Lindemann Freshman Comp SQ&R

Summary:
Literature should not be what is most discussed in a first year composition course. If the course is entirely based on literature then there isn’t enough writing involved in the course because the majority of the time the professor is lecturing. Freshman English should serve the purpose of showing students what no high school course was able to do; to master the genres, styles, audiences, and purposes of college writing. In this course, focusing on critical writing ( writing essays on literature) limit’s the students to one form of writing which isn’t good because students need to be able to familiarize with other perspective writing styles. Studying literature doesn’t necessarily teach style. Response criticism is a good way to help students learn how to write. Literature doesn’t help graduate students learn how to write. The truth about professors is that they also need to be undated with new teaching techniques like work shopping and holistic grading methods.
Question:
Why should literature not be taught in freshman composition? Do I agree it shouldn’t be taught?
Response:
I believe that this is a very unimportant subject that has absolutely no right being taught in freshman composition. Composition to me is the art of learning how to write. Studying literature doesn’t play a role in doing so because a student needs to practice writing to learn how to write well. I believe that is the only way to progress with writing. I just don’t think literature plays a significant role in the learning how to write world. Lindemann has some very good arguments against teaching literature in freshman composition and strongly agree with her. Literature is important but I believe that to be able to greatly appreciate literature one must be able to write literature. I guess what I mean is that in order to be able to understand literature I have to become a really good writer first. Last year I took AP Literature. In the course all we did was read novels and write timed essays on them. I know my writing didn’t improve with all those timed writing. If anything all they did was make me paranoid. The year before last I look AP Language and Composition where I learned the “proper way” to write essays according to my English teacher. Well after reading this article and being a part of this 1301 English course I have learned there is not proper way. I have learned that literature isn’t everything and it most definitely isn’t necessary in an introductory English course.