There are so many ways to begin our collaborative conversation about our course, and to be honest, my head is full of all sorts of possible paths to take in this post. There really are so many questions that we could begin to think about together, from your impressions of Susan Sontag’s analysis of metaphor to the representation of people living with HIV/AIDS in Rent.
But I think I'm most interested in hearing more about your initial impressions and response to the prospect ahead of us: our work with Project Angel Heart. Let me share a memory as way to open up this conversation.
In my first year as an undergraduate student, I volunteered for an AIDS hospice in Tacoma, Washington. I did this mostly because a friend of mine also volunteered there, and she spoke so passionately about the work she did that her stories encouraged me to spend some time there, as well.
The hospice was an old Victorian home that had been remodeled for four or five men with late-stage AIDS to live in and have a place to die with dignity. With its wrap-around porch and sturdy architecture, it projected a feeling of warmth, protection, and a quiet kind of respect for the men living there. The staff who worked there intentionally cultivated this atmosphere, and despite the very real and material presence of illness—and implicitly of death's approach (this was before the more successful HIV/AIDS drug treatments were available)—the space was comfortable, even reassuring.
Still, I remember completing my first few shifts feeling anxious—that churning-in-the-pit-of-your-stomach kind of anxiety. Nervous I would do something wrong or say something inappropriate, I was uncertain and felt awkward spending time there. In my mind, it seemed like such a daunting task, helping care for these men who were so close to death. What should I say to them? How would we interact? How to talk to the one man who seemed intolerably grumpy? And what about the man who never seemed to leave his bedroom? For the more experienced, these fears might have seemed naive or immature, but for me, they were real.
As I continued working, I grew more comfortable and adjusted to the social conventions of this place. Surprisingly, I begin to see our work there like any other. Despite our closeness to death, life continued on in its daily routines. We cooked meals for the men, played card games, and had the most typical of conversations. Death didn't pervade every interaction, endowing our work with meaning at every turn. It just was.
I reflect on this experience as a way to ask you all about how you're feeling right now about working for Project Angel Heart. Do you have any reservations or anxieties? If so, what are they? Have you done work like this in the past, either with regard to this issue or involving community service in other capacities? If so, what was it like? What's your impression thus far of our attempt to forge a connection between academic writing and research and a non-profit organization like Project Angel Heart?
Please take time before Sunday evening and use the comment feature to reply to this post. And be as candid as you're able. Thanks.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Welcome to WRIT 1133-26! Post interviews of your classmates here as a comment.
For your first blog post, I would like you to write 250-350 words or so introducing the classmate you interviewed to the rest of our class. Take care with this short piece, for it is our first impression of you as a writer, as well as the first impression of the person you interviewed. Make it interesting, make it fun, and try to capture the person in writing and use quotes, brief stories, and any other vivid details you can discover to enrich your mini-profile.
For example, if I were to interview myself and posted the result, I might write something like:
Place matters to Professor Geoffrey Bateman, which is why his current research is so important to him.
"I think the different regions of our country shape us in important ways," he says. “As a teacher and scholar, I'm interested in studying the literature and cultural history of places, especially the American West."
Having grown up near Portland, Oregon, his interest in the West has evolved since childhood. He grew up exploring everything from the majestic Columbia River Gorge to the misty Oregon coast; he hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and hung out in quirky urban spaces of Portland and Seattle.
These experiences may help explain his current research on the queer frontier. His dissertation explores the cultural representations of sexuality in the American West near the end of the 19th century.
"It's a particularly rich period for sexuality studies,” he observes. "Sexual identity was not nearly as cut and dried as it became in the mid to late 20th century. And when you consider how racialized identities and gender norms factor into this understanding, you have a veritable explosion of fascinating material."
But his interests aren’t only historical. Professor Bateman believes strongly that historical research must speak to contemporary issues, especially those that are politically charged.
“Literature and history offers us a way to rethink current problems, and for me, I think the most rewarding I can do historically is to show others how texts from the past allow us to re-imagine our lives today.”
Such engagement means that in his first-year writing courses, he tries to find meaningful ways for students to practice their writing. Ideally, he wants them to connect abstract rhetorical concepts and research methodologies with ideas and problems outside our university context.
“Ultimately,” he says, “I want students to feel confident that what they’re learning in my classroom not only prepares them for the rest of their time at DU, but also starts them on a much larger journey of being an engaged citizen for the rest of their lives.”
For example, if I were to interview myself and posted the result, I might write something like:
Place matters to Professor Geoffrey Bateman, which is why his current research is so important to him.
"I think the different regions of our country shape us in important ways," he says. “As a teacher and scholar, I'm interested in studying the literature and cultural history of places, especially the American West."
Having grown up near Portland, Oregon, his interest in the West has evolved since childhood. He grew up exploring everything from the majestic Columbia River Gorge to the misty Oregon coast; he hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and hung out in quirky urban spaces of Portland and Seattle.
These experiences may help explain his current research on the queer frontier. His dissertation explores the cultural representations of sexuality in the American West near the end of the 19th century.
"It's a particularly rich period for sexuality studies,” he observes. "Sexual identity was not nearly as cut and dried as it became in the mid to late 20th century. And when you consider how racialized identities and gender norms factor into this understanding, you have a veritable explosion of fascinating material."
But his interests aren’t only historical. Professor Bateman believes strongly that historical research must speak to contemporary issues, especially those that are politically charged.
“Literature and history offers us a way to rethink current problems, and for me, I think the most rewarding I can do historically is to show others how texts from the past allow us to re-imagine our lives today.”
Such engagement means that in his first-year writing courses, he tries to find meaningful ways for students to practice their writing. Ideally, he wants them to connect abstract rhetorical concepts and research methodologies with ideas and problems outside our university context.
“Ultimately,” he says, “I want students to feel confident that what they’re learning in my classroom not only prepares them for the rest of their time at DU, but also starts them on a much larger journey of being an engaged citizen for the rest of their lives.”
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