Literary Journal
An Alternative Pedagogy



National Endowment for the Humanities Seminar
Saddleback College
Summer 1997

This material was presented and discussed by Susan Ruyle of Saddleback College during one of the seminar's curriculum workshops.



Literary Journal

All the formats below can be made available to students to choose from. Length and due date should be specified. The journal allows students to work on emotional reactions, try out creative formats, and do stylistic experiments.

Suggested formats:
  1. Letters to or from characters or the author
  2. Diaries
  3. Inner dialogues of the main character
  4. Interviews: reporter, philosopher, psychologist etc., interviewing character or author
  5. Stream-of-consciousness reaction to a theme
  6. Sequel to the book
  7. Dialogue between characters or authors
  8. First-person monologues of characters
  9. Parallels with the student's own life (e.g., "like Archilde, I am . . .")
  10. Analysis from an unusual point of view
  11. Funeral of a character; reaction of other characters
  12. Juxtaposition of literature/reality
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