A Fresh Start?

A line from the Arizona State University Writing Programs Mission Statement: "We favor college-level non-fiction readings that invite students to become actively engaged with the author's point of view, rather than simply to read for 'information' or 'main ideas.'"

As I start this new blog in an attempt to document my experiences as I work on my Ph.D., I know that I shouldn't complain. ASU has offered me funding, and given me a place to study out of the 14 programs that I applied to. I get to teach and work on my degree. This is what I wanted, and in a place that is new and different from any other I've lived in up to this point in time.

My problem is that once again, whether through the apathy of the program, or the eyes of the university, I am not teaching literature. Not only that, we aren't even supposed to bring literature into the classroom unless it's the last option available. I figured that by this point, working on my doctorate, I would be able to actually teach what I know. It's not that I haven't taught this type of class before. It's that this should be the time where I begin to hone my skills as a teacher of literature, not composition. Luckily it seems that there will be opportunities for me to teach literature courses after my first year, but the reason eludes me why my fellow lit Ph.D. students and I (the ones of us fortunate enough to receive funding for our first year) are placed in a situation where we must teach in an area that is not our primary field. Maybe this is part of what I want to change wherever I go. You wouldn't have a chemist teach physics, so why have a literature specialist teach composition?

I just find is frustrating that for whatever reason, my expectations are not met yet again. I am excited to be here and excited to start my research. It's quite possible that this is just a small problem in what will be an otherwise amazing journey. But I guess I'll see.