COURSE NUMBER: DCE 611-01 Spring
2008
COURSE TITLE: Dance: The Phenomenon II
Credits: 3/3 (3 semester hours/ 3 credits)
Prerequisite: Grade of B or better in DCE 610 or
approval of Instructors
For
Whom Planned: Graduate students in Dance and Dance Education
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Sue Stinson
Office hours: by appointment (schedule sheet outside door of
220C, or use e-mail)
sue_stinson@uncg.edu
334-3048
with support, when
possible, from
Ann Dils
ahdils@uncg.edu
334-3047
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
In-depth
personal inquiry into the nature and making of meaning for a selected area of
concern in dance. Includes
significant individual project.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
This
semester in DCE 611, you will complete the research project begun through your
teaching of your selected dance work during DCE 610.
By
the end of the course, you are expected to demonstrate the ability to
*Implement a
qualitative action research study based on your own teaching, including an
introduction, statement of procedures, literature review, analysis and
interpretation, and conclusion. If
your work this semester is especially successful, you might want to consider an
independent study in the future to take it to the level expected for
publication or conference presentation.
*Collaborate
with your peers in mutual support or research endeavors.
*Licensure
students: - The
candidate investigates educational problems through action research.
TEACHING STRATEGIES: selection of readings, facilitation of discussion
with peers and faculty, mentoring through feedback on writing
EVALUATION
METHODS AND GUIDELINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS:
See Assignments document
for more details.
Assignment
#2 (Mapping and critique): 10% of
grade
Assignment
#5 (Peer support): 10%
Assignment
#6 (Summary of readings): 15%
Assignment
#7 (Final paper): 65%
All assignments will be graded on a 4.0 scale, using University
standards.
REQUIRED TEXTS/READINGS/REFERENCES: See calendar. Readings required for all students are
available online.
CALENDAR: See below.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY: Students are responsible for becoming familiar with the Integrity Policy in all its aspects and for indicating their knowledge and acceptance of the Integrity Policy by signing the honor pledge for all major work submitted. Students should recognize their responsibility to uphold the Integrity Policy and to report apparent violations to the appropriate persons. http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/
ATTENDANCE
POLICY: The course is
taught online, so there are no required classes to attend. It is critical, however, that students
keep current with course assignments.
If you run into a problem, please communicate with me! Please note optional class gatherings
as a way to help provide collegial support.
CALENDAR
: See Assignments document for
details on assignments. All assignments are due
by 9am on date indicated.
Pre-class
gathering to review the syllabus and answer questions: Sunday, Jan 13, 6 pm.
Week
1: Monday, January 14- Sunday, January 20
Begin
typing transcripts of class sessions. (Remember to include movement
description!)
Reading
and small group discussion for Assignment 1 on action research. (Due Tuesday,
Jan. 22)
January 14,
Friday: Last day to change courses or course sections without special
permission, Last day to drop course for tuition and fees refund
Monday,
January 21 (Martin Luther King Holiday)
Week
2: Tuesday, January 22- Sunday, Jan 27
Continue
typing transcripts; make notes for assignment 3.
Reading
and discussion for Assignment 2. (Due Monday, Jan. 28) Feedback and grade will be
posted by 9pm Feb. 4.
Week
3: Monday, January 28-Sunday, February 3
Complete
Assignment 3—first data analysis (Due Monday, Feb. 4). A response will be posted by Monday, Feb 11, 9pm.
Weeks
4-5: (Monday, February 4-Sunday,
February 17)
Optional class meeting week
of Feb. 11
Complete Assignment 4—Deeper
reflection (Due Monday, Feb. 18). A response to guide your
further work will be posted by 9am Feb 25. A suggestion for one of the substantive readings for
Assignment 4 (Literature review) will be posted during the week of Feb. 25.
