University of Michigan Excellence in First-Year Writing 2 0 1 0 The English Department Writing Program and The Gayle Morris Sweetland Center for Writing Excellence in First‐Year Writing!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!20"# !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The English Department Writing Program !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And !!!!!!!!!!!!!The $%&'(!)*++,-!Sweetland Center for Writing Table of Contents First‐Year Writing Prize Nominees 2010 . 1 Introduction by Anne Curzan and Anne Gere . 5 English Department Writing Program Prize Editor’s Introduction by Chris Gerben . 9 Michael Flood, Winner Instructor’s foreword by Julie Babcock . 10 “Bridging the Gap: An Exploration into the Nature of the Palestinian/Israeli Debate at the University of Michigan and What Diversity Has Done to Change it” . 11 Chong Guo, Winner Instructor’s foreword by Sara Schaff . 25 “The Studio” . 26 Erin Piell, Winner Instructor’s foreword by Sara Schaff . 33 “The Animal Welfare Act: Negative Effects of Expansion” . 34 Sweetland Center for Writing Excellence in First­Year Writing Prize Editor’s Introduction by Matthew Kelley . 44 Kathleen Telfer, Winner Instructor’s foreword by Catalina Pereda . 46 “Culture Clash: Aristotle and Visual Modernism and Postmodernism” . 47 Alexandra Park, Winner Instructor’s foreword by Basak Candar . 50 “Forgetting to Remember, Remembering to Forget: An Analysis of Hyperthymesia and Anterograde Amnesia in ‘Funes, His Memory’ and Memento” . 51 Sweetland Center for Writing Outstanding Portfolio Prize Thomas Yeh, Winner Instructor’s foreword by Christine Modey . 60 Selections from the portfolio . 61 Full portfolio available at https://ctools.umich.edu/osp‐presentation‐ tool/viewPresentation.osp?id=790350DBAC673FCDA8C07FB24E3CA3ED Alexander Liberman, Winner Instructor’s foreword by Jennifer Metsker . 76 Selections from the portfolio . 77 Full portfolio available at https://ctools.umich.edu/osp‐presentation‐ tool/viewPresentation.osp?id=F89D2BC6824D1C9D894001D1D8F1325B Excellence in First‐Year Writing 20"# Publication Edited by Chris Gerben, English Department Writing Program and Matthew Kelley, !"#$%&'())*+&Sweetland Center for Writing EDWP Writing Prize Committee: Sweetland Writing Prize Committee: Chris Gerben, Chair Matthew Kelley, Chair Anne Curzan Danielle Lavaque‐Manty Mark Koch Raymond McDaniel Randall Pinder Carol Tell Bethany Davila Naomi Silver Elisabeth Divis Shauna Russell Kate Levin Lauren Dreifus Danielle Lillge Shoaib Rasheed Sara Talpos Nicole Premo Christie Toth Administrative Support: Laura Schuyler Patrick Manning Carrie Luke EDWP Prizes SCW Prizes Winner: Instructor: Portfolio Winner: Instructor: Michael Flood Julie Babcock Alexander Liberman Jennifer Metsker Chong Guo Sara Schaff Thomas Yeh Christine Modey Erin Piell Sara Schaff First­Year Writing Winner: Instructor: Honorable Mention: Kathleen Telfer Catalina Pereda Lim Wei Christie Toth Alexandra Park Basak Candar Nominees 2010 EDWP Excellence in First­Year Writing Nominee Instructor Emily Abrash Wendy Michael Leonard Agranat Elisa McCool Carmen Allen Hanna Pylvainen Heather Bicknell Jessica Young Jenna Chai Margot Finn Ashley Cicalo Sara Schaff Colleen Dennison Hanna Pylvainen Wade Henney Christie Toth Katelyn Hummer & Rachel Feder Austin Hoeltzel Alexis Jensen LaMont Egle Christopher Kao Sara Schaff Matt Kastellec LaMont Egle Daniel Keith Mikey Rinaldo Caitlin Kiesel Andrew Bozio Amanda Kleinert Joseph Tyler Elizabeth Lalley Kelly E. Allen Hailey Landis Alice Keane Michelle Landis Jessica Young Robert Lott Sara Talpos Amre Metwally Heather Thompson‐Bunn Amber Miller Katherine Jaeger Amy Navvab Mikey Rinaldo David Noble Katherine Jaeger Danielle Pellman Darrel Holnes Dana Pennington Darrel Holnes Melissa Range Meg Ahern 1 First-Year Writing 2010 Ryan Rivamonte Lowen Liu Elana Rofel Joanna Lin Want Josh Rosen Michael Hinken Chiara Seward Carolyn Dekker Olivia Sieracki Joanna Lin Want Shreya Singh Meg Ahern Nick Stabler Margot Finn Hannah Stocker Richard Pierre Hannah Tenison Joseph Tyler Catherine Vatsis Julie Babcock Kyle Vesevick Michael Hinken Monica Walls Elisa McCool Lin Zhuang Lowen Liu 2 First-Year Writing 2010 SCW Outstanding Portfolio Writing Nominee Instructor Matthew Alessi Christopher Schmidt Shawna Drake Kelly E. Allen Betsy Garter George Cooper Jade Hanson Christopher Schmidt Abigail Hawley Charlotte Boulay Clarence Ho Christine Modey Alyssa Kirsch Christopher Schmidt Grace Kiyonaga Matthew Kelley Lesley Kucharski Gina Brandolino Jake Maier Delia DeCourcy Mallory Malaney Jennifer Metsker Anthony Mann Gina Brandolino Lynsey Marchwinski Gina Brandolino Kyle Ottenheimer Charlotte Boulay Nicole Pumarada Christine Modey Anthony Sanna Danielle Lavaque‐Manty Alexander Shek Gina Brandolino Titan Shih Christine Modey