Doing things with words

Abstract

The following is a pedagogy thesis designed around the idea that words are not inert ink stains, dull puffs of air, or even unmoving electronic pixels. Rather, words are events. While the materials contained herein are geared toward the Northeastern University community, informed by my personal experiences as a graduate student, and draw from my teaching experiences at my alma mater, Drew University, they nonetheless present a general case study for how first-year writing instruction might foster student agency through activity theory. This thesis opens with a critical introduction to my pedagogical materials, which details the reasoning behind my course design, before transitioning to a statement on my teaching philosophy (i.e., the values and beliefs informing my approach to composition instruction). Chapter three contains the syllabus for my first-year writing course, "Doing Things with Words," while chapter four lays out my writing assignments and methods of assessment. Chapter five lists the works cited in my thesis and presents an annotated bibliography of the sources used in my critical introduction, detailing the ways in which these sources influenced my course design. Finally, I conclude my pedagogy thesis with a copy of my curriculum vitae, making my professional history transparent.