Initiatives
Survey of Incoming Students | Engaging English | Sankofa Summer Abroad | DaVinci In Italy
Survey of Incoming Students Aims to Learn about Pre-College Writing Experiences
Researchers in Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) are kicking off a longitudinal study about the writing experience of incoming Purdue students. This study aims to uncover the kinds of writing that students completed in high school before entering the university.
The study, “Assessing Pre-University Writing Experience in New Entering Students,” is designed to gather baseline data on students’ writing experience, so that researchers and instructors have a better understanding of the diverse types of composition experiences that Purdue students have and have not encountered. Studies increasingly demonstrate that strong written communication skills are highly valued by employers, so it is important to discover what kinds of skills students already have when entering the university, and which need further development.
“As high school educators use digital media and turn to non-fiction texts more often, we need to understand more about students’ preparation,” said Bradley Dilger, ICaP director. “A survey of Purdue students will give us the best data.”
As a leader in writing studies research, Introductory Composition at Purdue is continually working to improve its approaches to teaching writing. The study is aimed at Purdue students, but it could potentially provide insight into student writing practices that would impact how writing is taught on a larger scale. The study will run for three years, with online surveys administered each fall from 2017 to 2020. New Beginners at Purdue will be emailed a link to the survey at the beginning of the fall semester. Participants are also able to enter to win one of ten $25 gift cards for participation.
A link to the survey is at: http://icap.rhetorike.org/
For more information, please contact the investigators:
Dr. Bradley Dilger, dilger@purdue.edu, 765-494-7370
Alisha Karabinus, akarabin@purdue.edu
Lee Hibbard, lhibbard@purdue.edu
Trinity Overmyer, tcovermy@purdue.edu
Learning communities are a fast track to academic success, bringing students together for shared curriculum and extracurricular activities. Studies show that they help students earn better grades, make friends faster, and graduate at higher rates.Description:
The study of English fosters adaptive thinking and creativity, curiosity about other times and places, and the ability to imagine alternatives to the status quo—basically, the skills necessary to navigate a complex world.
Who this LC is for:
New (first-year and transfer student) English majors, of course, but also Exploratory Studies students or anyone interested in practicing foundational liberal arts skills.
Extra Benefits:
English 202 fulfills the “Human Cultures – Humanities” University Core category, as well as the gateway requirement for the English major.
Activities may include:
- Movie & Game Nights
- English Department “Big Read” events
- Dinner with classmates & faculty members
- Off-campus field trips, and more!
African American Studies Research Center & Purdue Black Cultural Center
Sankofa Summer Abroad: Culture and History in Ghana
June 11-July 6, 2018
Visits three cities in the West African nation - Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast
Discover the rich cultural and historic links between Ghana and the African diaspora.
Learn from professors at the University of Ghana
Experience culture and history through interactions with Ghanaian people.
Earn 6 credit hours, AAS 359: Black Women Writers and AAS 371: Issues in African American Studies
Contact:
Dr. Venetria Patton
Head and Professor
School of Interdisciplinary Studies
HONR 299 Da Vinci in Italy
Honors College Study Away 2018
Dates March 9-March 17, 2018
Led by: Dr. Dino Felluga and Dr. Steve Wereley
Location
Italy: Florence, Milan and Venice
Course description
The focus for the course will be that most famous Renaissance citizen, Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci in Italy explores the transition from the medieval period to the Renaissance across multiple disciplines, thus laying out how much of what we take for granted today about technology or the human subject was implemented in this rich period, especially in Italy. Led by professors from the College of Liberal Arts and Engineering, the study-abroad program will take students to Venice, Milan and Florence, Italy for Spring Break 2018. Our interdisciplinary approach allows students to think abou the constructed nature of things we take for granted as "natural" (e.g., time, space, human subjectivity, meaning, sight, gender, knowledge and law), thus opeing our eyes to the significance of cultural differences. There will be an accompanying 3-credit, semester long HONR course on Leonardo da Vinci taught by Dr. Felluga during Spring 2018. Although students are not required to take both, the course and study-abroad program are designed to complement each other.