Week
6: Monday, February 18-Sunday, Feb. 24
Complete assignment 5—Peer support
(Due Monday Feb. 25)
Week
7: Monday, February 25-Sunday, Mar 2
Begin reading and selecting additional
reading for Assignment 6—Summary of readings
Week
8: Monday, March 3-Sunday, Mar 9
Optional class meeting this
week
Continue
reading; complete summary of readings if you do not wish to work over Spring
Break. Assignment 6 is due Monday,
March 17 (immediately after Break); feedback and a grade will be posted March 24.
Spring Break
(Monday, March 10-Sunday, March 16)
Week 9:
Monday, March 17-Sunday, March 23 Start work this week!!
Note that you have almost three weeks to write your first
draft—That is to help you do really high quality work.
Week 10:
Monday, March 24-Sunday, Mar 30
Week 11: Monday, Mar 31-Friday, April 4
Complete
Assignment 8—Final essay, first round (Due Friday,
April 4). Feedback will be posted by Friday,
April 11.
Week
12 Friday, April 4- Thursday, April 10
Optional class meeting this
week.
Catch up on other things
while waiting for feedback.
Weeks
13-14 Friday, April 11- Thursday, April 24
Complete Assignment 8 second
round (Due Friday, April 25. Feedback and grade will be posted by Friday, May 2.
Week
15: Friday, April 25- Thursday, May 1
Wait for feedback.
Week
16: Friday, May 2-Thursday, May 8
Complete
Assignment 8 third round (optional)
by Friday, May 9 at 9am. Let me know by May 4 if
you are planning to do a third round!! Final
grades will be posted by 9pm on May 15.
Tuesday,
May 6: Last day of classes
Wednesday,
May 7: Reading Day
ASSIGNMENTS:
ALL ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD BE POSTED UNDER THE LABELED DISCUSSION BOARD
FOR DCE 611.
I. Preparation
Notes:
Here are the assigned groups for assignments 1-2:
1. Mary-Anne, Allison, Justy
2. Amanda,
Loren, Trish
3. Linda (out
of the country) will be her own group
A. Be typing the
transcripts from your teaching in DCE 610 during the weeks you are doing B and
C below, as indicated in the course calendar in the syllabus. The transcripts need to be completed in
time for you to do assignment 3. At this point you
do not need to type student written work; just photocopy it (after deleting the
name). Later you can type the
parts you end up using in your paper.
I recommend that you break
the task of typing transcripts down into small pieces, rather than trying to do
it all in one sitting. Be sure
that you include movement descriptions of your students’ movement; these data
are potentially as important as the words spoken and written. If there are sections of the class that
are about other topics, you do not need to type the transcript—just
indicate “5 minute discussion of upcoming assignments.” Remember not to use real names and to
exclude material from students who did not agree to participate.
You do not need to be terribly concerned about format of the
transcripts; you will just be getting it written down so you can analyze it.
(For example, you may choose to put spoken words in one font and description of
their observed movement in another, or you may use quotation marks for the
former and put the latter in parentheses.) You do not need to worry about typos at this point in the
transcription of oral language: You won’t be using all that you type, so you
can correct typos in material that you end up using. As you are typing it, look
ahead to assignment 3, so that you can be thinking about the analysis as you
type. If you do this, typing oral
data is actually a way to start analyzing. You will also be reading it over many times this semester,
along with your written data (student writings).
Read Suggestions for how
to start data analysis under Course Documents.
B. Introduction: What
is action research?
1. Assignment 1: Completed by 9am Tues, Jan. 22. (Will be checked but not graded.)
Read
the
following—I suggest in the order listed.
a. Research as artistic practice” (Course
documents on BB): This is a revision of the “Body of Knowledge” paper you read
last semester; I will present it at a conference in January. It includes a lot of description of
what you did in DCE 610 and will do in 611, and is written in a friendly
style. We hope this will help
those of you who are still confused regarding what you are supposed to be
learning in “Phenom”!
b. Introduction to Action Research (Course
documents, BB). This one has some
more challenging quotes, but will take you just a little further in your
thinking.
c. Newman, J.M. (2000, January). Action
research: A brief overview. Retrieved December 18, 2007 from http://qualitative-research.net/fqs-texte/1-00/1-00newman-e.htm. This one is the most challenging;
follow the links in this piece if you want to learn more about methodology for
action research.
