Based on our work together last semester (apologies to new class members), I've outlined a plan of action this spring that encourages us to re-see, rethink and revise our ideas about our communities, composing in those communities, and, ultimately, our roles in those communities.
I've picked my favorite picture of our campus "Frog Baby" to represent the ideas in this posting because I think her story fits our goals. As several stories on the BSU website reveal, Frog Baby's role is related to the culture, values and space of our campus. Her cultural role is as a piece of art -- a bronze statue of a little girl playing with frogs, her joyous face upturned to the sky. Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons cast Frog Baby in 1937 and the piece was on exhibit in the BSU Museum of Art before its relocation to the fountain near Bracken Library.
Frog Baby's connection to the values of BSU is in students' relationship with her. Years ago, it was considered good luck to rub her nose before an exam. This academic value almost wore off her poor little nose! Frog Baby had to be restored before moving to the fountain, where I like to think of her as celebrating all the knowledge represented by the library. Today's students often wrap Frog Baby in hats and scarves in the winter, which I see representing our value of caring for one another. (Some communities have to worry about their artwork being defaced or vandalized; nobody messes with our baby that way.)
Lastly, Frog Baby represents the kind of academic space we try to create at BSU and in our classroom. We work hard to achieve our goals, but we try to enjoy ourselves in the process. The kind of space we create in our classroom -- physical and mental -- reflects the kind of work we can produce.
One of the projects that many of you produced for last semester's writing portfolio addressed the idea of community. One of the goals for the class is creating an effective, cooperative and creative space that supports your growth and practice in achieving the course goals. Many of you wrote about what it meant to be a part of the Ball State community and/or smaller communities within the BSU umbrella. This semester, we're going to re-examine some of the ideas you raised as we expand our understanding of community.
Specifically, we'll be looking at rhetorical aspects of community, including culture, values, issues and space.
We're also going to work on re-seeing, rethinking and revising your work. Last semester you composed three or four versions of the projects for your portfolio. This semester, I'm challenging you to reconsider what it means to "revise" your work. Revision is, unfortunately, sometimes considered just "cleaning up" a piece of writing. Focused on fixing grammar and mechanical errors, this definition of revision is way too limiting. It stunts ideas, stops inquiry and usually creates some pretty boring stuff for the reader (otherwise known as "crappy writing"). True revision happens as your write, reconsidering your ideas and goals for the piece, reflecting on feedback from your readers, and making changes that add depth and meaning to your work.
There are more details on these concepts in the syllabus and we'll talk about them in class. In your first blog for class, you can respond to any of the ideas I've presented here, in the syllabus, or in class.
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