Breaking the Ice: Using personal narrative, personification and visual metaphors to access art

The following article appeared in the Faculty Voice column of the Fall 2004 Out of WAC Newsletter.

By Elizabeth D’Amico, Art Department

Exploration of the Visual Arts is a course offered for non-art majors by the Plymouth State University art department. Some of the students taking this course have not practiced art since elementary or middle school, but most have taken a basic art course in high school. While many of the students don’t feel comfortable using the language of art, everyone feels comfortable in a free write situation that will not be graded. I begin the semester with a writing activity that exposes students to a variety of artists and artistic styles, which also serves as a way to discover how art communicates through visual metaphor. This exercise is originally from an article in Art Education, but, long before I had read that article, I had used visuals as writing prompts.

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Grammar as a Rancher’s Chore

The following article appeared in the Faculty Voice column of the Spring 2005 Out of WAC Newsletter.

by Lynn Rudmin-Chong

Here I stand, at the second meeting of Advanced Composition, spring term 2005. My plans include a handout compiling seven sentences gleaned from students’ writing samples. Because I require the Little, Brown Compact Handbook among their texts, I’ll have them practice using it. Another handout is sunny yellow and shares their self-described writing challenges, divulged that first class.

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Blogging Across the Curriculum

The following article appeared in the Faculty Voice column of the Fall 2005 Out of WAC Newsletter.

by Evelyn Stiller and Cathie LeBlanc

A web log (also known as a blog) is a new mode of electronic communication that has recently taken off in popular culture. A blog is a specialized web page that contains periodic entries by the owner of the blog. It resembles a public electronic diary in which the reader views the dated entries in reverse chronological order, with the latest entry first. Blog entries differ from traditional diaries because they are web pages, and, therefore, they accommodate a variety of electronic elements, such as links to other web sites, images, sounds, and animations. Blogs have become an important media force and we are embracing the use of blogs to facilitate written communication in two courses in the Computer Science and Technology Department. We also feel that blogs could be a useful resource to promote writing in a variety of other educational situations.

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In Plymouth Magazine

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Remembering Gene Savage ’58

On May 14, 2012, New Hampshire lost a gifted educator, respected leader, and devoted friend. From his earliest days in education as a high school teacher, coach, and director of guidance, through his post as director of admissions at the University of New Hampshire, and later through his various administrative positions within the University System [...]

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Faculty Forum: Irene Cucina

Professor Irene Cucina has been teaching in the Department of Health and Human Performance since 1998. Prior to coming to Plymouth State, she had a rewarding career as a high school health and physical education teacher and coach in Newton, MA. Her commitment to students and learning has been recognized by her peers through a [...]

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Another Way to Serve

“It was like moving to a foreign country with a completely different culture,” says PSU student Patrick O’Sullivan. The 26-year-old veteran isn’t referring to his time in Iraq as a motor transport operator in the Army Reserve. He’s talking about coming home. O’Sullivan joined the Army Reserve right out of high school, at an age [...]