Discuss
with
group: 1) What aspects of Action
Research feel clear to you? 2) What questions do you still have? 3) How do you
think that action research might be useful to you in your professional
careers? I can’t make you get
together to have this discussion—but I strongly recommend it.
Post your own answers
to these questions online (Discussion Board for the course) after your
discussion, by 9am January 22.
C. Reading
research to become a better writer
When
good writers read, they do so for the reasons all of us read—for
pleasure, information, and to push our thinking. They also (like choreographers
watching others’ dances) read to improve their own research and writing. They
read to see how the author obtained and used primary sources (data), to see
what scholarly literature the author used to enhance her/his understanding, and
to know how others “perform” their research for an audience of readers. Good writers also critique their own
writing and seek assistance from colleagues in providing suggestions for
revision.
1. Assignment 2:
Post by 9am Jan. 28. Feedback and grade will be
posted by Mon, Feb. 5, 9pm.
a. Read
two papers written by 611 students last year: Katherine Stark and Betsy Ward-Hutchinson (Course documents,
BB). Stylistic
note: Last year, students could choose whether to use APA or Chicago style.
We
encourage you to discuss this assignment with your small group or other class
members before you do the written part.
b. Mapping and critique: Post by 9am January 28. 10% of
grade. Answer the questions below:
ITEMS
TO OUTLINE OR MAP FOR ASSIGNMENT 3 (when appropriate, you may copy and paste
from the documents):
1. Statement of purpose (the research
question)
2. Personal statement in which the
authors explain their interest in the question at hand and personal and
professional information that situates them within the research.
3. Procedures:
What was their data? Who
were the research subjects/participants? How did they collect it? How did they
analyze it? What other
“how-to-do-it” questions did they answer?
4. The authors used existing
literature to position their study within a field and body of discourse. What “fields/bodies of discourse” did
they use? How did they use it to push their analysis of data? Where is this located within the paper?
Authors handle literature in various ways. Sometimes there is a review of literature near the beginning
of an article. There might be literature woven throughout the analysis. Sometimes the literature is presented
after the data analysis, to bring out ideas not revealed in the data.
5. Analysis of data: What have the
authors determined is important about this data? How did they pull meaning from
the data and organize it? Did the
writer convince you that the categories for organizing data are a meaningful
way to think about it?
6. Interpretations and theorizing: Do
you see the authors as largely reporting data? Or do they use the data to make
some larger point about practices in their field or about how we see, think, or
teach? What larger principles or ideas (about society, culture, personality,
education) shape, explain, or connect to this data? To what degree does it seem
to be important to the field? Does
it seem to be important for those teaching other levels? To artists? Does the data seem to support their interpretations? Are there other interpretations you
might make, based on what you read?
7. Discuss this writing as a performance of data: What about it kept your interest? How did the writers facilitate your
reading as a pleasurable activity?
What strategies did the writers use to enhance your understanding? What aspects of the writing gave you
the most struggle? What is in the paper that seems unimportant or less
important?
8. Ann and I suggested to both of these authors that they
revise these papers for submission to a publication. Since they have not had time to do this yet, we are asking
you to offer additional insights as a critical yet supportive colleague helping
the authors make these already strong papers clearer for a reader/reviewer who
might not be as sympathetic. (One thing both authors will need to do is to add
a Methodology statement describing action research methodology; that is not
required for DCE 611.)
D. Data analysis and interpretation
1. Assignment 3: Data analysis first round. (Relates to item 5 in mapping assignment.
Due 9am Monday, February 4. Will not be graded, but must be turned in before doing the
next assignment, since this will be foundational to your final paper. I will
give you a response by Mon, Feb 11 at 9pm, to help you know how to proceed.