Stephanie Speierman Elizabeth Hutton Tyler Suomala Charlotte Boulay Samantha Trochio Kelly E. Allen Allen Mesha Walker Kelly Allen Meng Wang Alex Ralph Shawna Hong Wei George Cooper Don Wilkerson Elizabeth Hutton Weiwei Wu Christopher Schmidt SCW Excellence in First­Year Writing Nominee Instructor Lauren Barris Jeffrey Evans, Residential College Vivian Burgett Lolita Hernandez, Residential College Eun Ji Choi Melinda Matice, ELI Anna Frick Catalina Pereda, Comp. Lit. Colin Fulton Megan Raphoon, History Jake Fromm Basak Candar, Comp. Lit. 3 First-Year Writing 2010 Nicholas Gann Lolita Hernandez, Residential College Hayley Goldenthal Emily Holt, Great Books Piper Keyes Stephanie Bolz, Great Books Lucas LaFreniere Colleen Theisen, Great Books Jessica Lannen Megan Raphoon, History Emily Lichko Julia Shapiro, Great Books Colleen Macke Julia Shapiro, Great Books Devin Parsons Helen Fox, Residential College Udae Singh Sandhu Maria Hadjipolycarpou, Comp. Lit. Christine Santourian Harriet Fertik, Classical Civ. Paul Schreiber Helen Fox, Residential College Benjamin Trout Harriet Fertik, Classical Civ. Ran Xu Melinda Matice, ELI Mary Walle Stephanie Bolz, Great Books Weichao Wang Melinda Matice, ELI 4 First-Year Writing 2010 Introduction You hold in your hands the inaugural volume of prize‐winning writing produced by students in first‐year writing courses at the University of Michigan. It showcases the impressive range and quality of writing that students from across the university achieve in first‐year writing courses. We believe it is important to display the work of these students because writing is such a fundamental part of the Michigan education, from the moment that students arrive on campus. Writing during the first year begins a process that extends throughout the undergraduate experience, continually pushing students to develop their skills as writers in their chosen disciplines. In academia, our main currency is language, and the ability to express our ideas effectively in writing is central to the entire enterprise. Through writing, we publish our discoveries to share them with the world; we hone our and others’ arguments to advance the scholarly conversation; and we create teaching resources to allow students to enter our fields and make new discoveries of their own. For this reason, the University of Michigan makes writing a centerpiece in students’ educational experience, and graduates affirm the importance of their writing education as they head into a range of careers . At the University of Michigan no student is exempted from the First Year Writing Requirement (FYWR). Of course some students bring more writing experience and ability than others, but all students can become better writers, and the courses offered to first‐ year students are designed to facilitate that development. In particular, all students can become more consciously aware of the demands of college writing in a range of disciplines as they sharpen their skills at meeting those various demands. Recognizing the range of backgrounds and interests that the over 5000 incoming first‐year students bring to the University of Michigan, we offer a range of FYWR courses . The process of Directed Self‐ Placement, which requires new students to write an essay and answer questions about their writing, helps them select one of these courses. Sweetland 100: Transition to College Writing helps students gain confidence and capacity for college writing by providing opportunities for intensive one‐on‐one conversations about writing with their instructors, along with an electronic portfolio in which they can reflect on their growth as writers. Students who have taken Sweetland 100 frequently report, as Alex Liberman does, that they feel well‐prepared for a FYWR course and that they take a new pleasure in writing for its own sake. The majority of students satisfy the First year Writing Requirement with English 125 (College Writing) or English 124 (Writing and Literature), but other courses also fulfill 5 First-Year Writing 2010 the requirement. These include Classical Civilization 101, Comparative Literature 122, Great Books 191, History 195, Lloyd Hall Scholars Program 125, and Slavic 151. Each of these courses takes a slightly different approach with a different selection of readings, but all FYWR courses address these common goals for student writers: to produce well‐ supported academic arguments; to learn rhetorical strategies for multiple contexts and audiences; to develop effective ways of organizing, revising, editing and proofreading writing; and to set goals and devise plans for improving writing. The prize‐winning selections included here demonstrate, in the view of both instructors and contest judges, how first‐year students enact common goals for writing at the University. Thomas Yeh reflects on