Jarrod Cook

Professor Liliana Naydan

English 15, Section 15

26 September 2004

Journal Prompt #6

            When I walk down the hall of any building I can see the rows of desks set up in many classrooms.  As I walk into the English 15 room it immediately tells me something about the room.  Instead of separating students into formal rows facing the front, the room opts to have the students face one another, and the center, by having the seats positioned in a square formation.  This suggests that this room will be used for discussion and conversation and creates a less formal environment for the class.  This formation rules out the idea of math or science courses being held in the room because these courses are highly structured, unlike the room. The desk centered in the front of the room suggests the presence of a leader for the class and shows their importance as compared to the rest of the class.  The chalkboards and overhead projector tells onlookers that the room is used for instructing others by presentation and discussion.  Classes held outside create a stage for discussion as well due to the less formal atmosphere.  It allows students to talk more casually about the several topics presented in class.  In addition to the general setup of the room there are several other aspects of the course that aim at spawning discussion and argument.

            The Required texts of this course are very essential to the development of conversation.  The books in this class contain writings that cause discussion of many viewpoints to occur in class.  They also contain instructions on how to properly form your arguments on paper and in general speaking.  The course instructor also aims at getting the class to participate in discussions by asking open-ended questions that allow for many different proper responses.  The class is of an informal manner allowing for free discussion about any appropriate topics.  The readings and writings done in the class are also aimed at sparking argument among the class and giving many viewpoints on a single topic.  Readings often focus on very hot topics that caused much turmoil throughout history.  The class aims at helping the students to better understand the art of argument by actively participating in it in everyday reading, writing, and conversation.  The class also contains a variety of students of many age groups and ethnic backgrounds.  This shows the classes aim at developing a great diversity in the arguments are presented.  The diversity helps others to better understand a topic through understanding the viewpoints of many others.