You should be working on
this as you are typing your transcripts. Read Suggestion for how
to start data analysis
under Course Documents.
a. List Categories (headings) of data with the
supporting data underneath each.
Make sure that you include movement description as well as verbal data.
b. Write 2-3 pages reflecting on the ideas that
are emerging. Make sure that your
reflections are connected to what you found in the data OR found missing. Here are some questions that might
guide your reflections:
*What did my students learn about the dance? How do I know they
learned this?
Is this what I intended that they learn about
this work?
*What else did my students learn in these
classes, other than learning about the work? What makes me think
they learned this? Did they learn things about themselves, their peers, me as
teacher? Did they learn anything
about dance in general? Remember that students may learn things other than what
teachers are explicitly teaching.
*What
other questions arise for me in reading this data?
2. Assignment 4: Deeper Reflection.
Due 9am Mon, Feb 18. (It is
critical that you meet this deadline so that you do not slow down your
peers.) This gets into item 6 in the Mapping
assignment. I will give you a response by 9pm February 25, to help you proceed.
a. THINK ABOUT: The point of action research is
not to congratulate ourselves about what good teachers we are. There is no
point to doing research unless you are really seeking to learn something. What
you learn depends on the kinds of questions that you ask yourself.
b. WRITE (6-8 pages):
1). Looking at both what is in your data and what is not in your data, what
questions arise for you about your teaching that get to deeper levels of
reflection? Here are some examples:
Where is meaning located
when we ask students to make meaning of a work? Do we teach students that meaning is found mainly in
themselves, or mainly in the work, or a combination? How do we teach (what do/can we do as teachers) to help
facilitate deeper student meaning making?
In looking back, does it
seem like what they learned (and/or what I intended them to learn) is
important? Why/why not? Is there
something that now seems more important?
What does this tell me
about my own values—related to dance, to teaching/learning, to something
else?
What do my answers to
all of these questions tell me that I mean by learning? What is potentially problematic or
limiting about this way of thinking?
Start trying to respond to some of your
questions, as well as posing them.
2). Identify 1-3 topics about which you
think you need to do further reading to enhance your reflection; these should
be related to the issues that arose in your data. Some examples (from previous 611 papers) might be critical
thinking, the feminist classroom, brain-based learning, goals of liberal
education, etc. (My feedback to
you will include at least one suggestion of a substantive reading for Assignment
6, based on one of your topics.
You will be responsible to select the readings for Assignment 6.)
3. Assignment 5: Peer support. Due 9am Monday, Feb 25. 10% of grade. (See rubrics
document and sample.) I will post feedback and a grade by 9pm Mon, Mar 3.
a.
Read Assignments 3
and 4 by members of your assigned group; this may be a different group than the
one you were in for earlier assignments.
b. Optional but highly recommended:
DISCUSS these assignments with these group members.
c. WRITE (4-8 pages): a letter to your group, discussing how
reading your peers’ work (and discussing it with them, if you did this)
enhanced your ability
to analyze your own work and see the issues embedded in it, to get to higher
levels of thinking*, and to be more self
reflexive (thinking about your own thinking).
Make
sure that you:
1). Address each member of your group, to
identify how what they said and/or wrote assisted/challenged your own thinking.
2). Write to your peers as a colleague, not
as a teacher or critic.
*I like this article on Bloom’s
Taxonomy of thinking skills:
Hanna, W. (2007). The new
Bloom’s taxonomy: Implications for music education. Arts Education Policy Review, 108 (4), 7-12. Available through Journal Finder on the
UNCG library web page.
4. Assignment 6: Summary of readings: 15% of grade. Relates to #4 in “Mapping” assignment. Due: 9am Monday, March 17.
See rubric in
Rubrics document and sample summary.
