first and second game, and the gains he expects him to make in the offseason.\u00a0 Like Lovie, I believe that improvement tends to happens after a learner is able to step back, look at what she&#8217;s done, make some adjustments, and try again.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Summative assessment (at the end of a project) tells you how you&#8217;ve done, but in my view, it doesn&#8217;t actually lead to a lot of learning.\u00a0 If you don&#8217;t incorporate the suggestions right away, you&#8217;re not likely to remember them when it comes time for your next project.\u00a0 Or, to put it another way:<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><em>Actually making an improvement &gt; Hearing about an improvement<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In this class, we&#8217;ll engage in a lot of formative assessment, and a lot of re-trying so you can make those big leaps in learning.\u00a0 You and I will both take part in these formative assessments.\u00a0 For each essay, you&#8217;ll fill out a guided reflection letter, which is a series of questions designed to help you think about your work, to articulate what you&#8217;ve learned, and to point out where you struggled.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Summative assessment also comes from the student and the teacher.\u00a0 A final reflection will give you an opportunity to talk about what you&#8217;ve learned, and to cast questions toward future projects.\u00a0 Moving from experience to reflection\u2014from\u00a0<em>doing\u00a0<\/em>to\u00a0<em>thinking about<\/em>\u2014is a crucial part of the learning process (as I&#8217;ve discovered, yet again, in writing this teaching philosophy).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As you can see, I view the student and teacher as co-constructors of the entire learning experience.\u00a0 Together, we design the experience; we both evaluate the project in mid-process; we reflect and assess at the end.\u00a0 In short, we are both fully invested and engaged\u2014with the work, the class, and each other.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for choosing this course.\u00a0 I look forward to getting started, and I hope you do, too.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Syllabus FYS \u2013 Seriously Funny Instructor: Bryan Furuness Email:\u00a0\u00a0bfurunes@butler.edu Office Hours: by appointment &nbsp; Required Materials: Slaughterhouse Five\u00a0by Kurt Vonnegut Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs\u00a0by Chuck Klosterman Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-Up Comedy A Pocket Style Manual\u00a0by Diane Hacker &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/sample-syllabi\/on-humor-and-new-media\/seriously-funny\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1509,"featured_media":0,"parent":81,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-170","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":192,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/170\/revisions\/192"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/81"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}