Textual Analysis and Argumentation with Dr. Zarlengo and Dr. Dawkins

This article was part of a series by the Board of Student Academic Support Services (SASS) that interviewed OHS teachers about the classes they teach. We hope these articles will be a useful resource for students who are selecting courses for following years.

SASS: What is your favorite thing about teaching Textual Analysis and Argumentation?

Dr. Dawkins: The Landscape Unit. I just think the texts we put together are so cool. We ask students to think about something that seems so natural -- ‘the frontier’ -- and ask how it has been constructed. 

Dr. Zarlengo: I love how we contemplate national identity and literature in such an international and otherwise diverse group. Sometimes you cannot see what you are talking about until you step outside, and TAA is full of that kind of footwork.

SASS: What challenges students the most in Textual Analysis and Argumentation? How would you recommend that students overcome these challenges? 

Dr. Dawkins: The writing assignments at the beginning of the year. Most students come in from outside OHS and they have mostly been writing book reports; we ask students to make arguments in TAA so it takes some getting used to. Listen to the advice your teacher gives you… really listen. Go to the Writing and Tutoring Center. And get used to developing your own ideas, as distinguished from what the author has written.

Dr. Zarlengo: The writing is the most challenging because we are asking for a marriage of hard analysis and creativity (we look for inductive reasoning; there are wrong answers but the set of excellent answers is wide open). The writing we call for is really fun, but it always takes students a while to understand what it is and what it is not (for example, we rarely are looking for summaries of the works we read or “creative writing”). Students should always pay attention to feedback, and they should come to office hours if it is not clear to them. The Writing and Resource Center also provides outstanding support.

SASS: What types of students do well in Textual Analysis and Argumentation?

Dr. Zarlengo: To do well in TAA, you just have to have something to say and be willing to work to say it well. Students who start the year strongly often converge as early as November with students who start weakly. This really is a class where you can learn your way through. We instructors know what works (even though it differs from one student to the next) and we are happy to help.

SASS: What does the average workload for each week look like? 

Dr. Zarlengo: In a typical week, a student will have 2 days of reading to do (one day may be 20 pages of turgid prose or just 3 little poems) and an informal written assignment (that should take no more than 1 hour). In a tough week, a final version of a graded written assignment or a presentation will be due, so more work is needed. I provide some flexibility for times when things come up: for example, students can skip, with no penalty, 2 to 4 informal written assignments per semester (and they should).

SASS: How do you recommend that students prepare for exams in Textual Analysis and Argumentation?

Dr. Zarlengo: Our exams are predictable! Students themselves choose the passages they are tested on; we instructors just narrow down the choices. The essay prompts are handed out in advance! So the best way is to pay attention all semester, really thinking through the material and coming up with your own ideas, and then share them in the final exam, which is really like a debrief. Lots of students find it productive to participate in TAA chat groups that prep for the final; these crop up most years.

SASS: How is the participation grade for Textual Analysis and Argumentation determined? 

Dr. Zarlengo: There are two kinds of participation grades: written and spoken. Both are required because it is impossible to learn self-expression without practicing it. But the stakes are low. Provided you turn in an informal written assignment (written class participation) on time, and it is responsive and thoughtful, it gets 10 out of 10 points. As for spoken participation, provided you are on mic and video once per class – and that includes just reading a slide – you get full credit.

SASS: How is a student’s overall grade in Textual Analysis and Argumentation determined? What percentage of a student’s overall grade is determined by exams, homework, quizzes, participation, etc.?

Dr. Zarlengo: The weighting differs a bit from semester to semester, but will not differ much from the 2016-17 to the 2017-18 school year:

Fall 2016:
Graded Written Assignments (3 per semester) – 55%
Class Presentation (1 per semester) – 15%
Informal Written Assignments (10 per semester) – 10%
Final exam – 10%
In-Class Spoken Participation – 10%

Spring 2017:
Graded Written Assignments (2 per semester) – 60%
Class Presentation (1 per semester) – 10%
Informal Written Assignments (10 per semester) – 10%
Final exam – 10%
In-Class Spoken Participation – 10%

SASS: What materials do students use in the course (textbooks, lectures, online resources, etc.)? 

Dr. Zarlengo: All of the above!

SASS: Are students expected to be on camera for the entire class?

Dr. Zarlengo: No.

SASS: Have you had any experiences with students in Textual Analysis and Argumentation that could encourage those who think they cannot learn English to take the class?

Dr. Zarlengo: We all already know English! We use it every day! In TAA we just learn to be more conscious of what we know and to be more probing and deliberate – and inventive – with language as a consequence.

SASS: What about Textual Analysis and Argumentation interests so many students? 

Dr. Zarlengo: My students talk a lot about TAA-ja-vu (as in déjà vu). Themes and concepts echo through the course and flash them back. Ghosts and captives and insects that sound like eternity appear and reappear in surprising ways, in and out of the classroom. Also, just as it is delightful when we are very young first to be able to use language to communicate, it is delightful when we are older to develop our use of it. Also, it is a blast to appreciate others’ use of language, which includes not just Walt Whitman’s and Harriet Jacobs’ use, of course, but also your amazing OHS classmates’ use of it.