I will post feedback and grade by 9pm Mon, Mar 24.
During
the week beginning February 25, I will make some suggestions of readings
related to the topics you identified, at least one substantive reading (or the
equivalent, if the readings are less than what I consider “substantive”--2-3
shorter or simpler readings are the equivalent of one substantive one)
appropriate for each person. You
may use my suggestion(s) or not, but will be expected to select three
substantive readings (or the equivalent) for use in your paper.
(I encourage you to share with each other if you find good ones that
your peers may be interested in; there will be an additional Discussion Board
for readings I suggest and ones you find.)
Write
a summary of each of your selected readings, along with reflections of how each
reading has illuminated your understanding of the issues you raised regarding
your teaching and/or the work you taught, as indicated in a, b, and c below
(purple font). The response to each substantive reading will normally be 2-3
pages, for a total of 8-9 pages for this assignment.
a. At the top of
the first page, include full bibliographic information using APA style This is similar to Chicago style but not the same. (See style guide in BB Course
documents.) If you refer to any other readings in the paper (besides the one at
the top), include a list of references.
b. In your own
words, summarize important information about the writing:
* the central purpose of
the research and writing.
*how the author(s) went
about their study (Did they only read and summarize literature about a
topic? Create a conceptual
framework? Gather data from their
own students? If there is a
section called “Methodology and Procedures,” this is where you will find this
information, but theoretical work does not always make the methods and
procedures explicit.
*A summary/overview of the
contents, and, if relevant, the author’s conclusions.
To do this, pay careful attention to the introduction,
conclusion, and chapter or subheadings of the reading. You may give this information in either
a list or paragraph form, depending upon what is most relevant to the reading.
c.
In two or three paragraphs, discuss the information or ideas that are
especially relevant to your work. What specifically will you use in your paper?
Describe how this information or these ideas inform your thinking.
5. Assignment 7: Final paper. Final draft counts 65% of final grade
I have included preliminary
grading criteria in the
Rubrics document. I will provide
any additional criteria with feedback to your first draft, to be sure that they
are specific enough to help each of you do as well as possible. Note that due dates change from Mondays to Fridays.
First
round due Friday, April 4. I will provide feedback and any
additional grading criteria by 9 pm Friday, April 11.
Second
round due Friday April 25. I will provide feedback and a grade by 9pm
Friday, May 2.
Third
round (if desired to improve your grade) due 9am Friday, May 9. I must have grades posted no later than May 15.
1. Read: Suggestions for Final paper under Course Documents.
2. Write (review Katherine’s and Betsy’s
papers from the Mapping assignment as examples):
a.
A two page introduction to
your paper, in which you explain your
interest in the question at hand and personal and professional information that
situates you within the research.
This should include summarizing how you prepared for this
teaching last semester through your study of a choreographic work. Give a brief summary of what you
taught, and refer the reader to the full lesson plans in an Appendix. Describe how you went about your
analysis and reflection, including how you used your literature. This is pure reporting of the
procedural details of your work.
b.
Combine/revise assignments 3, 4,
and 6, using your readings to extend your reflection. This will be about 15-18 pages,
although it could be longer if you have a lot of data from your students to
include. You will also need to be figuring out the right form to organize your
data summaries, reflective writing, and literature from your reading. You have seen
two examples of papers from ast year, but will have to find the right way for
your own work.
c. A 2-page summary/conclusions, in which
you answer the question, “So What?”
(Now that you have done this project, what difference does it make? How is it significant for you as
someone who will be teaching dance in some way, and how might it be significant
for others in the field?)
I
recommend that each round consist of a minimum of 5 drafts, to give you
plenty of time for editing!!! This should include reading your work aloud. I
also encourage you to read each other’s work as it is posted. As you read other people’s assignments,
look for what makes different pieces of work interesting and informative. Use what you learn to improve your own
work. You are also encouraged to
share drafts with others (whether in the course or not) and request feedback or
suggestions. As with all
assignments in the course, I will be expecting you to include the academic
integrity statement to indicate that this is your own work, but getting
feedback from others in something good scholars do. I encourage you to include
an “acknowledgements” footnote at the beginning, thanking those who contributed
to your successful writing. (Note how I acknowledged Ann’s feedback in the
footnote for the “Research as Artistic Practice” piece you read at the
beginning of the semester.)
RUBRICS FOR
EVALUATING:
I. Assignment 2 (Mapping and
critique—10% of grade)
To earn a “C”:
for this “Mapping” assignment:
To earn a B: for
this “Mapping” assignment:
In
addition for standards 1-3 required for a C paper.
To earn an A:
for this “Mapping” assignment:
In
addition for standards 1-3 required for a C paper and standard 1 for a B paper:
1. In #8 and, if desired, #9, include significant insights about the writing as it impacts
the reader and in relationship to your own work.
II. Assignment 5: Peer responses (10% of
grade):
To
earn a C:
*The
response fulfills the assignment as stated.
*The
writing is generally clear, but may have portions that are not readily
understood.
*Comments
reveal gratitude to and respect for each of your peers, but are relatively
generic. They give specific
examples of what your peers wrote/said, but do not reveal any significant
insights from the reading or discussion.
To
earn a B:
*The
response fulfills the assignment as stated.
*The
writing is clear, readily understood.
*Comments
reveal gratitude to and respect for each of your peers. They give specific examples of what
your peers wrote/said, with a few insights applied to your own work.
To
earn an A:
*The
response fulfills the assignment as stated.
*The
writing is clear, easily understood
*Comments
reveal gratitude to and respect for each of your peers. They give specific examples of what
your peers wrote/said, with substantial insights applied to your own work.
II. Assignment 6: Reading summaries (15% of
grade):
To
earn a “C” for the readings summaries:
1.
Select 3-5 articles that are
useful and easy to read, but none are substantial scholarly articles.
2. Include all items listed in the
assignment.
3.
Write in a way that is clearly ordered and obeys the rules of grammar and
punctuation; there may be brief sections that are not well-edited or are
unclear.
4.
Pursue the topic as a superficial summary without making significant
connections to your own work.
To
earn a “B” for the readings summaries:
1. Select least three substantial
articles or the equivalent that will be useful for your study.
2. Include all items listed in the
assignment.
3.
Write in a way that is clearly ordered, obeys the rules of grammar and
punctuation, and is a pleasure to read.
4. Pursue the topic past a superficial
level, going beyond the obvious and clearly reflecting DCE 611 coursework.
To
earn an “A” for the readings summaries:
In
addition to standards required for a B, develop deep and significant
connections between your work and established literature and use this process
to think in new ways.
IV. Assignment 7: Final paper (65%)
In order to make
sure that we address all issues that might arise in the original work you will
be doing, we will include a rubric with feedback to draft 1. To assist you in writing that draft,
here are the criteria for an A paper from the 2007 course:
*Includes all parts of a research report except for a justification of the methodology. (See items #1-6 for assignment 2.)
*The introduction provides a brief, clear introduction
to the processes that
led to the paper, but emphasizes key ideas that become the focus of the paper.
*Makes smooth transitions from one part to the next.
* Is very clearly written. Is well edited with only a couple
of typos. (This includes citations
and reference lists.)
*Is written in an engaging style—what one might call a
“good read.”
*Avoids slang except when it serves a purpose. (Usually slang is put into quotation
marks in a scholarly paper.)
*Has an inviting beginning and a satisfying ending.
*Makes convincing arguments, supported by data and/or the
literature.
*Uses literature to develop and/or challenge the author’s
own thinking.
*Goes beyond practical application of teaching ideas to
either engage with theory OR probe beyond the superficial in critical reflection
on teaching and learning.
*Reveals the author’s ability to question her own thinking,
not just to make a case and support it.